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March 18, 2004, 3:42 pm

"1-2-3, 4, 5, 6-7-8" - that song from Sesame Street that normally went up to 12

8 more days in San Jose (not counting today 'cause today's mostly over already). I can't believe it! My time is dwindling so fast, and I can't even take some time to catch my breath because I'm so busy at work! I'm actually looking forward to the move so that I'll have a week off! But it's not work that I don't like, don't get me wrong. I'm actually really enjoying working on coding and stuff like this. I worked till 8:15 the other night without really feeling like I was working overtime. And it's neat when things work and it's keeping me really interested. :)

I have a new officemate, and I'm really sad that I'll be leaving so soon! He's a guy from Japan, and he's really nice. He's here for two months, and he has pictures of his adorable children on his desk. We just talked a little about our lives and stuff today, and his kids' names are Mizuki (she'll be 3 in June) and Yuuki (he's only 3 months old). He says he really misses them, it's so sad! Anyway, he's really nice, and I feel bad that this group is such a crazy one to join, especially when his English is still a little rusty. He doesn't speak Japanese to me, even though I told him I can understand it pretty well, and I think he's trying to practice with me before I leave next week. His English is actually really good, he just hesitates before he speaks any words. And I think he has a little problem with vocabulary, but hey, who doesn't?

So I have 4 more days of work because I'm not coming in next Thursday and Friday. I got a major piece of code working this morning, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. Now I'm just right back in the code implementation phase again, trying to put more working code into it. I've found that I really do have a good eye for detail, and I'm happy that I'm putting that skill to good use.

After today, pretty much all my days/nights are jam-packed. Tomorrow, I'm meeting with my old team one last time for lunch before I leave. Everyone's found a job now (except for my old boss...) so it'll be a fun lunch instead of a sad one like when me and Jude were leaving and everyone else was laid off. Tomorrow night is sushi & Cranium night! A group of us are going to Miyake's in Cupertino to have sushi and sake-bombs, then coming over to our place to play Cranium and party. :) It should be a good time. Hopefully everyone will have fun!

Saturday during the day, we have some sorting to do, to get rid of some junk, hopefully, and then, Jonathon, maybe his mom, and I will be going to dinner at my dad's house. My aunt and uncle will be making dinner there which I'm looking forward to. :) Sunday is more cleaning and sorting, then Sunday night is dinner at Mike & Kari's house. Monday night, I think will be some packing of personal belongings and whatnot. Tuesday is dinner at Azuma's with Sara one last time. Wednesday night is some fun in Santa Cruz with the girls. Thursday is no work and having the movers pack our stuff into boxes. Friday is having the movers pack the boxes into a truck, and then cleaning the house from floor to ceiling. Saturday morning is departure.

Anyway, my code is compiling, so now it's time to regression test. Hopefully none of my old code got broken in the process of adding new code. :p Wish me luck!! Have a great weekend.

March 7, 2004, 3:26 pm

"What a wonderful world."

I was reading Mary's xanga blog today at work (since it's Sunday and I've already been plenty productive according to my own standards) and she had this really neat weblink thing where you can get a map generated according to how many states or how many countries you've been to! Here are my maps:

It's kind of sad when they tell you that you've only visited 8% of the countries, especially when you don't remember, like, 99% of the 8% that you've visited. :) It's kind of like cheating, I guess, but oh well.

But I'm not much on travelling, at least to places that I don't think I could understand the language. Well, I think I would have fun if I went, but the anxiety before I actually went on the trip would be astronomical. If I travel, I like to travel to, like, Hawaii. Relaxing, tropical places. But there are a lot of things where I would rather not do it if I had a choice, but after I end up doing it, I really like it. So maybe I just need to travel more. But that entails having spending money, of which I have none. SO... back to the drawing board. :)

Now I'm just babbling. Is it okay for me to sneak out yet?? I'm obviously not getting anything done anymore today. I wish I was closer to the stairwell. :(

Oh... so yesterday, after the Memorial Service for my mom, Erika, Jonathon, and I went to PetsMart in Milpitas to get some stuff and look at hammies. And wouldn't you know, Jonathon and I (well, mostly I) came back with two more hams to add to our collection. And we can't even put them together with the others because they fight, not to mention, these two are girls. So they're dwarf hamsters, one is this really pretty greyish blue color, and the other is black... and looks SO MUCH like Evie!! Only tiny. They're so cute! The grey one is Scout (as in, from To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch, who has to dress like a ham in the school play) and the black one is Lyra, from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (which I highly recommend if you haven't read it yet). Lyra has quite an attitude, just like the Lyra in the book. Pictures to come soon. And possibly ham babies if we feel bored enough in Tucson. :) J/K...?

Tonight we're going to Dave & Buster's for a friend's birthday. We haven't been in a while 'cause it's so expensive. But her boyfriend rented a room and everything with a pool table and whatnot, so we might be able to make it a quasi-cheap night. Besides, we have tickets to use up before Tucson. :) I'll drag Jonathon home early anyway since I have to work in the morning... like I'm kinda doing right now. Haha.

Well, hope everyone had a good weekend. Enjoy the beautiful weather for me! :)

March 2, 2004, 4:36 pm

"Your face, it haunts / My once pleasant dreams / Your voice, it chased away / All the sanity in me." -- My Immortal, Evanescence

That song (My Immortal) is one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard. The piano sounds so crisp and clear in the beginning, and the melody is so sad. And the words, of course, are heartbreaking. The first time I heard this song on the radio, I had tears well up in my eyes, I'm serious! The only other song I can remember actually getting teary with was (don't laugh) Don't Take the Girl by some Country singer (Tim McGraw?). And that was in high school.

Anyway, I'm just waiting for my code to build, 'cause when I make a change to a header file, it takes FOREVER. Plus I haven't updated in a while, so I thought I should. For whatever reader(s) might be out there. :)

Not much has been going on. My weekends are filling up pretty fast, though, 'cause we're trying to plan on seeing our friends and family here before we leave. This past Friday night, Jonathon and I got to go see The Lion King (the Broadway Musical) at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco! We had to trade tickets with Shirley due to an unfortunate circumstance, but I'm glad it worked out so that she can still see the show instead of miss it altogether. The show was fantastic!!! I'm so glad I got to see it in San Francisco before we left, and it was definitely one of the best birthday presents I've ever gotten. (Shirley bought me the tickets for my birthday last year. :)) Jonathon and I both thoroughly enjoyed the show and bought a program and t-shirts to remember it by. :)

Saturday, I had a nice family dinner at my uncle's house (my dad's older brother). I got to see two of my cousins that I haven't seen in years, which was really nice. They had us over as a going-away thing for me, which was really nice of them. It was a delicious meal, and we had a lot of laughs around the table after dinner and during dessert. I worked on Sunday, which kind of ruined the weekend, but at least it felt a little more like a normal weekend. (Since we did something on Friday night, it was like a short Saturday!) We did go shopping a little on Sunday after I got back from work. I got some clothes for Tucson 'cause we got a 20% off an entire purchase at American Eagle Outfitters, which was also having some sales on basics! I got capris, a tank top, a halter top, and a v-neck shirt for $70! For AE, that's pretty good. (Could be better, but the clearance rack was awful.)

This weekend, we don't have much planned (maybe D&B for a friend's birthday Sunday night, but I have to work Sunday, so...), but from then on, the weekends are pretty full. Actually, I just remembered that Jonathon's mom *might* come this weekend, which would be nice, and we have a Memorial Service for my mom's 12 year. Next weekend, we're going to Sacramento to say goodbye to Jonathon's family up there. The weekend after, we have some dinner plans and then we'll start packing little things we're going to take ourselves and cleaning up the house and stuff. The weekend after that, we'll be on the drive to Tucson. I can't believe it's so soon already!! (And I can't believe my code is still compiling!!)

Work is busy, but at least I'm coding again. It's a lot of fun when it makes sense and I know what I'm doing. I hate hitting the speedbumps, but hopefully, they'll be less and less the longer I'm here. :) Okay, it finally compiled, with errors of course (I'm no SuperWoman), so back to work! I hope everyone's doing well!

February 17, 2004, 4:38 pm

"Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you / Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?" -- Why Can't I, Liz Phair

I can't stand that song by Liz Phair. I mean, it's really catchy, and I can't help but sing along. But have you listened to the words? She's "the other woman" in an unfaithful relationship!! Actually, according to the song, she apparently has a boyfriend or something, too, but she's going out with this other guy who has a girlfriend anyway!! One of the other lines is, "Isn't this the best part of breaking up / Finding someone else you can't get enough of?" Well shit, I guess she got enough of the boyfriend that she's cheating on! But of course, they try to make it sound at first hearing that it's just another song about a girl who's crazy about a boy.

Anyway. Sorry it's been awhile. I have been working my butt off (which, BTW, is unfortunately just a figure of speech in this case) about 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. Yes, 6. I came in that Sunday after my last posting, and I came in again the day after Valentine's Day. And we IBMers don't get President's Day off, so poor Jonathon had a four day weekend without a partner in crime. Luckily, the Sundays usually aren't full days. Both times, I got here around 9:30 and left around 4. I can't tell when people leave at night around here 'cause they all seem to get her later than me on regular days. I'd say around 9:30 or 10. I still get in around 8:30, but stay till around 6 or 6:30. On one rare occasion (last Friday), I stayed till 7:15. And it's quite frustrating because everyone's hella busy, too busy to really sit down and explain things to me to the point where I can be of much help. And when I have little questions here and there, I feel bad asking/bothering them, but if I don't, I remain stuck. Then there's the whole problem of getting the necessary access and IDs that I need to work smoothly, which haven't quite been ironed out yet. But hopefully by tomorrow. :)

Well, we officially have a place to live in Tucson! Our first choice complex called us back and said that one is opening up in mid-March, and our lease will start on March 20th, only 8 days before we'll get there, so it should be just fine. (Besides, when you pro-rate $670/month for 8 days, it really isn't much by San Jose standards!) We had our pick of upstairs or down, so we chose down, for the hot summers (heat rises!). Also, I don't think I'll hire movers again when we move out of those apartments (and into a condo??), and it's much easier and safer to avoid having to carry our 230-pound TV down a flight of stairs. And this way, we won't have to pay the movers extra to move us in. They charge by the stair when you have to go up. The unit isn't near a pool, so that's nice. There's a BBQ area nearby, and I think our bedrooms will face the parking area, but that's okay, we had that at our other apartment and cars at our current duplex without a problem. I'm very excited about the bay window, and having closets that don't have the stupid swing-out doors like we do now. I'm also excited about the mold-less walls (unlike our current abode), garbage disposal, dishwasher, and second bathroom/bedroom. :)

On Saturday, February 7th, Shirley and Tony treated Shirley and me to a day at the Claremont Spa! It was a fantastic time, and I really enjoyed all the services. I think the best part of the day, though, was hanging out with Shirley and just being girls and enjoying each others' company. I had a great time and feel so lucky to have a friend like her to support me through all these ever-changing times in our lives. :)

Valentine's Day was sadly spent running errands. I felt bad, but there were so many things that needed doing that I didn't get around to during the week 'cause by the end of a work day, the last thing I wanted to do was run errands. We got to do some fun things, too, though, like go to Petco (which is always fun with Jonathon), get Cold Stone Ice Cream, and go to Kinokuniya and Sanrio. Well, okay, maybe the last things were more fun for me. But whatever. :) Jonathon was a sweetie and broke our "no gifts" promise without making me mad. He got me a card (which he actually wrote quite a bit in!) and this year's Valentine Woodstock. I collect those little $5 stuffed Woodstock dolls that come out about 5 times a year (Valentine's, Easter, Graduation, Halloween, and Christmas) at Hallmark and Long's. Actually, I don't buy the graduation ones. But whatever. I haven't been to Hallmark or Long's in so long I didn't realize this years' Woodstocks were out already. :) So that was nice. I felt bad 'cause I didn't get him anything. :( But he cheated! :)

Anyway, that's about it for now. I'm on the phone with helpdesk, so I'm going to upload this now. We're playing Magic and having dinner at our house with Aaron, Prateek, and Sadaf tonight, yay!! :) At last, something to look forward to. :)

February 5, 2004, 9:51 am

"Lately I've been staring in the mirror / Very slowly picking me apart." -- Lately, Jodeci

Yes, I watched part of American Idol yesterday, hence the song that's stuck in my head. If you consider just the words of the quote (and not the rest of the song), it actually kind of relates to me right now, so "Quote of the Day" it is!

