Saturday, May 28, 2005

The Shoppping List 5/28/05

Last week:
1 pair of Pumas
2 pairs of Shorts (for the gym)
1 Haircut
total: +/-240.00

hmmm... so far better than last week by about 30 bucks... but it's only Saturday and we'll be going out tomorrow...

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Hidden Cost

The weekly shopping list has been started. Good. Believe it or not, I haven't made any purchases this week. I'm not saying that I haven't bought anything... groceries, sure. gas, of course. a gym membership, yeah. but no shoes or anything yummy like that... I've started a running list of things in my head that I want. they include:
-gym clothes (I KNEW this whole working out thing had hidden costs). I've got stuff to wear, but if i'm going to be doing this every day, I'm gonna need more stuff - don't want to use the "i'm out of workout clothes" excuse to get out of going.
-gym bag. I've been carrying a Jack Spade Bag to the gym... that doesn't really cut it. Gotta swing by Puma on Saturday...
-new cross trainers. I've got loads of Pumas, but I don't think any of them are really meant for any sort of REAL sports/workout activity. I've been wearing my nikes, and they're very cool, but they're not NEW.
-I'm debating on wether or not to get an iPod... each of the machines has a TV on it... so i'm gonna say "No". For now.
Hmm... my walk of shame doesn't include any sporting goods stores. What to do, what to do??? WAIT! There's a Copelands near RonTheHairdresserExtraordinaire! And I'm seeing RTHE on Saturday! Perfect. Hmm... wait (again)... I hate those places. Those Sporting Goods Places. I don't like them at all. They smell funny. And nobody waits on you. Who am I trying to fool? Shopping is shopping!

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Ist Timer

I just got back from my first visit to the gym. I have a feeling this is going to be tough, but I'm hoping I'll be able to stick with this.
I spent 46 minutes on a treadmill. I didn't mind that at all. It didn't kill me and I didn't feel like I was going to die.
That's good, right? I wanted to start slow. I knew if I got to the point where I felt like killing myself on the first visit, I wouldn't go back. So I just set the machine at a nice, brisk pace and started walking. I played with the incline thingy (hated that... maybe when I get into this a bit more I'll try that again), I watched TV. Nice touch. Every machine has it's own TV and all you have to do is supply your own earphones. I really like that. It makes the time go by faster. I was going to try some of the other machines, but when I got off of the treadmill, I was a little dizzy. Is that weird? I didn't feel dizzy until i stopped moving... I panicked a little. I thought there might be a chance that I would topple over or something. How lame would that have been? sheesh. I stopped and leaned on a column as I slowly wound up my headphones. Most of the dizziness had subsided by the time I finished winding, so I started to walk around a bit. I felt kinda light headed... my legs felt super light.
I figured this was enough for my first time so I headed back to the locker room, changed and came home.
Yeah, I know it doesn't sound like much, but hey, it's more than I've done in a long time. I can't remember the last time I walked non-stop for 46 minutes. Just gotta stick to it... I'm going to have a turkey burger now. Oh! And prolly take a nap.

Well, I guess we'll just have to see

So the other night we went to see a show at a theater in El Cerrito... I had worked there about 20 years ago. Did A Chorus Line with them. Played Paul - big surprise. Anyhow, we walked in and right there in the lobby was the picture of that line. Okay. I KNOW the picture is 20 years old. I KNOW when it was taken, I was in class or at rehersals (or both) every single day. I KNOW that I'll never look like that again. I KNOW!
I also know that my waist is currently about 5 to 6 inches bigger than it was in that picture. I also know that I am going to die early if I don't get back in shape. I've GOT to do something about this. GOT TO. So I joined a gym yesterday. The JCC on California. Brand new, beautiful, very well appointed. They even have an indoor pool. We'll see how it goes. I'm supposed to go in for my one hour orientation where they will procede to humiliate me by weighing me and finding out what my body/fat index is. I wonder if I could just skip that part. I can weigh myself, thankyouverymuch, and I'm not too terribly interested in what my body/fat index is. Just another number to get in my way.
I'm not going to try and fool anyone into thinking I'm doing this strictly for health reasons. I'm doing this for vanity. Sure, I'll get healthier, but that's just a by-product. I want to be able to fit into EVERY SINGLE piece of clothing in my closet. When I think of the money that is wasting away by not being able to fit into those clothes, it makes me sick. I got a sick feeling in my stomach when it occured to me that my freakin' SHOES were getting tight. Do your feet actually gain weight????? Shit. I'm screwed.
I guess I should probably set some goals. Nothing crazy... sure, I'd like to look like a gay porn star, but let's face it - that's not gonna happen. I'd like to lose weight and trim down/firm up. How 'bout this: I will fit into my Burberry 5 pocket pants by the end of July.
Well, there you have it. I have a goal.

