Off to a wedding -first stop SF

Making a break from the desert for a few days and headed to a wedding in Lodi, CA Jonathan and I flew into Oakland airport Thursday evening.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate an 1.5 hour direct flight home after living on the East coast for about 9 years.

Friday morning we hopped on the Alameda ferry headed to the city.  By about 9:30 the ever present fog was already burning off which is always a good sign for a day in San Francisco.  We didn't go in with any concrete plans, our biggest priorities were picking up a re-sized anniversary gift and making a stop in Chinatown to try out a much anticipated Chinese food restaurant. Upon debarking we spent a little time checking out the ferry station full of stores we cannot afford and had some burnt coffee and bland pastries.  Certainly not the way I like to start my day, but we were on vacation, no worries. Time to wander.

Not seeing anything that knocked our socks off on display at the SFMOMA we toured the museum store, found plenty to buy but managed to walk out empty handed.  It takes time to build such willpower.  It just so happened that across the street was the famed Yerba Buena Gardens.  We walked about, enjoyed the view, but apparently missed out on a labyrinth in the park.  We have no idea where this was located, but the short snippet in the airline magazine on our trip home mocked us for not seeing it.  Since that our lunch destination was another neighborhood over we started for Chinatown.  The restaurant we were headed for is not listed in any prestigious top 10 lists or even Zagat rated, but, thanks to PBS, after watching a re-run of a 2008 Bay Area Backroads with Martin Yan (Yan can cook, so can you) we knew we had to try Sam Wo's.

The sign blends in with the gazillion other signs in Chinatown, but luckily Jonathan spotted it and made our way in.  The front door leads right to the kitchen which is on the ground floor.  Not knowing where to go we stood for about 30 seconds before getting scolded to go upstairs.  We ascended the tiniest little staircase ever to get to the second of three floors.  A table was pointed out to us, a window table at that, and menus were hastily slapped down before our waitress skittered off.  The room fit a hand full of tables and had to be around 10ft wide by 20 feet long which included a tiny wait station complete with dumbwaiter elevator for food delivery.  The wait for the food wasn't too bad, but this was no rapid/friendly service place. Jonathan ordered a combo noodle dish with a little of everything and I ordered the bbq pork with broccoli dish on flat noodles.  Delicious. Again, this is not award winning cuisine but both dishes were rather tasty, super cheap and undoubtedly would have been fabulous drunk food.  Apparently Sam Wo's is quite popular for meeting this very need and remains open until the wee hours of the morning.

Bellies full and sodium intake accomplished for the next 3 days we again started wandering the city.  On the hunt for a new copy of Atomic Ranch we ended up in a rather nice neighborhood to find an Architectural book store. The two people who apparently worked there were akin to airline attendants click clacking away at the keyboard as if you didn't exist.  Eventually when one acknowledged are surely bothersome presence we learned that they did not carry our lowly Atomic Ranch magazine, then returned with flash like speed to their assertive typing.  To add to the strange factor the "music" playing was darn near silent except for the occasional harp string pluck and a strange noise that can be perfectly replicated by closing one nostril and humming in a strange pitch, ever so gently for about 2 seconds.  Yeah, it was a special place indeed, and on that note, it was time to head home.

Just thinking about that meal makes me a little tired so I'll have to continue with the remainder of our trip tomorrow.  Stay tuned, but keep in mind Credence used the term "stuck" in his song "Stuck in Lodi again" for a reason.

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Call it what it is!

On a daily basis I get an email advertising sales at clothing stores I can't afford.  I can't seem to let go of these stupid emails, which lately have more of a train wreck factor than a must make purchase draw.  This morning I came across one item for sale that blew my mind.  Call it what you will, "Polo dress", this bad boy is a silk moo moo for skinny wealthy women!  I want to know who in their right mind pays full price ($1,075.00) or even the stellar sale price of $644.99 for this kind-of-but-not-really Bohemian, shapeless, silk bag that not even the hungry, slightly confused and bitter model can make look decent.

You know she's annoyed, poor girl starves herself to hustle a moo moo down the runway.  Not cool.