Today is Jude's and my last full day in our office in building 005. :( After today, we won't be coming in to this nice window office anymore. Instead, we'll be sharing an office (of comparable size, at least) in building 051, third floor until February 18th, which will be Jude's last day at work before moving to Tucson. Then I'll have my own office... but it's small consolation because I'll be struggling and working my tail off in there 6 days a week, probably upwards of 10 hours a day. :( I know, I'm spoiled. I had a great team to work with and quite an easy job. But I'm still going to complain anyway. What do you really get out of a one day weekend, anyway?? I'd rather work longer during the M-F and get both my weekend days off.

Anyway, enough bitching. My car gets an oil change and safety inspection (and some other little things I want looked at) tomorrow. My dad is going to take it in for me so I don't have to take any more "personal business" time... which means, of course, I get to take the X5 to work! I also get to see my sister and her new baby hamsters (if they come out of the house at all)!! Her two "boy" hamsters ended up being a mating pair and lo and behold, squeaky, pink, baby hamsters! :) I hope they're all healthy 'cause I'm going to take one. :) If anyone else is interested (or is interested in one of the parents because she obviously can't keep breeding these suckers), please let me know!

Then, Saturday is the day I'm really looking forward to!! Shirley and Tony are treating me (with Shirley, of course) to a day at the Claremont Spa!! :) :) We'll get everything: a massage, a facial, a manicure, a pedicure... and use of the spa's saunas, steam rooms, etc. I've never been to a spa. I've never gotten any of the aforementioned, not even a manicure! So I'm looking forward to a really girly day of pampering, which I don't indulge in very much anymore, other than by making Jonathon watch Sweet November or Only You with me while I paint my nails. It was a lot easier to indulge when I was living with the girls, and there was a lot more room for excuses to have these girly days. Living with Jonathon and Rich (or even living by myself) kind of limited my options. Thanks, Shirley and Tony!! You guys are the best!!

I'm waiting to hear from my team lead (who has a doctor's appointment this morning) about whether I should come in this weekend or not. I explained that if I do, it would have to be Saturday, but I'm really hoping that he'll say he (or anyone else) doesn't feel like training on a weekend, and without training, I wouldn't do much good coming in, so maybe, just maybe I won't have to come in on Sunday! Oh, well. I guess it's okay either way. Oddly enough, the only thing that would really bother me about working Sunday is that I have to use that much more gas! Not to mention I wouldn't get to sleep in quite as much, and Monday would really be Sunday, which really isn't cool at all.

Yesterday, my old team took me and Jude out to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory! And not only that, we got some going-away gifts. But the thing that I honestly treasure the most is the card that everyone signed, with kind words. I'm definitely going to take it to Tucson with me, and probably put it up in my office or cubicle or wherever they put me. Otherwise, I've been wrapping up things here, and just continuing to read documentation for the new team. Jude and I will start packing up our office later this afternoon.

Details on the Tucson move are slowly progressing. While we still haven't heard about the availability of an apartment unit in our #1 choice complex, the movers are sending an estimator to our place tomorrow after Jonathon gets home from school. We've set the day that we'll actually leave for Tucson as March 27th. And I've booked one night at the Holiday Inn Express in Blythe, CA for that night so we can break our drive into two (with more driving on the first day). We're HOPING that the driver of our moving van will be quick and get there on the first day possible instead of that Thursday or Friday!! Keep your fingers crossed for us. Otherwise, the week off that I'm asking for to "settle in" will be for nothing.

Well... that's about it from here. I know. I haven't put up pictures. But no one is really bugging me, so I guess that's even less motivation, and quite frankly, if I'm going to be working 6 days a week, you can bet your ass that I won't be putting up those not-so-sought-after pictures on my site. No offense. :)

Goodbye, building 005-11L and department H02A. I'm going to miss you so much!!

January 29, 2004, 8:58 am (back to PST)

"I've got the time, and I'm wasting it slowly." -- More to Life, Stacie Orrico

I know, I know, I'm a horrible person. I still haven't put up pictures yet, and I have no reason for it whatsoever. Well, unless the excuse that the thought of systematically resizing, then renaming, then creating informative tags to go with the pictures in HTML format counts. I have something like 46 pictures. Some are redundant. Some are of Dad's car. Some are of the animals at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (and thankfully not just wildlife pictures). But there are also some of cacti. Honestly, the still pictures aren't very indicative of the kind of city that Tucson is... more the outskirts and such. I used my videocamera for the city ambiance and such. But I will try my best to get around to it, probably this weekend.

But anyway, I thought the least I could do is write up a little "journal" of how the trip was and things that I noticed along the way and stuff. Then I thought, hey, I wrote two hella long emails to some people already while I was out there (and while everything was fresh in my mind). So I've decided that I would just post the emails up on the web. Okay, so remember, I left for Tucson with my dad on the 17th (which is when I wrote the first email), then I wrote another email on the 18th. I didn't send another email on the 19th, but I did update my webpage, so the last entry before this one will have to suffice for the last full day in Tucson.

email sent on January 17th, 2004
email sent on January 18th, 2004

Other than Tucson, it's been quite a circus here at work. Right now, I'm technically working half my time for my old department, and half of my time learning and training with my new one. I had an "education" meeting for a couple hours on Tuesday, and I've been reading lots of documentation on our product from my old office. A new office is being set up for Jude and me in the other building, but we won't really move in there till the 9th of February (like, our machines and everything). We have another meeting on Friday, and Jude has been having crazy 7 hour meetings on Wednesdays and stuff. Luckily, I have had no such thing so far.

The other big news that I guess some of you might have heard on the news or read in the paper is that IBM San Jose has laid off 300 of its employees. The incredibly stunning thing is that if I hadn't taken this job in Tucson, I would be looking for a job with the rest of my old department right now. Our entire department, along with all the peer departments and everyone up to and including my second line was laid off on Tuesday. Jude and I were spared only because we applied for and took the jobs in Tucson. It's really crazy. I mean, I won't be able to come and visit my old team here in San Jose ever. My first real career manager will be gone. They have 2 months to find another job. It came as a total shock, because the rumors had been flying in early January, but when the 4th quarter earnings and stocks were going up, we figured everything was okay. :(

Anyway, not to end on a sad note, but I should get back to work. Lots more documentation to read, after all. :p Enjoy the email updates from Tucson, and I will really try to get around to resizing those pictures soon!

January 19, 2004, 6:04 pm MST

"Go ahead, make my day." -- Clint Eastwood

I don't know why I thought of that quote of the day. In fact, I didn't even remember what it was till my dad reminded me. But I guess it's maybe because I'm in what used to be "The Wild West." Yup, I'm in Tucson right now, on the final night of our trip to check out Tucson! This trip has been a lot of fun, which can mostly be attributed to the fact that my dad is awesome. We've been laughing and being sarcastic all weekend, which is what I love to do. Two smart-asses, driving into the Wild West. :) It's been a blast.

Tucson is actually a lot cooler than I originally anticipated. And not just temperature-wise (since I am aware of the fact that it gets about as hot as hell must be here in the summertime). The mountains are absolutely gorgeous. I never thought I would find cacti and barren mountains beautiful, but when you're out here and among the vast "desert" (which is actually teeming with all sorts of life), it's really breath-taking. The weather here until now has been perfect: upper 60's in the day with a strong, warm sun, and pretty cold in the night, judging by the cold mornings. But not enough to frost.

It took us 13 hours and 12 minutes on Saturday to get from my dad's house to our hotel in Tucson, including a breakfast stop and 6 pee/gas/stretch breaks. Total driving time was 11 hours and 20 minutes exactly. (Yes, I kept track.) Dad drove a little fast sometimes, but in Arizona, when you're not in the city areas, the speed limit is 75! Woo hoo! Just what I and my car like to hear! We left at 3 am and got here at 4:12 PST, which is 5:12 MST, because Tucson doesn't do the time change thing like we do. So CA is the same time as Tucson for the summer months, and during the winter months, we're an hour behind.

Yesterday, our first full day here, we decided to go to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in the morning, which was the best idea of the trip! It's really amazing, I can't even put it into words. My dad and I had a field day, and were sad that we had to rush through it to do the rest of our things on our list of priorities. I'll put up pictures when I get back to CA, 'cause I took some really neat pictures of the animals they have there. The drive there was really scenic, too, and that's really where I started appreciating the views here in the desert. (Dad loved it as soon as we came into AZ.)

Also yesterday, we drove by the IBM-Tucson site, which is located in UofA's Science & Technology Park, along with Raytheon, Sion, and a few other tech companies. Then we went to tour two of the apartments on my list. The first one was pretty nice, aside from the lack of microwave, the possible lack of garbage disposal, and the fairly small living room. The second was okay, but no washer/dryer or microwave! Survey says: X!! But the lady there recommended a great steakhouse, which we enjoyed.

This morning, I had an appointment at 9 am with my #1 choice apartment complex. It was SO nice!! I really, really like it, but of course, it's the one that can't guarantee that they'll have the apartment I want when I need it. Keep your fingers crossed for me! It's gated, has everything I want, and the size and everything is great! (900 square feet.) Then we went to check out another complex, which was nice, too. I would say that this one would be my 2nd choice after seeing the apartments in person. It's a little bit further, but nice.