Monday, May 23, 2005

the shopping list

Last week:
1 white linen shirt from Banana Republic
4 white Latte Mugs from PB
1 silver necklace from Rolo (limited edition, numbered, signed)
1 leather bracelet thing from Rolo (hand made, local artist, limited edition, numbered, signed)
1 Calphalon non-stick grill pan from WS (originally 110.00, on sale for 49.95, got it for 32.00 with my discount)
total: +/-270.00

yup. gonna start keeping track

Saturday, May 21, 2005

A Star is Born

A couple of months ago I blogged about that teaching gig at a HS in the city. Well, Thursday was the show. The teacher called me on Tuesday to get some info from me for the program. Thank god, because I was well on the way to completely forgetting about the show. She told me the number I taught was opening the show. Nice. Actually, perfect! I could come in, see the kids and the number then sneak out. Did i really need a night of HS dance during the week from hell at work? no. i did not.
So Thursday rolls around and I escape from work, feeling guilty for leaving at 5:30 (?!?). I stop by a flower shop and pick up 21 individually wrapped roses. (The guy gave me a deal because he was "officially retiring" the roses the next day.
Buck-a-pop. Not bad at all). Guess I was feeling pre-guilt about my planned post number escape... Yeah, i know it's a shitty thing to do, but there were 20 numbers. All but two of them were "student choreographed"!!!!!
Well, I stayed through the whole freakin' thing. I'm not sure why i did, but I did. The guilt? Maybe. But that wasn't the big part. I actually enjoyed myself. Don't get me wrong, the dancing (except for two girls) was pretty scary. Even the number that I taught was a train wreck by my standards. I think i just got sucked in.
After my number, the girl who couldn't stop making sexy faces in the mirror did her solo. She was in a vaguely Spanish outfit... all red and black. the music she chose was THE SPICE GIRLS. Now think about it. Could you imagine stealing away while the spice girls were being blasted and a Future Pole Dancer of America was "workin' it" on stage? Didn't think so. Apparently, she was very proud of the fact that she could do a back bend. She did it three times during her performance. She also unconsciously mouthed the words to the song. Oh, and she perfected the sexy pout that she was working on. I felt a little dirty after she did her number.
Then there was the tall, mildly pretty girl with mousy brown hair. I didn't mention her in my original blog because she didn't make any sort of impression on me at all. Anyhow, she was probably the LAST person I would have thought would choose to do a solo (apparently, they all had the option to choreograph a piece for as many or as few of the girls as they wanted and that included doing solos). The lights came up and she was standing center stage all in white. Close fitting cropped top with elaborate embroidery and sparkles, long full skirt. The music was taking a bit to cue up. "Wonder what this is all about..." Then her music started. Finger cymbals? k'chink-chink. k'chink-chink... drums, nasally wailing... then the full on band kicks in. Her movement is spot-on right out of one of those Bollywood musicals. She probably stole the choreography channel surfing and catching a late night showing of Namash Loves Buttrha, but I could've cared less. This little rich girl from Noe Valley transformed herself into a full on Bollywood chorus girl right down to the perfect head isolations and the eye movements. Fantastic.
I'm having a little trouble starting this next one... the image of this girls solo has stayed with me since Thursday. Really haunting... she was an african american girl. For some reason her somewhat straight, relaxed hair made an impression on me. Not because it looked good. I think it was because it looked like she had done it herself at home and kinda' damaged it. I got the impression that she wasn't one of the kids whose parents were ponying up major bucks for her to attend this school. I saw the class before the show and the girls were all putting on make-up. Most of them had big kits and were revelling in the chance to get all dolled up without their dad yelling at them. She had a mascarra and a red Maybelline eye liner pencil. She wandered around and borrowed whatever else she needed.
Anyhow, her music started and I was really surprised. How did she come up with "Flash Dance"??? She was wearing white tights, a white wife-beater tank top, white ballet slippers and a WHITE TUTU. Her movements did not warrant the tutu. At all. She skipped, she hopped on one foot, she jumped as high as she could, she flailed her arms, she flung her straightened hair - all with her eyes shut so tight i thought her head would burst.
As she danced, i could feel my shoulders slowing moving closer and closer to my ears. I was fighting the urge to bring my hand to my face to cover either my eyes or my mouth... I started to sink into my seat. She bit her bottom lip and raised her eyebrows. She shimmied backwards across the stage. Then it hit me. She meant it. She meant all of it. She loved what she was doing on that stage and she KNEW every single person in that audience was loving it as much as she was.
As far as I'm concerned, she was the star of that show.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

