Tom Ford Saves the Day!

I was experiencing a not so great Christmas Eve Day... And knowing that my lovely husband won't be home until late doesn't help.
But I'm glad to be home to collect my thoughts.  And finally spend some quality time with new MacBook.  And look!  I found Tom Ford on the Charlie Rose show discussing A Single Man.  A dog lover in a great suit talking about filmmaking in a humble and yet insightful way. "Style without Substance? Meaningless." Me likey!

I have to admit, I didn't give Ford's directorial debut too much creedence, but rave reviews, costumes by Arianne Phillips and Colin Firth? I'm in!! And for whatever reason, after a day feeling sort of, discouraged and not full of peace of earth, thinking about art and creation is giving me back Goodwill towards Men. Well, a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses wouldn't hurt either....

Romantic Future

Seems I've spent some time ruminating on my romantic future. Will I ever remarry? Who will it be? Will my shoes be fierce?

.. Well, I am happy to announce, in as official capacity as I can muster in this age of technology, that my romantic future has finally arrived. In less than 24 hours, I will be married to the man of my proverbial dreams and in My Beloved City no less!

He is tall and dashing, a snappy dresser (if you like the Early Soccer Hooligan look.), mouth like a sailor, makes me laugh my @ss off, and most impressive of all, knows what I'm talking about when I say I'm going to wear Trina Turk. After wasting too much time trying to pretend we could move on without each other, Mike and I are taking life by the horns, looking it in the eyes, and punching it in the face.

Thank you to everyone's love, support, blessings, and general all-around good tidings! We love you right back and hope to celebrate with grand panache next year with all of you.

Until then, watch out City Hall, here we come!!!
PS. Yes, my shoes are indeed, Fierce....

On the First Day of Christmas...

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. I haven't heard anything crazy come through the grapevine, so I'm going on the assumption everyone is safe, sound, and full.

So now we begin the Holiday Swing. Lots of whirly twirly going on in Deezy-land, but for now let's focus just on distractions, mmmkay???

Daydreaming about fantastical gifts is a favorite hobby of mine. And Christmas is a perfect time to practice imagining what shows up under the tree with a big red bow on it. So, someone please buy me Jonathan Adler's Gossip Bench for Christmas; y'know, in the spirit of giving....

Small Rant

You know... I get it.
Healthcare is an absolute mess in this country. And I'm glad that citizens are speaking up (assuming of course these protesters aren't dispatched by special interest groups) but where were these people when the Bear Sterns of the world went kaput? Where were the voices decrying the defense of our Constitution when the president sent our young men to War?
..... As you were.......

Mad (Wo)Men

*sigh*

I couldn't help it! I Mad Men'd myself....

Welcome Home!!!!

In the words of Current TV, welcome home Laura and Euna. We are so very happy and grateful to have you back.

Bastille Day Mes Amis!

Aujourd'hui, c'est le quatorze juillet...

So Happy Bastille Day Y'all!!!

For whatever odd reason (and with me there are plenty!), I have always remembered this phrase. It was the very first phrase I learned in French class, back in 7th Grade, and it has just stuck with me. Can you believe it? Six years of French and all I can remember is a phrase I can really only use once a year. ......

Mango Margarita-ville

I am cozy at home now, but it's been a full month. With travel, Memorial Day, dogwalks, it's been a full week! On Tuesday I spent a night with friends, both old and new.
Each Super Tuesday (4th Tuesday of each month) the gang gets together and I introduce a cocktail. Some months are more experimental than others. But we served tacos this month, so a margarita was in order.

With mangos in season, I couldn't help giving it a little extra flavor. Here is the margarita recipe I started with, very basic:
2 shot(s) Sauza Hornitos Tequila
1 shot Cointreau
1 shot Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

But before putting all that together, I muddled a ripe mango.
I found this didn't change the flavor too too much, but it did take the edge off some of the tequila; which in turn, made this cocktail deceptively strong!! Beware!

Gullible's Travels

I've been traveling a fair bit more than the norm lately. My work keeps me busy but it is an incredible luxury to have an expense account that will still allow for some small pleasures.

Props must go to Cutie-Patootie Claussen at the Coopers Square Hotel for taking care of D & I during our stay in NYC. The hotel is too kool for skool(I still love it!), but he made us feel welome and very well taken care of. Be forewarned, next time I see you, I'm putting you in my pocket and taking you home. (Do only older people say things like that? Good god, I'm mortified.)
Must also take this opportunity to plug Accomplice:NY, an amazing group of people who put on a mxiture of walking tour, scavenger hunt, and improv theater. It's a blast and an awesome way to see parts of New York City. Run don't walk(or in this walk don't run?) for your tickets and be prepared to have your wits about you!