Another highlight for today: Cold Stone Ice Cream!! (See why Dad is so great?? :)) I got to have a dose of my all-time favorite Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Chill. My dad liked it, too. Then we went on to look for a coffee table for my dad to take home. We found one, so now he'll be able to throw out the old coffee table that we've had since, well... since before I was born. It's hexagonal, and white and yellow. Dad just said he bought it in 1971!! He was about my age!! I really hope I don't have anything that I have right now when I'm old like my dad! We finished off the day with some Panda Express, and now we're all showered and mentally preparing for the long day ahead.

So I don't know why I kept imagining Tucson as some small town with hardly any big stores and stuff. I have a huge list of familiar restaurants and stores that I've compiled while we were here, and it's just about the same as back home! There's even a dive shop, which is really weird. I guess people go to Baja, but still! The drivers here in Arizona are really bad, though. It was funny because we had been thinking that, and then the guy at the furniture store today mentioned how he thinks that all the AZ drivers drive like they're drunk... and he's right!! And the left turn lanes are really weird and will take a lot of getting used to. The light turns green for people going straight before the left turn arrow turns green! It bugs me, so I'll be sure to bring it up to the people in charge here. :)

Anyway, it's probably good that we came here in January, and that we'll be moving in March, where we're expecting it'll be really beautiful in the desert. But I'm glad that I came, and that my dad brought me, because now I feel better about knowing what my future home looks like, and what my future city of residence is like. And I'm okay with it. Plus I have my sights set on some 3900 sq ft homes that are still being built... for $450K, it's a great deal!! :)

Well, I'll try to write more, but it might just be more unbiased if I write after I move out here. I'll certainly put some pictures up, though. Most of them are from the Desert Museum, but oh well. I have some scenery pictures, too. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and hope for good driving weather for us tomorrow!

January 16, 2004, 1:07 pm

"There's gotta be more to life / Than chasing down every temporary high / To satisfy me." -- More to Life, Stacie Orrico

Sorry it's been awhile. Things are more hectic at work, now that I'm transitioning my stuff over to people who will be here, on top of getting ready for other things that are going on. Funny how life just keeps going, whether you can keep up or not.

Things haven't really changed much on the Tucson front. I found out that the data that I was so terrified of in my last entry really isn't very accurate, or, at least it isn't according to my new manager. Speaking of Ron, I officially report to him starting today, it's kind of weird. I'm still working with the same team, but paperwork-wise, I'm working for Ron. In fact, I think starting today (since it's a new pay period), I officially stopped paying California income tax and started paying Arizona tax, 'cause I'm under AZ's tax jurisdiction. Oh, well, I think that just means more money in my pocket for me 'cause AZ taxes are lower than CA. :)

Tonight, I'm spending the night at my dad's house, ironically in my childhood room. My sister has taken over it, but it'll still be weird because I haven't slept in that room since January 30th, 2002. Anyway, I'm going to my dad's 'cause we're leaving for Tucson at 3 am. Yes, as in, 3 in the morning, as in, the time that I used to get home from parties when I was in college. (Actually, I guess it's probably even earlier than most of my party-nights in college. :)) Of course, my dad will be driving the first shift, since it was his idea. I don't even know if he'll let me drive his car anyway, which is totally fine with me. We're going to be there until Tuesday, when we make our trek back to wonderful, beautiful California. That gives us Sunday and Monday to explore the city of Tucson, check out some apartment complexes, and walk around the different parts of town (sometimes in our bullet-proof vests).

I'll probably post up whatever pictures I take while I'm out there this weekend. I don't know how much will be on still-camera and how much will be video (documentary, "Sachi-style"). Grumpy, of course, will be chaperoning on the trip. Jonathon is going to be in Monterey with some Diver Dan folks for the weekend, starting tonight. I told him he should dive while he still has it so close. But yesterday, we found out that a lot of Tucson folks go scuba diving in Baja. It looks to be about a 4-5 hour drive (not to mention, mostly in Mexico), but it's supposed to be really beautiful and calm with a lot of life. So maybe he won't have to leave behind all his scuba stuff after all.

My laptop that I use as my PC for work died this week. The IT guy has it now, and is re-imaging it. I'm using my team lead's mini-laptop, which is really cool 'cause it's so little, but it's not little 'cause it's new. Hopefully I get my laptop back today, but I guess it's already Friday afternoon, why do I even care? :)

I got a new pair of jeans this past weekend. They're Lucky Brand Jeans, which everyone I know always gushes over, about how comfortable they are, how durable, how it makes their butt look good (well, the girls, anyway). Most of Jonathon's and Bobby's jeans consist of Lucky Brand. I've never had a pair because they're totally expensive, and the last thing I need is to always want to buy $100 jeans. Well, mine were 50% off this past weekend!! So I bought them, and took them to the cleaners on the corner to get them hemmed. They were regular length, so I had to get, like, 8" or something ridiculous cut off the ends! But I'm really excited now 'cause I get to pick them up after work today!! :) Hopefully they're just right and I can wear them while we're touring Tucson! :)

What else? Our orange Cichlid (Bernie... Ert died already in the heating fiasco of 2003) that had a severe case of fin- tail- and body-rot is getting significantly better! His tail and fins, which had been pretty much completely gone (especially the tail) are starting to grow back! We think it's a combination of the new medication we used, and the fact that we separated him physically (though still the same tank) from the bully fish that kept picking on him. I'm going to be sad to have to give them up, but there's just no way that we can take them all (in their heated, cycled water) to Tucson in somewhat of a convenient way... especially with Evie, Jerry, Popeye, and Brutus in the car already. If anyone wants 4 African Cichlids and a Plecostomus with everything included (tank, bubbler, heater, filter, extra filter inserts, vacuum to clean the bottom, and whatever food, water neutralizers, etc. that we have left), please ="mailto:jshioya@ferball.com" style=text-decoration:none>let me know. We need to find them a good home.

Anyway, I guess that's about it from here for now. I'll report back with Tucson stuff when I get back, or sometime next week, if I get a chance. Have a great weekend!

January 5, 2004, 9:25 pm

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." -- William Ernest Henley

Again, Happy 2004! Today, I officially accepted the offer for the job in Tucson. I'm still waiting to see if I'll be able to get some relocation money or not, but that's already in the works, all we can do is wait. I've been told that I can move out there at the end of March, which makes things much easier. I've also been told that I'll be given "at least one week" to move out there, so that makes me feel a little better about it, too. My dad and I are going to drive down to Tucson (Thanks, Dad!) for a 4-day weekend in a couple weeks so I can check it out and also see some of the apartments out there in person. I was okay with the moving-to-Tucson part, and was mostly nervous about the job, but just tonight, I looked through the Pima County website at the crime rates, and even in the decent areas, I'm seeing absurd things like "6 stolen cars," "1 homicide," and "3 forcible rapes" on this one street I wanted to look at apartments on, in 2003 alone!! Just on that one street!! But, I mean, this apartment I was looking at is one that my manager-to-be recommended because other IBMers live there! Grrr.... :( Anyway, at that complex, it looks like I could get a 2 bedroom 2 bath place (880 ft²) for about $600 a month (after the 5% IBM discount they give). Not too shabby! Too bad there's no garage that comes with it... because I love my car and don't want it to get stolen. :(

Anyway, maybe I can pretend that I never read that? Maybe it's not completely accurate? I don't know.

So my expense sheet for moving out there grows ever longer. Now, add things like "Car Alarm" and "Mace" to the list that has things like "Movers" and "Gas" on it so far.

Okay, well, I just wanted to update you all on what's going on. Oh, and it was so cold last night that my car was covered in frost and ice this morning. Maybe it was that way before, but I haven't had to get up at any certain time since last Wednesday, so I wouldn't know. :) I guess this year is going to be full of changes and adjustments for me. I hope you'll all be around to help support me on this crazy, life-changing decision I've just made (in spirit, if not in person). Take care!

December 31, 2003, 3:19 pm

"Happy New Year!!!" -- Me

I hope everyone has a very safe but FUN New Year's Eve tonight!!! May 2004 be the best year for you all, wherever you are! (Even if it's Tucson!) :)

December 29, 2003, 2:52 pm

"Some people change when they see the light, others when they feel the heat." -- Caroline Schoeder

I guess if I had to categorize myself under the quote of the day, I'd have to say that I'm a person that changes when I feel the heat. An example? Okay. So IBM here in San Jose hasn't been doing so hot, if you look at it in the point of view that A) Hitachi bought the Cottle site and we're now renting from them in a 3 year contract, and B) all the big-hitters like the VPs and directors have slowly (okay, maybe not so slowly) been moving out to Tucson. And lately, I've been thinking about how our application that our group works on is running out of time (being replaced by another, that we're not trained in), and how even if it wasn't, I wouldn't want to do this forever, and that I would have to learn something new at some point. I would say that all that stuff is "the light" and I saw it, but didn't want to change.

As for "the heat." Well, I didn't post this earlier because I didn't know what I wanted to do or how I was going to react. But on the 12th of December, I was given a job description and was told that it was highly recommended that I apply for this job. It's for a position as a firmware engineer, working on microcode on the big servers that IBM sells to, like, banks, airlines, and Walmart and stuff. And it's in Tucson. No one will say flat-out to me that they think layoffs are coming, or if they know of anything coming up. There are quite a few rumors flying around since the news reports came out saying that 4700 software engineering jobs will be offshored to India, and since a lot (if not all) of the contractors here on site have been laid off as of the end of the year. But no one can say for sure. This is definitely "the heat."

Well, I feel the heat, and I have decided to take heed. The week before Christmas, I applied for the job on Monday after sprucing up my resume over the weekend. Tuesday, I phone-interviewed with my potential manager, and interviewed in-person with one of the tech-leads who happens to be here in San Jose. Thursday, I was given one of the two remaining offers. So during my week off, I thought a lot about whether I would take the job, how it would affect me, etc. etc. I also talked to all the family that I met up with over the week off, and I've come to the conclusion that I will be moving to Tucson, whether I like it or not. I would like to stay with IBM for a minimum of 5 years (though initially, I had been hoping I would get to stay with IBM for my career). That way, I get my pension and my stock options vested. So that's anohter 2½ years or so, probably in Tucson. If I just can't get used to Tucson, I will move back to San Jose, whether or not it's with IBM. If I happen to really like Tucson, who knows, maybe I'll stay? I'm hoping that maybe while we're out there, I might be able to buy some property with my salary out there. But I'll look more into that later. I can always sell the property if I want to come back to use it as a down on a condo up here, or else keep it and rent it out. We'll see.

I guess that's the big news for today. Well, for this month, I guess. I shouldn't have to move till end of February, and actually, I'm hoping to push for the end of March (so Jonathon will be done with his quarter at DeAnza and so we can still see The Lion King without having to fly in from Tucson). I'll keep you posted.

