teresa

My grandmother used to say …gun.  Or at least I think that’s how my mom tells it.  Elliott and I like to say camera.  Fortunately we were able to fetch a camera before this bird left its post at our building this morning.  We went to work to pick up my computer and were welcomed by this striking fowl.  If anyone can identify as guaranteed a…. (vulture, turkey, eagle, hawk… I don’t know) please let me know.  I think it was looking for a mate, that or airing out…

The last few weeks have continued to be funny.  Things are just not right.  I told Elliott I don’t feel human.  That about sums it up.  So I decided that perhaps a good cry is what I need so I self prescribed this weekend to be a Steel Magnolias movie weekend.  Elliott suggested City of Angles, sounds like a crying marathon to me.  Not sure if it will work although at this point I am happy to try something to get out of this funk.

A few funny things happened last week to punctuate my days.  I called my mom on her birthday and we chatted for a bit.  I said so you guys are going to dinner and she said yes I am going to dinner with all my children….  I said all but me?!  I guess not living there I just don’t really count as part of all of the children.  I know she didn’t mean it and I shouldn’t have let it bother me, although it was just a reminder that I am now what Kathi used to be.  That the family can indeed all get together without me there and still celebrate that ‘everyone’ was able to get together.  And maybe someone will say too bad Teresa couldn’t be here, and then someone else might add, can you pass the salt.  Sad.

Then after recovering from that I talked with Krista who informed me that ‘everyone’ in the family voted for John McCain.  Once again, I guess I don’t count.  I joked with Elliott that I have become that crazy Californian who probably thinks gay people should be able to marry and chickens spread there wings at egg farms too.

Then to top it off I fell asleep after Elliott last night reading my book.  I woke up what felt like 5 minutes later with the light on and my alarm blarring.  It seemed like a bad dream.  How could I feel so horrible and had slept all night.  Answer, leave the light on trick your brain into thinking you are sleeping during the day.  I looked like a Silicon Valley computer program who had stayed up all night programming some really cool google application.  Red eyed and confused. 

We watched my new favorite movie today, Curiosity of Chance, I highly recommend it if you are up for something beyond the typical.  We watched the Bank Job last night.  It was ok, the thing that made it is that is based on a true story.  Although because of the setting and language Elliott and I have been over using the word wanker.  I just looked up the meaning of it, not what I expected, well don’t be a wanker and judge me over that.

We also went on a walk about today.  From our house to downtown Pleasanton.  About 7 miles round trip!  We had a great time.  We took our newest toy a Diana camera.  We wanted to take our first roll to see how it works.  It was fun.  We forgot multiple times to focus it and then realized we had it on the wrong setting, we had it set to take 16 pictures although we didn’t have the mask thing on so we meant to take 12 wider pictures – which matters when you are hand turning the film.  Oh well, who knows how it will turnout, hopefully some of them worked out.  Elliott was set on the pictures needing to be gritty.  So we focused on stopping at sites like the railroad tracks and overpasses.  Watch for our fav’s coming soon.

Otherwise we are taking a break now.  Catching up on laundry.  Made our shopping list for the week so have to go grocery shopping, our fridge includes only milk and condiments.  Over and out.

I lost the last few weeks.  Between my high school reunion in LV and strategic planning in Tahoe for work the rest has been a blur.  A typical night has been make dinner and have some wine or out to dinner for margaritas.  That means the next day at work is a 2-3 cups of coffee day, finish the day and repeat.  I don’t want to sound like it has been out of control binge drinking, I have just felt disconnected.  Like I have been going through the motions.  I believe I was working while at work and still thinking although a bit more like a computer responding based on previous inputs and outputs with little consciousness.

This weekend I started a detox.  It being Halloween I couldn’t necessarily give up cocktails so I gave up coffee as a start.  I think coffee makes me crazy.  It just adds to the monotony of the work day and contributes to my fog in the morning.  We decided to stay home this weekend instead of traveling to Reno mostly because we needed it.  We got invited to a party Friday night which was great!  We didn’t dress up, I joked with Elliott that we were going to the party as lame-o’s.  Because we didn’t dress up I insisted that we bring the ingredients for a cocktail that would be Halloween related.  So we brought – Dracula’s Kiss.  It was a hit so I felt like we contributed.  We also joked that we looked like Old Navy models, which was pretty true.  Who knew that two people who went through a phase of skull t-shirts and dark eyeliner with jeans held together with safety pins would turn out to be so preppy!  We learned a new game called liars dice which was a lot of fun (similar to the card game bullshit), it will definitely be making an appearance at the holidays if we can get any traction with it at either of our families.

As a back track Friday day we went to the Ardenwood farm in Fremont.  Including a tour of one of the old farm house.  I am not usually into museum type stuff although the house tour was cool.  They had an ice box that was the refrigerator of the day.  And so many kitchen appliances that were hand powered, it was pretty cool.  We didn’t have a camera so no pictures to post…

Today, despite the grand entrance of the rainy season we decided to hit another bay area back road.  Totally unsustainable, I know, driving is still one of our favorite things to do.  We drove up towards Sonoma.  We went up 101 to Healdsburg and then headed west to Stewart’s Point.  What an amazing drive!  It was so beautiful.  Some of the first pictures are at the Sonoma Lake with a really cool overlook area with a great view of the earthen dam.

We continued on and eventually hit the coast and highway 1.  I wanted to visit the small towns general store although it was closed…  So we headed south to see Jenner.  We stopped when we saw a cafe open, I had a banana for a snack although approaching 1:30pm I think Elliott was pretty hungry.  The food was perfect.  May be just the thing to inspire me to set up a yelp account!  We were the only 2 in the place, not surprising for a rainy day on the coast.  We had hot tea, chowder, ham & swiss, a burger – yum!

Then we drove through Jenner and through Bodega Bay.  I really wanted to go to Bodega Bay because I always think that a certain is bridge is there that I want to see.  I don’t know why but my brain can’t remember that the bridge is in Redding.  My mom put me onto this bridge and I think every time I ask her about the bridge in Bodega Bay and she looks at me questionably until she can extrapolate my reference.  Well we never found the bridge because apparently it is in Redding, just a little off!

At any rate we had a great day together.  Stopping to take in the ocean.  Listening to the rain.  Snapping pictures.  Oh and we saw some of those happy cows you hear about in California.  They were walking along highway 1, I have to agree they most be really happy cows!

We posted pics of our adventure here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elliottgoodwin/sets/72157608581224327/

Oh, I totally forgot, saved the best for last.  We don’t have a picture to prove it, both me and our camera are too slow.  Although we saw a wild boar walking down and then cross the street right in front of us.  We are such yuppies that this was nearly the highlight of our day!  I had never seen such an animal.  Pretty cool.