TRAIN WRECK

is anyone else out there watching this Brittney Spears Chaotic thing? Is anyone else willing to admit it? I just can't possibly imagine how this could be good for her career. She's proving to me with every word that makes it's way past her perfect teeth that she is nothing more than po' white trash! I can't believe how stupid she is!!!!!
so far that mess of a husband of hers hasn't really been on. uh oh. she just made a reference to him. i'm scared. really scared. the morning radio show that i listen to refers to him as "Cling-on Federline" that just cracks me up. AACK!!!!! He's on... and he looks like he hasn't washed his hair in years... all greasy and stringy. gross. ohmygod. He just said, "Love is commitment". what the hell is that supposed to mean? he's fathered two children without bothering to stay with the mother... he obviously has no idea what commitment is.
This is like watching a train wreck. I can't take my eyes off of it... HELP ME!

Monday, May 16, 2005

so i'm reading my sister's blog (i'd turn those words blue so you could just click on them and automatically open her blog in another window, but i have no clue) and she writes about going shopping over the weekend. fascinating stuff for me. if you (whoever YOU are) haven't figured it out, i'm obsessed with shopping. now, be clear. It's not about the purchases... it's more about the ACT of shopping. sure, now I make more purchases because I can suddenly afford it. but i was a shopper when i COULDN'T afford to buy anything. i was a broke ass dancer in new york and i still went to Barney's every chance i got. I couldn't buy anything of note, but I went.
i go downtown almost every weekend. i have what I call my "walk of shame"... if I park at the sutter stockton garage, here's my route: hit Kate Spade to see if there are any new Jack Spade bags, then in to Saks Men's Store (usually just the first floor to check out the shoes and accessories - i like the stuff on the top floor but the shop boys up there are just too much for me to stomach - i'm beginning to gravitate towards watches *trouble ahead*), back out onto Post... run across to Burberry. Straight in and right to the elevator to take me to the men's floor. I do one lap and if nothing catches my eye i go right back and press the down button at the elevator. after Burberry, I walk up to Union Square, hang a left and head for Neiman's. Straight for the escalator and ride down to the men's floor... cruise the watch cases and the bags, then on to shoes keep going and walk through prada, miu miu, and the rest of the contemporary designers then walk past the "old guys" stuff, past the suits and up the escalator and out the revolving doors. avoid the PETA folks and avert my gaze from the eviscerated animal on the posters, head back over to Grant to attack Gimme Shoes. Say hi to the nice girl who always gives me a discount cuz "you're always in here". lately nothing has been motivating me at Gimme. I wonder if I'll get the discount next time I buy a pair of shoes. I digress. after Gimme i head down to market and hit Puma. Of late, i've been buying SOMEthing ever time I walk into that store. I was cleaning my shoe room the other day and did an unofficial count of my Pumas... i'm up to 16 pairs of shoes, 3 jackets (plus one I bought for the SO that I will wear on occaision), and two hats. they're very righton right now. very. after Puma, i'll start to lose interest... then I shift into wandering aimlessly mode which is never good. on occaision i'll wander into the Crap just to laugh. sometimes i'll cross the street and make my way into SF Center. Not much in there... Club Monaco... sometimes I'll take the freakish curved escalator up and wander through JCrew... sometimes. then it's back to the sutter stockton garage - sometimes i'll stop at Banan Republic, Tumi or Longchamp on the way - load up Mini with whatever purchases I managed to make and drive home. I wonder how much ground i cover during the walk of shame... does that count as working out? Prolly not. I think my heartrate is higher when i see something yummy than it is when I'm walking around.
If I park at the O'Farell st garage, it's a different story. when i park there, i'm all business. straight to Puma, then to Neiman's. an occaisional foray into Urban Outfitters, then back into Mini and head to Hayes Valley. Hayes Valley is Gimme Shoes, Huf for groovy kicks, Paolo for shoes (REALLY fast through Paolo - they're getting a bit too EuroTrash for me), over to Propeller for house stuff, then into Flight 001 for bags and travel accessories, keep going down to Friends for more groovy house stuff. (I bougt a really great clock there the week before I left for maui). they also carry Acme Bags. Even though i don't really need another computer bag, i always go look at them - they're really beautiful bags. If I feel up to it, i'll wander over to MAC (NOT the make-up place. MAC stands for Modern Appealing Clothing or something like that). MAC is where I bought my first suit EVER 'bout a year ago.
now, i'm not sure why i blogged about shopping... maybe i was thinking this is like keeping a food log when you're dieting... that's supposed to help you with overeating. maybe a shopping log will help me with my shopping. do i really need help with my shopping??? I mean, i'm not charging anything. I pay cash for all my purchases. ALL of them. I charge nothing. If I can't afford it, I don't buy it. so... is that so wrong? is it wrong to do something that hurts nobody including myself? it shouldn't be... why does it feel so wrong?