Christmas was a great time! We saw little Sammy, who was sick with the flu. He came back from the hospital the day we got to LA. He was fussy, but he's sooo cute, and so sweet. :) And spending time with family is so fun, as usual. :) Tuesday, Jonathon and I went to Tiburon to pick up Bobby and Clive, then we went wine tasting in Sonoma Valley. I was the designated driver, and it was STILL fun! We had dinner in Sonoma, and then went bowling before dropping Bobby and Clive off and heading home. Wednesday through Friday, we went to Sacramento and had a great time! Lots of fun times, good food, laughs, and presents! :)

Anyway, I hope everyone has a very safe and happy New Year's Eve, and a great 2004!! I'll talk to you all then!

December 18, 2003, 2:38 pm

"No man can kill a Nazgul!"
"I am no man."
The Head Nazgul guy and Eowyn in the Battle at Minas Tirith, LOTR: The Return of the King

Okay, that movie? Absolutely fantastic. Everything I imagined, and then some. It didn't even feel like a 3 hour, 28 minute, 58 second movie, even after sitting out in the parking lot in the cold for 5 hours, and then waiting in the theater amidst huge beach balls being bounced around from person to person for 45 minutes. Amazing. Simply amazing.

Favorite scenes? Too many to count, I think. The Peter Jackson did an incredible job directing the movie. The actors and actresses were awesome. All of the special effects were just superb. (I'm running out of synonyms for "great" here.) It was a great ending to a great trilogy. I really hope Jackson gets the rights to do The Hobbit, too! It would be so neat to see that! (The one JRR Tolkien book that I have read... or rather, am about to finish.)

Okay, so let's see what else. There's been some drama at work, but I'll leave that out of this since, well, nothing's set in stone yet. My sister is home for the holidays (yay!) and we're eagerly awaiting Saturday morning when we'll head down to LA with our dad to see some of the Shioya side of the family! Baby Sammy is, of course, the highlight, since it'll be his first Christmas, and the first time Dad and Erika get to meet him. But since we never get to see that side of the family, I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone who shows up! And I get to congratulate my cousin Chika on her engagement in person, finally, too!

I'm so excited that my week off is almost here. I need it so badly, especially after this past week. I get time with my family, time with Jonathon, and time with Jonathon's family. I will also have some time with friends and time with myself, so I'll be set till the New Year. :) I have to work those three days before, but it'll be so quiet, and that's fine with me.

Jonathon and I attended a delightful dinner party hosted by Shirley and Tony this past Saturday. And in getting Shirley some flowers, I found an awesome little florist really close to my house! We had so much great food. Tons of really tasty shrimp and five crabs!! They were accented really well with seasoned asparagus and rolls. Mmm, we were so full by the end! Then we went to go see Something's Gotta Give, starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. It was a really funny, cute movie! We all enjoyed it, and it was a nice end to a wonderful evening. Sunday was the Survivor 7: The Pearl Islands finale, which we were very happy with. All in all, a good weekend!

Tonight, I'm going to bake some holiday cupcakes for my department, and tomorrow, I'll have those, some little ornaments, and little treats for everyone! I made the ornaments myself, I'm pretty proud. Last year was little terra cotta pots that I painted and personalized. I think this year is better.

Anyway, I feel like I'm forgetting something else, but I can't think of anything else right now, so I'll stop here for now. I might very well not update till after Christmas, so Merry Christmas, everyone!! Have a very happy and safe holiday season!

December 8, 2003, 4:04 pm

"Is there anyone out there 'cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe." -- Harder to Breathe, Maroon 5

Hello, and welcome to another Monday in my life. :p Last night, I didn't sleep well at all because I kept having bad dreams. One dream in particular was really, really bad. I felt so scared, and then so horrified at what I saw in my dream. I called my dad (who called my sister) to tell him to be careful 'cause the two of them were in my dream. I've had a weird feeling in my stomach all day because of it. I hope today will just end without incident and I can hopefully sleep well tonight with no scary dreams.

This weekend was fun! Jonathon and I watched the extended version of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers which Jude loaned to me. It was really, really good! Saturday, we played in the leaves (and scared Rich when Jonathon jumped out of the pile of leaves) and stopped by Aly's house for a little while, but Jonathon and I left fairly soon because my allergies get all crazy there. Aly has an adorable Rottweiler named Kubi, but he's big now, and thinks he's little. Even though he was outside, the house still had dog fur.

Sunday we just hung out, and then finished up our shopping for real this time. Just a gift for Gerald and something for Mo' and Bobbi. :) Then while we were at Petco, I saw THE CUTEST dwarf hamster ever. He was tiny, and he was white with patches of dark grey. And he had big eyes. But I couldn't have him 'cause we have no room for another hamster cage. So I called my sister. I figured, she's looking for a hamster, and if I can't have him, at least I can visit him if my sister had him! She had me buy him and I kept him till she could stop by with Chris. She loved him, just like I expected, and she named him "Peanut." It's a cute name, but he'll always be "Squishy" to me. I miss him so much, and I only had him for like an hour! I can't wait to see him again. Anyway. Evie's still the cutest Black Bear hamster ever, or at least tied with Josie.

Anyway, that's about it from here. Two more weeks of work, and then I have a glorious 9 days off! Have a great week, everyone, if I don't post again this week! 18 days till Christmas!

December 4, 2003, 2:47 pm

"I used to get away with so much / Now I can't get away / I even thought that it was simple / To say the things I wanted to say." -- Find My Way Back, Michelle Branch

Christmas time is here! But first, about the rest of my Thanksgiving weekend. :)

Friday was an absolute blast!! Jonathon and I met Bobby, Meghan, and Terrence at the Malibu Grand Prix and Malibu Castle in Redwood City, where we played a horrible-but-fun round of mini-golf (no offense, guys, but truly, we sucked!), swung the bat around at the batting cages (everyone but wimpy me), and then raced ourselves at the little racecar track! It was so much fun, just hanging out and being obnoxious (well, at least I was :))! Then we went to a great little bar and grill called Mulligan's. They had beer (sehr importante) and really tasty personal pizzas, and I believe Meghan and Terrence enjoyed their burgers very much. :) We continued south (in one car) to Palo Alto, where we had Cold Stone!! (See? Even though we were all separated, we've found common interests independently! Which brings up the whole "Nature vs. Nurture" discussion, but I'm not going to get into that. ;)) We (well, Bobby) drove back to Malibu Castle, where my car and Terrence's car were waiting patiently. From there, Meghan and Terrence headed home, with a long drive ahead of them. :( Sorry you guys had to drive the furthest! I hope you guys had as much fun as I did, at least!! :) It was great seeing you! Bobby and I drove in Bobby's car while Jonathon drove my car back to our house, since Bobby wanted to see it and was willing to hang out a little later. We hung out, and Bobby tried some of Jonathon and Rich's home-brew. I still won't go near it, but that's just me. :) He really seemed to like it, which was cool. When Rich got back from work, we all headed over to California Billiards in Sunnyvale to play some foosball and some pool. I was very much in the zone when it came to pool for some reason. I did really well! But Bobby ultimately kicked ass and him and Rich beat me and Jonathon. We went to Cluck U (excuse me, "University Chicken") by our house before Bobby departed for Tiburon around 1 in the morning. It was a great time, I'm really glad I got to see him and Meghan. I really needed a dose of Bruins. :)

Saturday was a fun day, too! Jonathon and I slept in till like 2 pm, and woke up totally sore all over! Bobby later told us he was, too, so we think it was the cars we drove at Malibu. :) We putzed around, then cleaned up a little (with Rich) and took out the little dining room table to the garage. We pulled out the rest of my Christmas decorations and then went to buy a Christmas tree!! We got a really nice 5' Noble Fir for about $30, and I also -- against the will of my roommates -- bought a sprig of Mistletoe for $2. :) We got home and decorated it and decorated the rest of that area of the house. The ornament that I had made for this year, sadly, was dropped by the tree right after I hung it, and shattered on impact. :( I had made another smaller one, so that will be my ornament of the year. :( Rich's looks really cool, I'll put up some pictures of the tree when I get around to it. After that, some people stopped by. Dave and Chris came for about a beer or so, and then left. Right before they got here, my sister, Wendy, and Becky came by. The girls stuck around till around 1 am, and that was a total blast! It was funny because when everyone was here at the same time, out of the 8 people in the living room, only 2 of them didn't grow up on Weybridge Drive! Haha! We were laughing about how Chris used to babysit Wendy and Becky and their brothers when they were small. Good times. :) The girls stuck around and eventually, we went to Cluck U (yes, again) because Wendy had never been there. We played some rounds of foosball (Wendy and I beat Jonathon and Rich!!!) and laughed a really lot. Back home again, we played some video games and drank some Kava from Fiji. We laughed a lot, and everyone seemed to have a really good time. :)

Sunday was a calmer day. Jonathon and I sat around watching movies and TV, and we even took a nap. :) It was a nice ending to a busy long weekend.

The week has been pretty uneventful. We went Christmas and grocery shopping on Monday, and Christmas shopping yesterday. I was also going to go myself on Tuesday, but I got a really bad headache, borderline migraine, where I felt really nauseous, too. So I went home and took a nap on the couch. When I woke up, my right eye was totally puffed up!! It was gross, it looked like a butt. But when I iced it, it started going away, and I was able to watch the Peanuts Christmas Special on TV and the first hour or so of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which I picked up at Walmart that day for only $14.88! I fell asleep halfway through Pirates and went to sleep right after. :) We just have 2 more presents to go, and we'll be done. My Christmas cards are almost done, too. It's taking longer because I have to coerce Jonathon to get into it and write in the cards, or at least sign his name at the bottom after "Jennifer &." I hope to send them out early next week.

Other news: I've purchased tickets to see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on December 17th (opening night) at Century 21 at 8 pm! We'll be going with the same crowd that we saw The Matrix: Revolutions with on opening night. I'm really, really looking forward to Return of the King. My officemate also brought The Two Towers Extended Version DVD for me to borrow for the weekend, so I'm really excited to see that, too!! Probably not tonight, though, 'cause it's Survivor night. :)

Anyway. The rest of this month I'm sure is going to fly by. Jonathon has finals next week, and then will probably work a little to help out with the holiday spending. Saturday the 13th, we've been invited over to Shirley and Tony's for dinner, and then maybe a movie at the Shoreline Theaters. The weekend of the 20th, of course, is the Shioya family trip to LA. And then I have a week off! That will be very nice. I'm really looking forward to that, and spending Christmas Eve and Day with Jonathon and his family for the second year in a row. :) I really have to try to enjoy the holidays while they're here because I know they're gone far too soon. And then it's another 5 months before we get another site holiday. Such is life. *sigh*

Well happy Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa shopping everyone! And stay warm and dry if you're in the Bay Area because it's cold and wet here right now. T-minus 21 days till Christmas and counting!