Fast foward 2 weeks, and I'm in Hong Kong (I'm so continental!) enjoying a solitary brunch on my one day off during a 2-week business trip. Started out in Singapore and will ultimately end the roadshow in Beijing. The Aircon here can be jarring; and as with visits past, I am fighting a cold. Its annoying but at least I brought fortification (Zycam!). And, as a Chinese-looking, Cantonese speaking ex-Pat in this City, the experience can be an interesting one.
If I use English to communicate, I can be treated differently. Treated better or worse depends on who I'm talking to. The drivers tend to find it funny that I'm bi-lingual. Last night my driver wouldn't shut up knowing I was an ex-Pat. Too bad I only understood about 60% of his story. I think he was discussing Holland? It was nice feeling my Cantonese improve day by day. Who knows, maybe I'll be expounding on the the state of affairs in Holland sometime in the future. I reckon I should learn to expound upon it in English first...

Dear Mumsicle...

I very rarely spend holidays away from family; not even the "minor" ones like Mother's Day. But I've been on the road over a week now, on the other side of the world. Ironically I am in my mother's Native City. I am quite sure she'd be happy to trade places with me today. And if I could, I would grant her that Mother's Day wish.

Until they perfect teleportation my dear Mother shall have to be satisfied with a phone call and a blog post. And all the other Mother's in my life(and you know who you are) will also have to be happy with my electronic shout out.

Happy Mother's Day to you too Sis!!! Hope the kiddies give you lots of love & kisses. I will see you all soon!!

"And She's Climbing a Stairway to Heaven..."

Each year I challenge myself to something new, something I have never physically done before. It's not always the smartest thing to do; but I think deep down I'm trying to make up for my bookworm ways when I was a kid.

This year started slowly(no misbegotten marathons in the cold tail of winter) but last week I joined a thousand others to raise money for the American Lung Association. It was a climb up 1,197 steps to the top of the BofA Bldg, Carnelian Room; and it kinda sucked. hehe. But I lived to tell the tale; and I even surprised myself with my time (17min, 36secs!). It gave me the encouragement I needed for the rest of the surprises that lay ahead of me in 2009!

Team Carnelian Room wait patiently as we inch closer to the stairwell. I wished there was more room to stay warmed up though.

Teammate makes a quickie attempt to break the bank. (It was kinda neat seeing the safe in the basement!)

I'm just seconds from my start.

I'm halfway there!!
Aaaahhh.. definitely one of finest Finish Line spreads there has ever been!

And there was my Pop! Cheering me on at the Finish Line! (OK, he had to work and would've been there anyway.. but it was definitely great to see him when I got to the top. The champagne didn't hurt either.)

And to top it off, a massage! And not just some wussy chair massage. I laid down on the table and got pummeled.

Sasa's a Star!

What Happens Without Laptops

Can it be that I've only posted once this month??
I'm tired.
And I'm starting to not be happy with my computer. My trusty Mac-a-doodle-doo.

This past weekend in Dunsmuir, D and I agreed on a "no laptop" moratorium. I reckon I cheated with my iPhone; its gettng harder and harder to avoid technology. But it is certainly easier to bear with a day like this.

D, Sake, and I had great Stand-by-Me little hike. Just thank goodness there was no need for anyone to yell "TRAIINNNNN!" Although secretly I think D was disappointed.

Jon Stewart: Call Me!

I love Jon Stewart.  I would marry him. 

If he didn't already have a family and I wasn't on the opposite coast and in a relationship of my own and if I had acquaintances who could introduce me to him and he fell in love with me and proposed to me with a big fat diamond, I would marry him.

His interviews with the likes of Mike Huckabee just seal the deal.  And last night's interview with Jim Cramer was a knockout.  He is not a nobel prize winning economist but he brought up issues that I haven't heard anyone in the media report on. He spoke plainly with passion and clarity.

He kicked ass.

Here's a taste of my beloved, if you didn't watch it tonight please go to The Daily Show and check it out.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Interview Outtake Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis

Party Planning

aka: How I Learned to Love the Bomb

Don't tell anyone.. but I'll be turning 40 years old this week.
The good thing is.. I've been too busy to worry about it.
The bad thing is I've decided to throw myself a shindig so I've been worried about that instead.