Mondays

Pretty sure this image very appropriately personifies Mondays.

Green Energy

Check out Jonathan's Atomic Planter!  Now that's what I call green energy.  Only took about 4 days from dirt to healthy grass, quite impressive. This morning Jonathan bravely moved this to a windowsill accessible by Sydney, so who knows whether or not there will be any grass left in the planter by the time we get home.

PS. Today we celebrate our 3 year anniversary : )  Atomic indeed!

Home ownership and immersion therapy

This weekend started just like pretty much any other.  I ran, walked the dogs (Yager was visiting) and started some home repair. While Jonathan headed to work I continued my painting progress on the ceiling of the carport. I won't go into detail about the annoyances of painting overhead in small spaces while balancing on a ladder but I will say that every time I take on this glorious task I end up with bruises on my shins the size of oranges from leaning on the ladder.

                                       

                            
Despite the occasional scrape and bruise the project is coming along very well and the side of the house is looking great.  The picture is a little deceiving since I've actually finished painting the wall, and only have one more coat to paint on a small section of the car part, but its to show progress.  This side will be finished as of tonight and soon, after the bruises heal a bit, I'll be back on the ladder to start painting the back half.

Taking a much need break mid afternoon I went on a minor shopping/errand adventure about town.  Before I headed out I started a load in the washer not expecting the mess I eventually returned to.  Somewhere along our drain line a nasty little clog managed to back up our pluming causing the kitchen sink to burp up something real nasty and the washer machine to overflow, leaving pooled water in our living room, laundry closet and underneath the kitchen and guest room floors.  We mopped up water as best as possible and directed fans at the walls/floor in an effort to dry up any wetness in the walls.Our trusty plumber arrived shortly after we called and quickly relieved our drain of the surely nasty clog. Oh home ownership, the gift that keeps on giving.

I felt bad for Mr. Jackson who appeared to be experiencing quite the stressful day.  During the morning he seemed a little more preoccupied than normal with which of his toys Yager was interested in, he was a bit on edge by the moving in of our new next door neighbors and was probably thinking the "anticipated" end of days was sure to come true when the sink started belching and the flood oozed from our washing machine.   Sydney on the other hand was ready and waiting in the towel cabinet to lend a helping paw.




          

 Needing a break from the house we took a leisurely ride along the canal and rode around a ritzy, mansion filled neighborhood in Paradise Valley. One house, a particularly unattractive and rather commercial looking beast amid a collection of beautiful estates, advertised an eight car garage on its For Sale sign.  We don't even have that many things with wheels at our house!

Thankfully Sunday wasn't nearly as dramatic. I spent the majority of my day continuing to paint the side of the house accompanied by some furry companions.  I'd like to give a shout out to Yager who with the help of an assertive, possible excessively confident Mr. Toby, and a little immersion therapy, co-existed very peacefully with our kitties during her stay.                                     
  

   

Bay to Breakers 100th run

Some 20 years ago my mom ran the Bay to Breakers 12k in San Francisco.  Ever since I started running, a few years back, I've had my eye on running the race, and this year, the 100th running of the race, I made it so!  Off to Alameda!

Saturday morning we started our race adventure by taking BART into the city to pick up our race packet.  Having not eaten breakfast Jonathan had his eye out for food and we were both looking for a cup-ojoe.  We stopped at one place, but thanks to Jonathan's inclination that something better could be found a little further down the road, we found Citizen's Band.  This tiny restaurant on the corner of 8th St and Fulton was a gem to say the least!  Jonathan's dish of chicken fried steak came with a biscuit, gravy, scrambled eggs and potatoes.  Yes, it sounds like a ton of food but the portion was perfect. A chef and his co-chef, a grade higher than a prep chef (not exactly sure what you'd call him) prepared the amazing dish with skill and an eye for aesthetics.  Oh, and by the way, every last bite of it was fantastic!  The coffee was quite good as well.  A fabulous start to our morning.