November 27, 2003, 10:18 pm

"Tell everyone I said 'Thanksgiving'!" -- Me

No, that's not a misprint. I told Sara to tell everyone I said "Thanksgiving." Not "Happy Thanksgiving." Just "Thanksgiving." Hehe. It was an accident. I was full of pancakes at that point, and was way excited to be on our way to the SF Auto Show. :)

So "Thanksgiving," everyone! And a very happy one, at that. :)

I had a wonderful, fun day myself. My dad and sister picked me up at around 9:30 this morning after picking up the pies at Marie Callendars. We charged through our usual Thanksgiving routine of IHOP downtown for breakfast, the auto show at Moscone Center till the afternoon, San Francisco to pick up my grandpa (my mom's dad), and then San Bruno for Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house (my mom's sister and her husband). My dad, my sister, and I pretty much laughed non-stop the whole time. Well, mostly my sister and I laughed, and my dad stood embarrassed, or laughed out of incredulity that we could be so ridiculous. :) We have many jokes from today, and I really treasure that my family and I are so close and can have such a good time together. I can't wait till we go to LA before Christmas!

So the car show was pretty cool, as usual. I took over 50 pictures, most of which I'll probably post with minimal information when I get a chance to resize them all and make a page for them. They had the X3 and the new 5-series (530i and 545i). I wasn't impressed with the X3 at all. It looked like most of it was made of plastic. The 5-series is actually pretty nice, and they change the interior, too. (Oh, I got a pretty funny picture of my dad popping his head out of the sunroof of the X3. Haha. The guy who worked for the show who went around dusting the BMWs (I wouldn't mind that job myself) shook his head at him. I proudly told him, "That's my dad!" They had this pretty cool Dodge truck that they said they'll be making a limited number of. It's going to have the same engine as the Viper or something ridiculous. Erika and I laughed at the lady who was talking about it 'cause she was joking that they didn't give her keys to the car "just because she went for a joyride the other day." Okay lady. You were way too old to be "joyriding." My sister said, "What, did you make your kids go with you, too?" Haha.

One of the funniest moments of the day started out as a very frustrating one. I was trying to get a picture of the silver Nissan 350Z when this woman and her husband or boyfriend totally walk right in my way. To make it totally worse, her significant other sees me, taps her on the shoulder, points at me, and moves out of the way. And she doesn't! I don't even think she was trying to be bitchy, she just was totally clueless and inconsiderate. She even kind of stood there, turned around looking at something, then moved up to the car and leaned on it, like she wasn't going anywhere for a while. (Erika had witnessed this, as well.) Frustrated, I just went over and took a picture of the yukky copper colored one instead. A few minutes later, we're walking by the two Z's, and the same lady is trying to get a picture of the copper one. My loyal sister sees her, and proceeds to walk right into the lady's view of the car, stops, turns around, looks right at her, and walks back the way she came. I couldn't stop laughing for a while at that one. :) Another one was when my dad and some other people were sitting in some car, whose interior color was a nasty shade of orangey-brown. I opened his door and said, "Nice. What color is this, pumpkin?" and my dad snorted and got out of the car, ashamed, but amused nonetheless. There is no way he can deny that we are definitely his kids. The sarcasm runs thick in our branch of the family tree.

After a few hours at the show (and some phone calls to some friends), we went to pick up my grandpa. We don't see him very much, but Thanksgiving is without fail. He's the kind of grandpa where he loves us to death and gets really excited to see or hear from us, but after about five minutes of our company, he gets bored. Haha, gotta love Jiichan. We talked a little in the car, he gave us some cash, and when we got to my aunt's house, he went and sat in front of the TV to watch the Dallas-Miami game. (He can't speak English, but he can speak Football fluently.) The rest of the day was spent helping with dinner, eating the dinner (I think my sister said I ate for about an hour and a half straight. My dad put up a valiant fight, but he couldn't quite outlast my stamina.), helping with the dishes, eating the pie, helping with dishes again, and laughing at each other (and others). It was great food, and I had a lot of fun with my family. :) My dad and Erika dropped me off at home at around 10 pm, armed with my salad leftovers and "tsukemono" (my roommates, both being only children, would be bringing plenty of non-vegetable leftovers, I knew), new chamois that my dad bought me for my car at the auto show, and my $200 cash from my grandpa. I'd say I made out quite well this year, and it's not even Christmas yet! :)

So Thanksgiving has gone just as fast as it came. Tomorrow is going to be great! Complete with sleeping in (maybe even till Jonathon gets back from Sacramento around 1 pm) and seeing good friends that I don't get to see nearly enough to keep me happy. :) I'm really excited to see Bobby and Meghan. It makes me feel like we're back at school. I miss everyone terribly! So I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Then after all that, I'll still have a whole weekend left to decorate for Christmas, relax, and whatever else we decide to do! (Maybe see more friends, since a lot of people are home for the long weekend!) I think now I'll pop in a movie (maybe Finding Nemo?) in my room and doze off whenever I feel like it. I'm sleepy enough to sleep now anyway. I miss not having Jonathon here, but there is something to be said about sleeping diagonally in a bed, just because you can. Reminds me of my living-alone days. :) I hope everyone had a great day today! Turkeys, sleep soundly, for you've survived another year. :)

November 25, 2003, 12:59 pm

Update: 7:59 pm ~ Added Rich's new car to my cars page, and new pictures to my pictures page! Be sure to check them out!

"Dumb is forever." -- Jack

I'm still suffering from some tail-end (hopefully) symptoms of the hives that started late Thursday night of last week! The weekend was horrible. Friday night, when I had expected the hives to go away, they actually got worse, even after taking Benadryl for them! They had spread to my face, hands, feet, everywhere! And entire areas of my body (e.g. my entire thigh) were literally covered by the hives to the point where there was no regular skin. It felt puffy, and all of my skin felt like it was on fire. The cold compresses didn't do much good, either, because my skin was so feverish that the cold was immediately replaced by warm. It was so hot, itchy, and uncomfortable! (Note: I didn't have a fever, just my skin was feverish. If you have hives accompanied by a real fever, you should go to the hospital right away.)

Anyway, the hives lasted all weekend and even till yesterday, though after Saturday night, the symptoms seemed to lessen. They moved out to my extremities and were gone from my torso for the most part. Just here and there, a little bunch will break out on my back or something. Last night, I was pretty much okay, except for my eye started swelling up, and a few patches of welts showed up. My eye was still swollen this morning, but it seems okay now.

Otherwise, our weekend was pretty uneventful (especially because I didn't want to go out in public much with my hives). We bought some glass ornaments and a kit to decorate them. We also got some cute plain stocking stuffers that we could decorate with the kits, so that was fun, too. I finally saw that movie Identity on Friday night and enjoyed it thoroughly. We slept in quite a bit both mornings (through the sub-30 degree temps) and relaxed.

And now we're in a short week! I'm pretty sure we'll get off at lunch time tomorrow so we can get a head start on our long weekend. Even if we don't, tomorrow's like Friday! Jonathon leaves tomorrow after rush hour (and maybe after Survivor, which is on a special day) for Sacramento, and will be back on Friday late-morning or early-afternoon. Then we're meeting Bobby, Meghan, and Terrence at the Malibu Grand Prix in Redwood City to hopefully play a round or two of miniature golf, and maybe even ride the little go-karts. If it rains, we'll have to see if we can find something else to do, because we're meeting there no matter what. :) I can't wait to see them!! It really sucks that we don't get to live within walking distance of each other anymore! (Or in the same apartment, in Meghan's case.)

Saturday and Sunday, I think we'll get to start cleaning up a little and decorating the house for the holidays! I already have my Peanuts Christmas Tree up in the corner of the living room. I purchased it from the Danbury Mint, who now constantly sends me any news about new Peanuts stuff, which I just adore. I even ordered a new thing, but I'll discuss that some other time. :( Anyway, I also have my two mini stuffed Woodstocks (one from last Christmas and one from this year) sitting on top of our bookshelf. In my Christmas decorations box in the garage, there should also be the tree ornaments, tree skirt, stockings, lights (outdoor and indoor), Christmas candy dish, a door hanging, and some candles.

While it's hard to believe it's already time for Thanksgiving and loosening our belts, I can believe it's almost winter. It is soooo cold in the mornings!! I wore my leather gloves this morning for the drive (thanks, Aunt Patti!) which helped a lot, but the office is cold, too, and I can't type with gloves on. Turtlenecks and scarves have become the attire of choice for me, and my light blue fuzzy slippers are a must once I step foot inside the house.

Tonight when I get home, I'm going to try to work on getting new pictures up. I have a ton on my camera that I haven't even uploaded to my computer, so I feel really bad. I was doing well for a while, you know? Anyway, I have some pictures from when Jonathon and I went to Wilder Ranch to ride bikes, and also when we went back with his mom and grandma to take a walk. I also have pictures of Rich's new car, and a really, really cute picture of Evie (my favorite yet)! Other than Rich's car pics, which will of course make it onto the Cars section of my site, I might just bunch the rest into one pictures page so you can take a look. I haven't even updated pictures since September!! Bad Jennifer! So maybe tonight, while Jonathon is working on his group project after school. Then, hopefully sometime next week, I'll have pictures of the SF Car Show from this Thursday!

Anyway, that's all for now over here. I hope everyone has a very thankful Thanksgiving, and gets to spend it with the people they love and care about. Stay warm and have a great long weekend!

November 21, 2003, 1:42 pm

Last night, I started getting hives around 1 am when I was going to bed. It was minimal, and I didn't really think much about it 'cause I was tired and figured when I got up this morning, they'd be gone. Well at 4 am, they were all over my body (excluding extremities). I had them all over my torso, thighs (mostly on the back), down to my mid-calf, and on my arms, almost to the wrist and up to the shoulder. My neck was just a little itchy, and my face was safe. I took an antihistamine and went back to sleep. At 5 am, things were just as bad. I was too tired to care, though, so I went back to sleep to worry about it in the morning. 7 am, my alarm goes off, and I thought they were gone. But it was just not really raised welts/bumps anymore, although they were red and still there. Some bumps were still there. Even now, I'm still itchy (even moreso than before) and the welts are coming back, even though I've continued taking antihistamines throughout the day. :( I'm about to take another one now (even though it's early) 'cause I can't stand the itching.

I got an award on Tuesday afternoon. It was for the OnDemand Community, and working on the eMentoring Program at the junior high schools last school year. I was one of six people who were given the certificate, which was in a frame and everything! That was pretty neat. My boss was happy. :)

Yesterday, we watched Survivor (not a good episode) and then played Magic with Aaron and Prateek! Sadaf was also there for the dinner part, but as she drives to San Francisco and back for work everyday, she goes home early to get a good night's rest. Besides, she doesn't play Magic. I got a bunch of new Mirrodin cards from Aaron as a belated birthday present, so I had a lot of fun opening them up and reading about the new creatures and stuff. Totally boosted my artifact count, woo hoo!