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Oh!

Geez... I just realized I never posted anything about my little trip to the lovely island of Maui.
I'm sure I've got lots to say... not sure where to start.
R, V and L made me smile and smile and smile.
L made me laugh...
Ver and Andy made me (and the SO) welcome.
Kuya made me sad that I've never really gotten to know him, but he also made me feel like I COULD get to know him.
The SO made me realize how lucky I am to have the family that I have.
The sun made me really DARK.
I loved seeing R, V, and L every day.
I loved laughing with Ver.
I loved sharing my family with the SO. Now, this is hateful, but part of the reason I loved that is because it just made it so OBVIOUS how horrible his family is. I guess it's not that hateful since HE was the one who said that.
I don't think I could have had a better time. The place was so great! From the accomodations to the convenient location - everything was perfect. The SO and I have already decided we need to figure out a time to go back with a bunch of friends. It was a little weird that my body clock never, EVER adjusted to Hawaii time, which meant I was wide awake at 4:30 every morning. But that was fine. I enjoyed my alone time. I enjoyed sitting on the deck drinking Lion Vanilla Macadamia Nut coffee, smoking and surfing the net. I loved going out there in the dark and watching as the sun came out.
I want to do this every year. EXACTLY the same thing. Except Mom and Dad need to come next time.

so i've got this friend...

and he's currently in the midst of a nightmare re-mod on his place in the Richmond. I've been sucked into helping him out. What exactly does he expect me to do at this point in the game? "This point" being the demolition of his flat. Apparently his "designer" was not really a "designer'. Well, guess what? Neither am I. I only agreed to help out at this point because he BEGGED me to. Now I'm not saying that I wouldn't have an opinion on what's going on over there - I'm sure I would. I think what might be giving me pause is that after everything is all done, I don't want anyone pointing any fingers at me because, "That stairway seems out of place".
Leave me alone until the place is done. If the stairway is out of place, I can fix that with a stragically placed potted palm or an eye-catching Eames chair. THAT I can do. Looking at blueprints? blah... yawn.
Well, I guess we'll just have to see how this all goes down. If nothing else, it could be interesting.