We picked up our pathetic excuse for a race packet, aka number bib, some paper to be recycled and a shirt lacking a great deal of creativity and started our way back home.  On our walk we stopped to check out some gorgeous graffiti art as well as buy the always useful, atomic power planter.  Jonathan marketed the tiny planter for the benefit of Sydney's digestive needs, but no marketing was needed for this addition to our atomic ranch.

                                                                                                                                                                

After crossing the bay we made our way to Berkeley for a little salvage shopping, energy supply gathering and overall shop touring.  We stopped at a salvage/used everything warehouse where Jonathan was hoping to find a mint green toilet to complete our bathroom.  And, of course, a 12 hour drive from our house, he did.  We decided we were far enough out from finishing the bathroom and that the color/style of toilet pops up frequently enough that we didn't need to make the purchase right then and there.  Always good to know of a likely place to find one, but I for one was somewhat relieved not to have purchased said toilet to add to the list of unfinished household projects. We finished the day, and prepared for the next with some tasty Japanese food/sushi at the always crowded Sushi House on the Alameda beach.

  5:15 came way too early the next morning, but in order to make it to our B corral in time we had to be on the 6:09 BART headed to Embarcadaro Center.  Thankfully the trains were not nearly as crowded as I'd expected and we got seats across from some tye-dyed, tu-tu wearing fellow race participants.  We filtered into what we thought was our corral and experienced the unexpected apparent tradition of flinging corn tortillas all about.  At times the sky was fully of little tortilla UFOs, some slapping or slicing down on unsuspecting race participants who usually tossed them right back in the air.  In corral E we saw our first nude participant and needless to say he wasn't as close to fellow participants as the rest of us.  In fact I'd say he had at least a two foot radius around him while he jogged in place to keep warm in the 49 degree weather.

 Realizing we were in the wrong section, and not wanting to wait until a half hour later than our scheduled start time we made our way to our proper start location.  As the race started we flooded under the start line with bumble bees, Elvises, many a tu-tu and yes, a few tortillas.  It wasn't until after about a block that the tortillas and beach balls dissipated.  As we approached the notorious Hayes street hill we came across the group of spawning salmon.  A line of about 10 people dressed in head to toe salmon costumes ran down the center of the road in the opposite direction, or course.  As they passed one called out, "its a metamorphosis of love" and I am quite happy to say I got a high 5 from a spawning salmon.  Headed up the hill, Jonathan and I separated.  I love my husband dearly, but I'd been training for this run and was going to run it!  The hill was, strangely enough, invigorating and refreshing, certainly not what I was expecting.  Along my way I took a few pictures as best as possible while running..  I debated on the appropriateness of taking a photo of the a nude group, but heck, if you're running 7.45 miles in the buff you're not one to be camera shy.  

The yellow smiley face balloons = warning naked!

At about mile 5 I ran for a few steps with Pee-Wee Herman (not the real deal), who I later witnessed toking up on his way to collect his race medal, and passed a Devo couple, whippin it good.  Sweet.  I also saw a few grazing buffalo, enjoyed the San Francisco scenery and enjoyed a quick view of the breakers before haulin

My parents were kind enough to pick us up, seeing that the race ended a good 7 plus miles from any convenient form of public transportation and we headed back to Alameda for a day of touring the island.  We enjoyed a fabulous weekend and I for one am looking forward to making this run a yearly tradition.  More photos of our SF trip and the race can be seen in the slide show to the right.  Enjoy!!

Buddies

This past weekend Jackson hosted a friend for a few days.  Ms. Yager lives down the street and her and Jackson get along swimmingly.  Yager is certainly one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met and a pleasure to entertain while her parents were competing among the top echelon of BBQers in Vegas.  Sometimes getting two dogs together can be a challenge with toys/bones, but Jackson seems perfectly content to share his toys.  Sure he can give a look or two like he's letting us know that she has something of his, but never once does he get territorial, even over his food!

Walks were a breeze with both dogs.  With Jackson off leash and Yager leading the way on her extend-o-leash they just trotted right along, one behind the other. Yager has an affinity, or perhaps curiosity, for kitties so we were careful to keep them separated while inside.  However, at times when Sydney would sneak out of the back room she would slink around with such ninja skill that Yager never even noticed her.