Hopefully this weekend, we'll get to make our own ornaments for this holiday season. We're going to head over to Michaels to see what we can find. I saw a kit that you can decorated glass ornaments and objects with to make it look like stained glass, which looked really cool. We'll see. :) We also got quite a bit of our Christmas shopping done on Wednesday. We aren't exchanging with quite so many people this year (thanks, guys) so it was mostly family and some friends on our list. For the first time, we have babies on our list to buy for. Two of them, both boys, that will be 11 and 12 months old. Toys and clothes are both hard to pick, since their mommies usually spoil them anyway. :) I'm sure we'll find something.

Some very sad news today. Jonathan Brandis, the teen idol that I adored for about 5 years or so (from elementary school to high school), has died at the age of 27. According to a CNN article, it seems to be too early to confirm how he died, other than that it was a suicide. Those of you who knew me back then, you know how crazy I was about him. I had literally hundreds (I believe it was in the 300 range) of pictures of him cut out from teen magazines and up on my wall. I was also a part of his fan club and had the autographed pictures and "personal letter" sent to me from him. I couldn't believe it when I saw "SeaQuest DSV actor Brandis dead at 27" on the cnn.com homepage this morning. He was still so young, and it's so sad.

Sorry to end on such a sad note, but just remember to take care and be careful and remember that there're always brighter days ahead. And you know *I'll* always love you, so keep that in mind. Love you all.

November 17, 2003, 11:12 am

"Sunny days / Everybody loves them / Tell me baby / Can you stand the Rain?" -- Can You Stand the Rain, New Edition / Boyz II Men

The ground was wet this morning, but the sun has made its way through the clouds, finally. Not that that's necessarily a good thing. I happen to like ominously dark clouds on the horizon because then it means rain is coming. At least it's not 90 degrees anymore. A little sun never hurt anybody, other than those people who are severely allergic to the sun and can only go outside in total darkness.

So some happy news to offset the sad news I reported last Tuesday. Our roommate Rich has purchased a new (used) car! On Saturday, he asked us to come car shopping with him, which we obviously wanted to. He test drove a couple of Subaru WRX Imprezas and was particularly fond of the second one. The price was good, the VIN came up clean, low mileage, it already had after-market wheels, and it had everything he wanted in it. The color, though none of us normally like red very much, is a very classy deep red, kind of a burgundy, which apparently is a factory color, though none of us have ever seen one on the road. Very easy on the eyes. It's a 2003 and it's all Rich's. :) I'll be putting up some pictures soon.

The weekend was pretty fun. Saturday night, we had a friend over, and we played poker, ate pizza, and drank some beers -- basically, I was a guy for a night. I even brought out my visor and puffed on my Bic "cigar" when I was the dealer. We played with nickel, dime, and quarter chips. Jonathon and I lost about $4 each to Dave, which is really okay since he overpaid for his portion of the pizza. :) We woke up hungover and tired on Sunday (can't drink like we used to anymore), and Dave was nowhere to be seen! The only things we found as evidence that he was there were a pair of dirty socks and a pair of underwear. Okay, it's not Jonathon's, and Rich wouldn't leave his underwear on the Lazy Boy when his room is about 5 feet away. WHY Dave left his underwear, I don't know. He asked to borrow a pair of shorts from Jonathon, but now, given the circumstances, I'm sure Jonathon will be more than happy to let him keep that pair of shorts. Other weird things we discovered that morning were: a can of Spam that went missing and an untouched chocolate chip cookie sitting on the table. Just another night at the Newhall pad.

*** Time Lapse: 2 hours, 16 minutes ***

Okay. So I just went on my lunch to pick up my Costco card that my "husband" (aka Dad) bought the membership for 'cause I had to go and take my picture and get my card. That place is a madhouse even on weekdays. It was a full-blown Saturday afternoon-type crowd there! Kids of all ages (ever heard of sending your kids to school people??), adults of all ages (not just the retired or the stay-at-home-moms/dads), it was ridiculous! I'm talking entire families there together: Mom, Dad, the kids, and grandma, too. All everyone does is go to Costco now. I guess when you don't have a job, what better thing to do, right? Hopefully the Costco by our house is less crowded, or at least bigger and more efficient.

I also stopped by my dad's house before Costco so I could pick up the proof of membership and a picture that he had printed out for me. His house was completely, totally, utterly boring except for one thing, which I brought with me because I forgot I had left it there. (My light blue leather jacket.) Sucks to be him!

Anyway, I have dinner plans with Sara tomorrow, and Aaron will be coming by to hang out on Thursday (Survivor, then play some MTG). Tomorrow at work, there's going to be some site-celebration, and I've been "personally invited" by a few of the top dogs. I think me and a couple other women I worked with on the eMentoring Program last year will be recognized for volunteering or something. That should be kinda neat, if we get an award (or a free day off!) or something. :) Hopefully this week will go by fast 'cause then next week is a 3 day work week! Yay!! (Even though I'll be Jonathon-less for a night or two, I'll also get to see Bobby!!)

November 14, 2003, 1:28 pm

"You like that?" -- Bobby's brother Jeff

I've been out of commission for the past two days. A cold, not the flu, thank goodness. I was just overwhelmingly tired and coughing up lots of nasty things. I still had my appetite, so I ate a lot, and slept a lot. The best part, I think, was that I felt good enough to come back to work today: a Friday, and better yet, a Pay Day. :)

Rich's stolen car saga came to a sadly predictable close on Tuesday morning at 6:13 am. The phone rang, and it was the police saying they found his car in San Francisco, stripped to the bone. Right now, Rich is driving a white Ford Focus rental car with a spare tire on the front. A sad reminder of just how great his car used to be. However, he's already thinking of buying a WRX with whatever money insurance will give him. :) Way to see the bright side, Rich!

During my sick days, I started addressing some of our Christmas card envelopes. I haven't actually started writing in them yet, I'm not that far ahead of things. But I've addressed and stamped most of the envelopes. I love doing that kind of stuff! I also finished my Christmas stocking cross-stitch, except for the name that goes on the top. I haven't decided what I want to put on it yet. Right as I finished it, though, I cut the last thread and promptly proceeded to lose the needle I've used on this entire project. I was on the couch, but I haven't found it anywhere. :( Someone's going to have a big surprise when they visit and sit on our couch.

Anyway, another weekend for me (since it seems like I just had one), and a full checking account, woo hoo! We might be heading to Gordon Biersch tonight to see a friend who's in town again after coming back from the Middle East. We'll see what happens (Jonathon's friends are flaky sometimes, but usually not this one). Hopefully it won't rain while we're outside so I won't catch another cold! :)

November 11, 2003, 2:23 pm

"If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" -- Shakespeare

This past weekend, our roommate Rich's 1997 Acura Integra was stolen from right in front of our house. Jonathon and I were in Sacramento from Sunday morning to Monday night, and it was Sunday night that the car was stolen. It doesn't seem to be a haphazard crime because he would have heard his alarm or engine when the culprits took it away. They seemed to have something that could disarm his alarm (and Rich has reason to believe that they had been practicing it for the last few days because he would go outside in the morning when he was certain he armed it, and it would be disarmed), and probably towed or pushed the car in neutral until it was a safe distance from the house. These people must have known how much Rich took care of his car and put into his car. These people may even have been watching us to see when the best time might be to steal it. They may know our weekly routine and found that the car isn't there unless Rich is there. But whatever it was, his car had been targeted. They wanted it, and they took it.

To put salt in the wound, Rich found out that his insurance company will not be held accountable for the after-market products that he installed himself -- only products that he had installed by an authorized shop. Why in the hell would anyone who is mechanically capable of installing products pay for them to be installed?? And why should it be held against him?? There are lots of questions in our heads, and as early as it might be to jump to conclusions, one or two suspicions have crossed our minds individually. Will there be justice? Sadly, I have to say probably not. Chances seem to be that the car is probably already stripped and sitting, a mere shell of the car that Rich put so much time and love into. Maybe his car will appear as parts in a black market of sorts in the racing world (like the street races in Milpitas, perhaps?). Insurance might eventually give him, what, Kelley Blue Book price of roughly $9,265? Nothing compared to the other stuff he'd added to fine-tune his beloved car.

I would ask anyone who might know anything about this kind of thing to contact me, but what are the chances? Not too many of my friends and family are involved in stealing cars, that I know of. I just really hope that there is some kind of justice out there. All I ask is that Rich gets a chance to kick the shit out of whoever did this, and that Jonathon and I can shove them into scalding hot oil for making us feel uncomfortable in our own home.

Otherwise, the weekend was pretty cool. Friday night, us three roommates got some late-night Cold Stone. Saturday, Jonathon and I went to meet three of the four Aftowicz kids for lunch in South San Jose, then my friend Wendy came over to visit and finally see our new place. :) Saturday night, of course, I worked from 6 pm till 11 pm, and got to drive home in what was finally a decent downpour. I couldn't sleep well at all on Saturday night, with lots of waking up and shifting uncomfortably, sweating and freezing, and insomnia. I finally got out of bed around 5:15 am and watched some MTV's The Real World in the living room. While I was in there, a pretty crazy thunderstorm happened, so I'm glad I saw that. (Not that I would have been able to sleep through it... it shook our house!) I went back to sleep around 7 am (Jonathon, too, 'cause he came out and joined me around 6:15) and we got up at 9-ish to get ready for our trip to Sacramento. I was feeling a little sick, but not too bad. We had a great time in Sacramento, and I got to play with the doggies and work a lot on my cross-stitching! I also got my last two birthday presents, which was really cool. We got back around 8 last night, and I watched Finding Nemo with the commentary on while I did a little bit more cross-stitching.

Today, I'm still not feeling completely better, but then again, I don't even know if maybe I'm still just starting to catch it or if I'm fighting it off at this point. The cough is the worst, plus the hot air it feels like I'm breathing in, but it's just my nose *thinking* it's hot air. And I'm feeling a little weak. And the hot and cold flashes. At least I don't have a headache! (*Knock on wood!*)

Well, at least it's Tuesday already. Please keep your fingers crossed that maybe Rich's car will be found intact, or better, that the criminals are found and busted!!!! Stay healthy!

November 7, 2003, 4:36 pm

"Raindrops keep fallin' on my head / But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red / Cryin's not for me / 'Cause / I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining / Because I'm free / Nothing's worrying me." -- Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head, Hal David

Yay for rain! I was sad when I woke up and saw that the sky was blue and the sun shining, but the next storm seems to be arriving already, with rain pattering outside our office window. Clam chowder and fresh sourdough bread for dinner! (With some broccoli to balance out the meal.)

I feel a tickle in the back of my throat. It actually feels like it's more "right behind my uvula" than "back of my throat." Somewhere along the path of my sinuses between my nose and my throat. I don't want to get sick 'cause I have to work tomorrow night, plus we're going to Sacramento on Sunday. :( I took a multi-vitamin for some vitamin C, but when I get home, I'll drink some juice and stuff. Hopefully I'll get better.