And perhaps I'm so worried, stressed, that my body is giving out.
So the bad news is I've got the sniffles and my throat feels like doodoo-caca.
But the good news is I've lost my appetite and perhaps now I can look awesome in my dress!

With all the preparations, contracts, logistics, and making sure everything looks and sounds great, I'm almost worried people won't show up! Or I fear the music won't be enough to get people groovin'. Or we'll run out of food. Or guest won't like the wine. Are these fears normal? Is it the nightmare of every party thrower?

Deep breaths, gather. It's going to be great, and I can't wait to see you all there!

** Cake image courtesy of Pinkie's Bakery. Wait till you see what she is creating just for me!!

Super Doggy Bowl

If you hear a little whooping and hollerin' coming from my living room tonight and tomorrow, don't worry. It's just the annual doggie love fest known as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Each February you can find me in front of the telly with a huge grin on my face, clapping for my favorites. I just simply can't help it!

Who can forget 2008's Best in Show Champion Uno the beagle (L)? Here he greets RJ (R) another beagle at a preview for this year's Westminster. Uno became a certified therapy last summer as part of the Club's Angel on a Leash program and truer champion there never was!


This year will also see the debut of the Dogue de Bordeaux, also known as the French Mastiff. It is the only newly-recognized breed eligible for competition this year; the head is the largest of any dog, according to the Kennel Club. Watch for lots of applause when Brando competes in the Working Group! HEAD!!!!!
You had better stand back when they say the words, "May we have the Terrier Group in the ring please." I stand up and clap and whoop and grin and simply act a fool over my favorite group. This
year's Australian Terrier is from Vacaville! w00t!!! And the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Ch. King's Mtn Minnie Mouse is from San Francisco. Yay!!!

And Vegas has given Sadie, the Scottish Terrier, 18-1 odds of winning the whole shebang. Go Sadie!!

But watch out for a Terrier Showdown as Sadie goes up against Charmin, the #1 terrier in the country. Uh, Charmin is on the right....

(What the French Toast! Sadie takes it!!! First a Scottish Deerhound wins the Hound Group, and now a Scottish Terrier. If it's not Scottish, it's CRRRAP!!)

What more can you ask for? Drama, sportsmanship, grace, and athleticism. Westminster can give the Oscars a run for the money.

And lest you think dogs take any less grooming than Catherine Zeta-Jones, I give you Exhibit A....

Monday Morning Chuckle

In case you missed it because you had some other wildly fantastical thing to do Saturday night.


I couldn't have said this better myself..

Tough Crowd in the City

In the last couple of months, I have made overtures to homeless people here in San Francisco. I offer what I have with respect but without pity.

Once, I was headed to the Muni Station after stopping off at the grocery store. I had a bag(my own burlap one, natch) full of randon groceries, topped off by some apples. When I passed a homeless man panhandling, I turned and said, "Sir, I've got an apple here for you if you're hungry." He calmly opened his mouth and pointed to his toothless gums. I felt like an @sshole....

Today, after a refreshing yoga class at the gym, I once again made my way to the Muni station. This time I had a Satsuma orange in my pocket I was going to eat, but I stopped and said, "Hey Dude, would you like an orange?" The man seated on the ground waved both me and the orange away dismissively. For a moment there, I felt as though I did something wrong.

It can be a tough crowd out there in the See-tay.

Domino Magazine Falls

The past 2 weeks have seen many good, hard-working people lose their jobs (Although I'm sure there were a few slackers in the bunch.) and some familiar retail names shuttering their doors.

But this one today hurts, it really hurts. Conde Nast today announced the closure of their shelter magazine Domino. DOMINO! A magazine I eagerly look forward to each month will grace my postbox no more.

I've been a subscriber since Day 1 and I shall miss the inspiration, tips, and overall escapism their lovely pages offered me. Thanks for all the hard work Domino! You were a gem!
(I wonder what happens to the rest of my subscription??)

Splashdown Nightmare

It shouldn't be that my first post for 2009 involves a plane crash. I am always the one saying a silent Non-Denominational prayer when taking off.
I can tell you that if ever I hear the words "Brace for impact because we're going down", I would be eleven kinds of crazy. However, knowing that all 155 passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 came out of the Hudson River relatively unscathed leaves me with the Warm Fuzzies.

Kudos to the pilot(Let's give it up for Danville!!) who kept his calm and steered everyone safely on its splashy landing!!!! HUZZAH!!