Since Yager's visit, when Jackson and I are headed home on our walks he starts down the path to Yager's house as if asking for a quick visit.  Despite my inability to get a good picture together I think it was a nice visit had by all.

Last day of Physical Therapy!

Friday May 6th I was officially discharged from physical therapy.  I've been going three times a week, then down to two times a week, then down to once a week since the week after Thanksgiving. I started out with a pathetic range of motion (15 degrees was the lowest range) and with the help of my physical terrorist, excuse me, therapist, I'm close to full range of motion.  I still have limits, such as the inability to hold my arm straight up, it tends to lean at a 7degree angle, and notice strange moments of inflexibility, such as when I lay on my back with my hands behind my head, my left arm lays flat on the ground while my right arm remains suspended about 4 inches up.  In addition to improved range of motion, I am pain free for the most part, am no longer limited in my daily routine and armed with exercises will continue to improve both flexibility and strengthening

However, having just expressed my delight in progress, on my last appointment I was given a new exercise which made me aware of a movement that I am too weak/tight to take on with much success.  Using a small medicine ball and an angled trampoline in front of me I'm suppose to hold my right arm at a right angle from my shoulder and toss the ball down/catch the ball maintaining that L shaped bend in my arm.  Kind of like if you moved Barbie's arm to shoulder level then waved to Ken in a forward, backward instead of side to side motion.  The movement isn't a common movement for anyone really, but given my disrepair it was/is a bit of a struggle.  I have to fight the urge to be disappointed in my lack of strength and remember that I'm still in the process of recovery.  The PT assistant working with me was very new, not one I'd worked with before and when I expressed my surprise at the difficulty I was having and the lack of ability to properly make the movement she just kept yammering on about getting past the challenge.  Thanks honey.   I tuned her out since my effort required quite a bit of concentration and nearly, unintentionally, I swear, hit her head with a medicine ball as it came flying off the trampoline with a wicked right curve, way past my reach.

I really do appreciate all that my Physical Therapist has helped me with and the progress that's been made, but now comes the challenge of keeping up with my exercises.  The day I can throw the ball for Mr. Jackson without looking like a goober, flinging it with my wrist, will surely be the next benchmark in my progress. 

Last day in Vegas (Part III)

We played Vegas tourists our last day in town by walking/busing our way up and down the strip. The weather had warmed and the wind had finally died down making Sunday a lovely day for a ton of outdoor touring.









NY NY was our first stop since its directly across from the MGM grand. The impressive exterior was matched by an impressive, albeit stereotypical, NY City interior complete with NY style deli, mini megatrons/Time Square and building facade interior painting.  Moving right along we made our way back outside to head to what I consider one of the tackiest looking casinos on the strip, Excalibur.  I say tacky, but I was determined to get a picture with it, and can honestly say the city would certainly be missing a key component of tchotchke if they ever took away this eyesore.  We made an exceptionally fast loop through the casino but were sure to notice the massive playing-card-kings-heads used for pillar decorations.  Its the little things that bring a touch of class. 

Next we hit up the Luxor to check out a falsely advertised free shark tank only to find it wasn't free at all.  Opting to spend money elsewhere we checked out the fish tank near the reception desk then continued onward along the strip to Paris.  Just like NY NY this casino's attention to exterior/iconic detail blows my mind.  How can you not love a massive Eiffel tower that is built into the ground level of the casino?  We dined on a fabulous lunch in Paris before hopping back on the bus to make our way to the Bellagio to check out its conservatory.    

Its interesting to observe the difference between the traditional casinos and their "flash-bam-pow" pizazz  vs the ritzier casinos which still have a bit of flash but in a refined beauty sort of a way.  Not to say one is better than the other, but the difference in ambiance between the Excalibur and the Bellagio is worlds apart.  Walking through the Bellagio we admired the somewhat whimsical entrance before making our way to the gorgeous array of flowers and, butterfly room on display in the conservatory.  Upon exiting the conservatory, to the right of all this natural beauty stood the worlds largest chocolate fountain.  The fountain consists of three, multi-level chocolate fountains, each pouring separate chocolates (white, milk and dark).  I am the first to admit I LOVE chocolate, but chocolate fountains just give me the heebee-jeebies. I couldn't bring myself to take any pictures of this record breaking creation because there is just something odd about that much flowing, and at times coagulated, chocolate.