I think I either caught this cold from Sara, Jonathon, or maybe from waiting out in line for The Matrix: Revolutions. ** Okay I just got back from my break, and I had a 100% Vitamin C drink. Hopefully it'll help ** The movie, in my opinion, was awesome. Of course, I went in without the expectation that the third of this trilogy would all of a sudden be this totally intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking, accurate movie, like some of those critics seem to have done. I went in hoping for some kind of closure, some interesting ideas and thoughts, and awesome graphics and action. I really enjoyed the movie, even when I didn't like a few of the things that happened in it. It was entertaining, and way better than the 2nd movie.

Sara and I went to Michelle Schulkins' bridal shower last night. It was really nice to get to share that with her, and it was a great shower. We also saw Natalie Larsen, who we all went to school with for junior high and high school. (Michelle and Natalie were also roommates and friends at BYU in Utah.) It was really good to see her, too, 'cause I hadn't seen her since high school graduation.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting with some of the Weybridge kids that have all scattered to various colleges and cities at the McDonald's near our old street. :) Jonathon's coming, too, 'cause we all grew up on the same street. Then my friend Wendy will be visiting at our house for a bit. After dinner, I have to come in to work to upgrade one of our web machines during a maintenance window. Sucks, but oh well. Sunday, we leave for Sacramento to visit Jonathon's mom and Mo (yay!) and of course everyone else in his family. We'll be coming back on Monday.

Anyway, I guess that's about it from this side. Take care!

November 3, 2003, 2:10 pm

"Don't go, you know you'll break my heart / She won't love you like I will / I'm the one who'll stay / When she walks away / And you know I'll be standing here still." -- To Love you More, Celine Dion

Another Monday. How boring. The only redeeming quality about this Monday is the big puffy clouds in the sky, and the rain that preceded my work day. Good thing I got new tires when I did. Now I should put in my rubber floor mats.

I had a good weekend. We gave out candy to our ONE trick-or-treater that came on Halloween night while we watched Psycho on TV. Went to bed pretty early. Saturday, I had lunch with Michelle, Sara, and Susan, which was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time talking and laughing and catching up. Hopefully we can do that again soon. Also on Saturday, we went to get some pet supplies, like a mouse for Jerry and a new wheel for Evie. That shopping trip to Bangkok Aquarium ended up with a new Betta and snail to go in a small new tank to put in our room. :p I know, like we need more stuff. Anyway, we named our new roommates Popeye and Brewtus (Popeye being the snail, an albino something or other, and Brewtus being the teal-ish colored Betta). The aerator is good background noise for when we sleep. :)

Sunday, I had lunch with Shirley, and went with her to buy her totally adorable knee-length peacoat at Banana Republic! Oh, to have spending money again!! After that, I ran some errands with Jonathon, including a stop at Home Depot, Santana Row (Burberry, Mai Do, etc.), and Albertsons. Then I cleaned Evie's cage and rearranged it a little. I don't think she likes it much. But her wheel is ingenious, it's hanging from chains from the lid so that it won't rattle on the floor of the glass aquarium anymore. I'll see what I can do to give her a better place to sleep. Then Jonathon and Rich went to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre while I sat at home watching some chick-flicks, cross-stitching, and painting my nails. More nightmares and scary images? Not for me, thanks.

My co-worker Jack gave me this little jar of jam that he loves. It's called Apricot Pepper jam, it has dried apricots, chili, and jalapeno peppers in it. It's really good!! I tried it on my breadsticks that I brought to work today for lunch. I'm really excited to try it on a bagel or something.

I also just bought tickets to see Matrix: Revolutions on Wednesday, opening day! We're going to the 7:20 show with Aaron and his friends at Century 21. I love that theater. It's huge! And the screen is enormous. I'm looking forward to seeing it, and I'm glad they decided on a not-too-late showing so we won't have to suffer the consequences the next morning. :)

Anyway, that's about it. Grocery shopping tonight (blech), but that's just typical of a Monday in my life. Hooray for sweatshirts and scarves!

October 31, 2003, 4:01 pm

"I've been driving for an hour / Just talking to the rain / You say I'm driving you crazy / And it's keeping you away." -- Breathe, Michelle Branch

Happy Halloween! And a rainy one, at that. It went from about 90 degrees Monday and Tuesday to 55 degrees today. Nice and chilly, and very winteresque. I like it. :)

Jonathon's pumpkin sadly did not survive the week since he carved it. Last night, we found it face-down in a puddle of its own juices, its innards totally infested by mold. :( Rich's pumpkin's eyeball seems to have caved in slightly, and mine has a bit of mold, but ours are still standing. We'll see how many kids come out trick-or-treating in tonight's cold, dreary weather. Hopefully we'll get some... we didn't get any last year, and I love seeing the little kids all dressed up!

I got a free lunch at Chevy's today! Some people from the CAD team took me and Masoud to lunch for our birthdays (his was yesterday). I'm still raking in birthday benefits! And tomorrow night, I'm getting a free dinner from our friends Jamie and Brad for my birthday! (Jonathon, too.) We're going to Applebee's on Saratoga.

Tomorrow for lunch, Sara and I are meeting Michelle and Susan for lunch at Oakridge Mall. I've known Michelle since pre-school, and all four of us have gone to school together from elementary school through high school (except Susan, who went to a different high school, but came to all our high school functions 'cause she was going out with one of Jonathon's best friends that we also grew up with). Michelle's getting married in December!! So Sara and I will be going to her bridal shower on Thursday, too. That should be fun. It's a Hawaiian theme because she's moving to Hawaii after she gets married! On Sunday, I'm meeting Shirley for lunch at Fresh Choice at the Stanford Shopping Center. We haven't seen each other in a while, so it should be fun to catch up. All these lunches and stuff... it doesn't usually all happen at once like this! And next Saturday, we're toying with the idea of a Weybridge reunion at the McDonalds near our childhood stomping grounds. Many of them are off at college, but some will be home that weekend. It should be fun (and Jonathon can come, too, since he grew up with us on Weybridge!)!

I got paid today, hallelujah!! I definitely needed it this paycheck. For the next two months, I won't have to worry about car insurance payments, so I'm glad for that. I'm so happy to have my reassurance that I have enough in my checking account. :)

Well, anyway, just wanted to do a quick update today. It's a really slow day. Drive safely, everyone, and my thoughts are with all the people who have lost their homes to the fires in Southern California. Take care, everyone.

October 27, 2003, 1:27 pm

"Dude, you guys need a bigger fish tank." -- Brian

Well, since my last posting, I've had a day off, helped bottle some more home-brewed beer, and aged by one year. Yes, my official age has jumped miraculously to 24. Where years 12-23 went, I have no idea. But for whatever reason, I kind of feel a little older this time... something I haven't experienced in about 12 years. The last time I actually felt older after a birthday was when I turned 11. And I don't know why. Weird.

But, here we are, and we can't stop time, so life goes on.

My birthday was a blast! Although I had to work, I didn't really work. I got some presents at work, as well as free donuts and lunch at BJ's at Oakridge. I received flowers at work from my boyfriend's lovely mother, which was a special treat for me. :) I got to open presents before and after work, and even after my birthday, as a couple arrived fashionably late. It's fine with me... extend the special day, by all means! :) Jonathon took me out to dinner on Thursday to Red Lobster. I ordered the large margarita, and boy, they aren't kidding when they say large! For the first time in a long time, I felt very self-conscious that if other people looked over and thought I was a lush, that they'd be making a safe assumption. Well, I got a lobster mardi gras bead necklace with it. So I was pretty happy. Thursday night after dinner was Survivor which was great, too.

Friday, we slept in, then went to breakfast. After breakfast, we went to the new theaters at Oakridge Mall (as well as the extension they completed) and saw Beyond Borders. It was more "grisly eye-opener to the horrors of third world countries" than "epic love story." But it wasn't bad. In fact, it made me want to start walking around puckering my lips in true Angelina Jolie fashion. (Kidding.) The best part of Friday afternoon was the Cold Stone Ice Cream. :) Friday night, after receiving a couple more gifts, we went to Cuetopia in South San Jose to play some foosball and pool. It has definitely been a while, as Jonathon even let an entire game slip by him. Maybe I retain my foosball skills better than he does... just like water.

Saturday was an errand day. The three of us (Jonathon, Rich, and me) picked out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch nearby. Then we went to Aaron Brothers to get a frame for my new poster -- a panoramic poster of the UCLA campus, Go Bruins!! A quick stop at Diver Dan's, then at Albertsons, and we were able to return to begin our party-that-ended-up-not-being-a-party-at-all. At least we got to have pineapples soaked in vodka! We carved pumpkins, which all came out really well (pictures to come) and watched TV and hung out. Brian, a guy who works at Diver Dan's, stopped by to hang out. This is when the quote of the day came up. We know we need a bigger tank. We bought these Cichlids when they were like an inch long. We didn't know they could grow up to 5" long! Oh, well, they're fine for now, especially since we only have 4 Cichlids and a plecostomus left. Which reminds me, Simon the Betta died sometime during the night. He had been bloating funny since Wednesday, so I added some of the medication to treat it to his bowl. He seemed to be doing okay, but I guess I was wrong. :( He's been with me since I moved into the first apartment (February, 2002).

Sunday, I got to sit around in my pajamas all day!! Jonathon worked on his presentation and report for his Engineering class. I watched movies and played some PS2. I also took out my CD-RW drive from my old computer and gave it to Rich, but it didn't work. I'm thinking we'll need to upgrade him to Win2000. Win98 sucks. After dinner (BBQed marinated steaks, baked potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms), more TV, then helped the guys bottle their latest batch of beer. Smelled good, and it went smoothly. In 3 weeks, we'll be able to see if they were successful. :)

The time change got me up pretty early this morning. I woke up at 6:15, feeling like I should get up, but just 'cause it felt like 7:15. I couldn't sleep too well after that, with weird dreams and stuff. At least I slept through the night till 6:15... usually I get up more often. I think the clean sheets helped me sleep better. Or else Jonathon just stayed on his side of the bed for once. :) I kind of like it that it's that time of year where it gets dark early. And I wish it wasn't so darn hot anymore... what's with 90-degree days at the end of October?? I think it'll be neat that I'll be driving home pretty much in the dark today. No more glaring sun in my eyes, anyway. And it feels later than it is, so it feels like I get to stay up later than usual, but still get the same amount of sleep. I'm ready for the cold weather to come!

Anyway, I hope your weekend was good. I hope you readers in SoCal aren't affected by those wildfires down there (other than by yukky air). Take care!

October 21, 2003, 3:04 pm

"When you refuse me, you confuse me / What makes you think I'd let you in again / Think again my friend." -- Not Coming Home, Maroon 5

Two more days till my birthday! This past weekend, at dinner at my dad's house, my aunt and uncle brought a yummy crunch cake, and I actually got candles on them!! Not the right number (I think it was like 8 of them), but candles to blow out, nonetheless. I haven't blown out candles in a while, it was fun. What's also fun is getting birthday cards in the mail! I've gotten 3 so far: one from my aunt and uncle that I saw on Saturday, one from Jonathon's grandma and Gerald, and one from Dr. Ferguson, my dentist. Haha. My sister kind of gave me a card, it was written on the cardboard box she "wrapped" my gift in. :) Ahh, college life.