Back on the road we again boarded the local bus and headed to an older part of town where the classic and "new-retro" neon signs are displayed in all their glory.  Although not fully enclosed, overhead was what might be considered a metal/mesh canopy designed to hold the lights which are a part of the nightly light show.  We were there mid afternoon so you really couldn't see any suggestions of said show. The considerably smaller casinos that lined the street, which had long ago been blocked off to car traffic, had quite less glam, lower ceilings and a considerably smokier atmosphere than their mega-vegas competitors up the road.  They also seem to cater to a bit of a different, biker/older crowed than the scantily clad drunken youth of up-town.  Interestingly enough, the older casinos of this area had less dressed cocktail waitresses compared to the MGM Grand's waitresses whose mini-suits, devoid of any femininity besides the short shorts, almost made them feel awkwardly out of place.

Having soaked in all the signs we could bare it was time to hop back on the bus for a quick stop at the MGM before heading to The Mirage for dinner and Love, a Beatles themed show by Cirque.  We enjoyed a frosty brew with our delicious burgers at BLT burger, which were fabulous, before taking in one last tourist experience before the show.  Jonathan's parent's made their way to the volcano, which I hear was terrific, and after hearing the "boom" of fake cannons, we ventured outside to view the Pirate Show at TI (The hip new re-branding of Treasure Island).  Not to be a party pooper, but I found the pirate show a little disappointing.  I was hoping for some good ole fashion pirate fighting and yes of course I could expect some sexy wench pirates, but it was almost all "sirens". Given the crowds I should have known better than to expect a cheeky, silly pirate show, but a bit disappointing nonetheless. 

Back inside we found our seats in the circular theater and enjoyed a beautiful show consisting of a rather unique mix of Beatles music, dance and acrobatics. Loved the authentic UK ushers! Seeing that we had to get up at 6:30 the next morning we called it an early evening around midnight and headed back to our rooms.

Our trip home was thankfully uneventful, despite the flame painted hearse appearing behind us in the middle of the desert after departing the city of sin.  We wound back through the Joshua Tree Scenic Highway and made it back to Phoenix in a little under 5 hours. Having dropped off Jonathan at work I picked up Mr. Jackson and made my way back home. I think its fair to say it was a good trip had by all, but as always its nice to be back home, reunited with the hairy family.

Viva Vegas Part II

Keeping with my routine I got up early Saturday morning and made my way to the gym for a run.  I found it a little strange to be meandering through the casino in my running ensemble, but felt even worse about those who would have to share the elevator with me after my workout.  As I neared the gym I passed a group of 4 guys, or rather 3 guys and their wobbly, can no longer walk on his own, making cat calls at any remote resemblance of a woman in the vicinity, buddy.  My day was off to a good start, but I doubt he could say the same.  

To escape the heavy crowds and utilize our close vicinity to an American engineering feat we drove over to the Hoover Dam.  I'll admit there was a lot more to see at the dam than I had originally expected.  We started our trip by taking the Power Plant Tour which started with a brief video on the dam's construction. The concrete that forms the dam was poured in blocks, some as large as 50 ft square by 5 ft tall.  Because of the block's size and the cement's curing needs, refrigeration pipes were installed which cooled the cement using water from the lake as well as water that had passed through a massive refrigeration unit.  This process allowed the cement to cure at a safe and reasonable speed which enabled the pouring of cement 24 hours a day for 7 days a week.  Our tour guide was quick to dispel the ongoing myth that there are dead bodies in the dam.
 