I got my new tires, and they're great! They look cool, too, if tires can look cool. The tread is different from my Dunlops that I had. Rich and Jonathon put my clear reflectors in for me after quite an ordeal. I'll put up pictures soon, it looks sooooo cool! Maybe an intake and header are next in line when I have money. I'll have a lot of time to think about it. :)

So last week, I started the novel The Da Vinci Code. It's *such* a great book, I highly recommend it!! I had borrowed it from my sister's boyfriend, but I actually went out and bought my own copy last night, along with another book by the same author, Dan Brown, called Angels and Demons. I'll let you know how that one is.

I also indulged in a new pair of shoes. *sheepish grin* A pair of K-Swiss Tongue Twisters. They're white with a little bit of (what else?) light blue, and they're called Tongue Twisters because the tongue can be turned over to be white with light blue trim or light blue with a little white. It's pretty cool, they have other colors, too. And of course, no mall trip is complete without a stop at Cold Stone. Mmm... Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Chill....

Well, that's about it for now. Two more days of work after today, and I get Friday off! Why? Because it's the day after my birthday!! Take care!

October 17, 2003, 10:45 am

"The battle's almost won / And we're only seven miles from the sun." -- Seven Miles from the Sun, Maroon 5

Today marks the 14th anniversary since the Loma Prieta Earthquake. I can't believe it's been 14 years! I guess I was only 9 (almost 10) when it happened. It's weird how when you remember the past, you feel like you were the same age as you are now, or at least close. I remember the sound, the swinging lights, the kids running outside freaking out, my mom running in with the expensive Japanese plate in her arms. Oh, and most importantly, my piano lesson that night was cancelled. Yeah, baby. Kind of crazy to think that was 14 years ago.

Today is also my grandmother's (Dad's mom's) 84th birthday! Yes, she's exactly 60 years and 6 days older than me. :) I'm trying to call her to wish her a happy birthday and make sure she got her card, but her line has been busy all morning!!! I wish I got that many birthday wishes on my birthday! Tomorrow's my grandfather's (Mom's dad's) 83rd birthday, as well! I'll have to remember to call him to wish him a happy birthday as well. :)

I'm very, very glad it's Friday!! It felt like a long week. Wednesday, I ended up working 13 hours till about 9:15 pm. Wasn't too bad, though. It worked out in the end. And I got to watch Survivor Episode 5 last night so that was good stuff.

This weekend, we'll be getting two free meals! Tomorrow night, we're going to my dad's, where my aunt and uncle will be coming and we're having Shabu Shabu for my birthday dinner! Very exciting. Sunday night, we're going to Mike and Kari's house for dinner, which I believe is a thank you for Jonathon who helped them move some heavy furniture.

Another exciting thing is, tomorrow afternoon, I get new tires for my car! I decided on the Yokohama ES100 Ultra High Performance tires, which is a great price compared to the Dunlops that I currently have, or the Continentals or Pirellis. I'm getting them through Auto Innovations in Milpitas because Jonathon and Rich know the owners (also scuba divers) and they're going to install them for me and switch out my front right rim with my spare because it's all scratched up by a curb. :) This will be very cool.

Well anyway, I'm very glad the weekend is almost here! And in just over one week, we'll be changing the clocks back... one extra hour of sleep! Yay!! And I hope it starts cooling off for good soon. Have a great weekend!

October 13, 2003, 3:52 pm

"This love has taken its toll on me / She said goodbye / Too many times before / Her heart is breaking in front of me / I had no choice / 'Cause I won't say goodbye anymore." -- This Love, Maroon 5

Happy Monday, everyone. I'm back from my long weekend in Monterey with Sara. We had a great time! We did all sorts of touristy things, considering we live only an hour from there to begin with. Friday, we drove to Carmel-by-the-Sea to do some window and real shopping, and even went to the sand at the end of Ocean Street, but it was too cold and windy to stay long. When we weren't by the water, though, it was a beautiful clear day with temperatures in the mid-70s. Perfect weather, and it stayed that way all weekend. After checking into the hotel, we checked out the hotel sauna (dry) and the hot tub/pool. Then we went to Cannery Row to have dinner at Bubba Gump's, and followed that up with some more shopping and dessert at Ghiradelli's. Saturday, we got up and went on the 17-Mile Drive in Carmel. It costs $8.25 to drive it now, but it was a really fantastic drive. Lots of places to stop and take pictures, plus it takes you right by Pebble Beach, where Shirley will be getting married in 2005! :) After the drive, we went back to Monterey to the Aquarium. As always, that was a lot of fun. Shopped on Cannery Row a little more, then went back to the hot tub. At 8 pm, Toy Story started, so we ordered room service and watched the movie. We went to the hot tub again after the movie for a bit, then showered before Saturday Night Live started. Justin Timberlake was on, and Sara wanted to watch. It was a really funny episode, he did a great job imitating some of today's "hottest" stars. And his performances were great, too. I'm glad we stayed up to watch. Sunday, we checked out and headed over to Fisherman's Wharf to check out the shops, which neither of us had ever done. There were some little booths set up and stuff, and some live music. We drove home after our meter ran out, and we ended our trip at around 2:30 when I dropped her off at home, safe and sound.

And now it's back to the old grind. Wednesday, I work late. Hopefully I can get a lot done on my cross-stitching project while I'm waiting for the newer version of AIX to install. At least some good would come out of working late, right? That, and Wednesday is a much-needed payday. I'm glad I don't have to work late on Thursday 'cause then I'd have to miss Survivor. We finally got The Lion King as well as some Nick Park DVDs that I had ordered way back. We watched them all yesterday when I got back.

10 more days till a certain someone's birthday! :) Woo hoo! Have a great week, everyone, and maybe I'll post again soon. Sorry today's post is so scattered... that's just how my brain is today. :\

October 6, 2003, 3:56 pm

"Just like me, you've got needs / And they're only a whisper away / And we softly surrender / To these lives that we've tendered away." -- Bed of Lies, Matchbox 20

Here we are in October, and we finally have some great weather between the seasons! Before today, we had about a week of low- to mid-70s, with a grey morning burning off to a soft sunny day. Today's a little warmer, but not bad. I can't believe it's October already! Barbara (our team lead) has pumpkins and skeletons and orange and black M&Ms in her candy dispenser, and she's already decorated Steven's monitor with cobwebs! At home, I put up our little door decoration (Frankenstein with a banner that says "Trick or Treat!"), a little porch candle thing that says "BOO," and three mini pumpkins (a little orange one for me, a bigger orange one for Jonathon, and a white one for Rich :)) for inside the living room. Hallmark didn't let me down and provided a new Woodstock for the 2003 Halloween. He's so cute in his devil's outfit, and I have last year's Woodstock dressed like a Jack O'Lantern. I also brought out my Halloween candy dish with Halloween/Fall candy to put in it.

Yes. Fall is here at last.

This past weekend was a nice relaxing one. On Saturday for brunch, I met Shirley and her sisters Diana and Amy at Lisa's Tea Treasures in the Pruneyard (Campbell). I've never been to a real "tea" before, and it was a pretty fun experience. The waitresses actually wear those outfits! And so do the teapots. :) I had an Apple & Caramel Black tea with one of the lunch items, which came with about 6 tiny sandwiches and a neato dessert. It was a frozen hollowed-out peach with the top cut off (like a little lid) and filled with peach sherbet. Definitely cool. Meeting and hanging out with the girls was a lot of fun, and I definitely think the 4 of us will have a lot of fun planning Shirley's wedding. :)

On my way home, I filled up on gas and bought a couple items of groceries at Albertsons for Sunday. When I got home, I was welcomed by Jonathon, his mom, and his grandma (or "Nani"). We hung out, watched a movie, talked, and caught up on the family affairs, while I cross-stitched. For dinner, Jonathon's mom took us to Rock Bottom (also in the Pruneyard). After dinner, we walked a few shops down to Cold Stone, where Jonathon and I treated them to ice cream. Home again, they started The Count of Monte Cristo while I logged on to work to do some testing on a machine after some maintenance was complete. Bedtime was about midnight.

Sunday, we got up at 9. Nanny bought us breakfast at the Mini Gourmet on Bascom. Then we headed back to Wilder Ranch State Park like we did last weekend, only without our bikes. We walked down to the fern cave and enjoyed the weather and ocean. We even saw a few seals playing in the water, a cool looking lizard (with a black diamond shape on its back), and a brown rabbit right by the path (it sat and looked at us until Jonathon sneezed). We all enjoyed the walk and promptly returned to "lazy" mode when we got home. Jonathon and I made them our specialty -- Asparagus Chicken Pasta -- for dinner, and they left full and happy. :)

This coming Friday, I don't have to come in to work 'cause I'm taking a vacation! Sara and I are going to Seaside/Monterey/Carmel for a long weekend. We got a great deal at the Embassy Suites in Seaside, almost half price of what it usually is! So we'll just do whatever... go without a plan or anything. Some girl time that should be fairly cheap without having to take much vacation time (which is why we're staying so close to home). The beach is nearby, plus shops (window shopping only), and if anything, we can sit around and hang out in our suite! :) Should be fun. I've never been on a trip with just Sara except for when we went to my family's old time-share, R-Ranch (R Wild Horse Ranch) in Red Bluff, California. That was a fun trip, too, we went up in Sara's previous car, the lowered, souped-up, orange Eclipse, and we just hung out. I'm sure we'll have a great time. :)

Anyway, my work day is about done. I hope you're enjoying the fall weather and looking forward to the wonderful fall clothes and scarves you get to wear now! :) Take care!

September 29, 2003, 3:56 pm

"Happy Birthday to you / Happy Birthday to you / Happy Birthday, dear Sara / Happy Birthday to you!"

Today is Sara's 24th birthday! Wahoo! I'll be seeing her on Wednesday for dinner, which should be fun. A dinner at Azuma's always is.

Jonathon and I had a great weekend! On Friday night, we just hung out and got Cold Stone Ice Cream at Valley Fair 'cause I was craving it. I got the Coffee Lover's and he got the Black Forest Cherry one or whatever it's called. They were really yummy. We also got Grumpy Bear a friend: Good Luck Bear! We got him 'cause he's green (Jonathon's favorite color) and because he has a four leaf clover on his tummy (Jon is half Irish, plus he has a shamrock/4-leaf clover tattooed on his arm). He has a big goofy smile on his face, which only accentuates Grumpy's adorable little frown, in my honest opinion. Anyway. After the mall, we watched Daddy Daycare which is a movie that Rich's friend Rob let us borrow. OH! Before I forget, I wanted to mention how adorable Rob's little daughter Viana is! On Thursday night, Rob, his wife Julie, and Viana came over to visit. She's sooo adorable, and gave Grumpy a kiss and hugged him and called Evie a squirrel! Haha! I