 Moving right along we took a 70 second elevator ride 530 feet down through the rock wall of Black Canyon to start tour of the Penstock Viewing area.  This viewing area is "atop one of the four 30-foot-diameter pipes that can transport nearly 90,000 gallons of water each second from Lake Mead to the dam's hydroelectric generators".  Despite the invitation to "take as many dam pictures as we wanted" I was still hesitant to pop the flash.  Didn't want to be disruptive, so here you can see the tunnel, with a slight blur, we walked in to get to and from the elevator. 

Taking another very short elevator ride up we entered the Power Plant generator area on the Nevada side.  The Nevada wing is 650 feet long and displays eight of the dam's 17 generators.  The floors of the entire power plant are a gorgeous terrazzo which was seen as creative back then and is currently very desirable in modern home decor. The tour guide mentioned the price of the terrazzo installation which was something like 1/12th the cost of what we were looking to pay to install the same material as our countertops in our kitchen.  Ok, maybe not that low, but the price was still lower than what you might expect to pay to finish an average home's floors today.  On another note, check out the mode of transportation about the plant. Tricycles surely make for an entertaining work day commute. 

 After our tour finished we walked through the visitors center before heading up to the observation deck for a lovely view of the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the new bridge.  Much to Jonathan's architectural delight the Dam and its outlying buildings (original visitors center, restrooms, elevator towers) were all fashioned in Art Deco style. Sign font's, building curvature and even the sides of the theater chairs reflect Deco details.  Not only is the engineering impressive but the attention to detail and the depth of the dam's architectural/style richness make this site (since its not technically a National Park) a must see.

By this time the blood sugar was dipping and it was time to break for lunch.  In true experience-everything-like-the-tourist-I-love-being fashion Jonathan and I ordered the Dam dog for lunch.  While trying to decide between splitting the Dam dog vs each ordering our own hot dog I asked the cook to show me the difference. I wasn't expecting the mild feeling of indecency when he gyrated the sausage in the air, and was grateful when he put it back on the rotating grill wheels. Despite its relatively unappealing girth, it was a darn tasty hot dog, and it even came with a celebratory "I Ate A DAM DOG at Hover Dam" sticker.  A touch of class for sure.

Back outside we toured about, taking in nearly every sight possible.  We checked out the spill way on the Nevada side which is a black hole of a pipeline to help prevent flooding.  As we ever so slightly leaned over the wall to view the gaping hole we could hear the whooshing of water near the outlet of the 600 foot long pipe which at its max capacity can carry 200,000 sq ft of water per second!  We eventually made our way across the dam from Nevada to Arizona and back with many a photo in between.  
                                                                                                      

Armed with a new appreciation for the Hoover Dam, a ton of photos and a few souvenirs we made our way back to Vegas to get ready for the evening.  We headed to the Aria for a scrumptious, upscale modern take on Tapas before heading to see Viva Elvis by Cirque du Soleil.  Photography was not allowed in the theater during the show but I have no doubt this was a good thing.  The stage talent and choreography as well as the singing was meant to be taken in and enjoyed in the moment, not behind a camera.  I have a strange fascination with group dance and was amazed not only at the feats of acrobatics, gymnastics and dancing but loved the musical assortment and the overall presentation of Elvis' story.  I'm no die hard Elvis fan, but appreciate his music, what he did for the industry as a whole and I absolutely loved the show! I recommend this show to anyone who has an opportunity to see it. 

Energized by the show we headed to one of the Bar Moderno for a libation.  Feeling the affects of their two hour time difference Jonathan's parents headed back to the casino while we stayed out for another beverage.  We made our way to an Irish pub style restaurant and in true 1:30 AM in Vegas style witnessed a rather weak girl fight.  Lots of fast taking, raised voices, finger pointing and an eventual scantily clad storm off, nothing too crazy.  Walking back to the casino we stopped for some alcohol soaking carbs and got a piece of pizza at one of the sketchiest food courts on the strip. While enjoying our slice we witnessed some visitors straight out of the south (you can tell them apart just like you can tell when someone is from Jersey) one of which could barely keep his eyes open while maintaining a firm grip on his 6 pack of corona.  Not sure how much fun he was having, but perhaps by mid day his black out will have erased the pain of the previous night.  Ah Vegas, how you never cease to entertain.