November 2008

Oh Dickens you have no idea how right you were.

So Jon got these tickets for free admission from his roommate to the Charles Dickens Fair at the Cow Palace. Which is quite a deal because normally it is $22 a piece for admission to the fair. Plus $10 parking to avoid parking on the streets of ghettolicious Daly City. Although less of a deal once you realize that it consists of people dressed in clothes from the 1800s (hooker outfits and top hats) with fake English accents walking along the cobblestone (cement covered in hamster cage straw) of the same spot where they have had Disney on Ice and The Grateful Dead.

The overwhelming smell of cinnamon almonds and candle making filled the air. No one really seemed to know what they were doing and there was a mix of old time stuff (like a printing press) with the new (like those wooden pictures with cutouts for your face – not sure those existed in the 19th century?) But what really took the cake was the game being run by a few 10-12 year old girls called “Boot the Cat”, which consisted of throwing shoes and wooden cat cutouts on a fence. Got to get’em working young right?

All I can say is that Brooks you can label those free tickets you gave to us as your “Brooks Does Good” deed of the day.

Since it is likely that tomorrow will be a whirlwind of holiday festivities, cooking, running around, game playing, and football watching I wanted to take a moment today to be thankful for all of the amazing blessings in my life that I so often overlook.

For my mom, who is my best friend and strongest lifeline. For her unwavering support and unconditional love. For saying what I need to hear and always being on the other end of the line.

For the sister, who is an incredible force and model of hard work and intelligence and sharp wit. And for the rest of my awesome family – my grandma who keeps me laughing and believing, my aunt who inspires me to follow my liberal tendencies, my cute cousins and the eternal emails that are sent back and forth reminiscent of the argumentative dinner table discussions.

For Jon, who tests my patience and my sanity sometimes but who always makes me laugh and reminds me of how much fun it can be to sing in the car, have coffee/computer dates, and snuggle with Glory. For his motivation that challenges me and for his willingness to let me have my way sometimes.

For my friends. For Becca who keeps me sane and reminds me that I am not alone in my crazy thinking and for Megan who is the best and most varied hours long phone date I could wish for. For TJ who keeps me cheerful and laughing and introduces me to new genres of movies (Tenth Kingdom anyone?) and for Sarah who shares in my dog obsession and always gives great advice. And for the blessings of friends I have made in San Francisco in my small group and beyond and Texas in friends and coworkers and roommates alike.

For taking the risk and moving to San Francisco. For the home I’ve fallen into and a roommate that loves me and loves my dog and makes it feel like home. For new opportunities and a God that has taken care of me and soothed my fears. For having the chance to challenge my ways of thinking and living and beginning to turn into the person I should be. For all the opportunities I have had in my life and the people who have made them possible.

I’m thankful for the little things, like a full tank of gas, a happy dog that welcomes me home every afternoon, a warm bed and warm coat for rainy days like today, a world of technology to keep me connected and meeting new people, the money to visit my family when I can, a church that inspires me, a few days off, and a cup of hot coffee right in front of me.

And I’m thankful for the big things, like a caring heart, the freedom of living in this country, my health and optimism, and a God that loves me like none other. And for one more day to keep doing my best to make this world a better place and become who I am meant to be.

Today I spent the day in Milpitas taking an Adobe Photoshop class through Compass Point. Awesome class. I basically learned how to crop people out of photos (helpful for ex-boyfriends and those random people who always sneak up in the background) and make myself ridiculously gorgeous just with a few clicks of a button. Seriously … how have I not spent more time with this in the past? And what did people do before digital cameras and the ability to erase wrinkles and acne with just a few swipes of the mouse? Although it did make me realize that:

• Celebrities really aren’t that good looking afterall
• People on online dating services really aren’t that good looking either
• History (aka that geeky guy you dated in 9th grade) is easy to alter (or at least the photo part)

This reminded me of either real history or a book I read (probably 1984) where people were cut out of photos to look as if they were never at the event or even alive. It’s pretty scary with all this technology today how easy it can be to change something visually and how we really cannot trust our images as much as we sometimes think we can. This might be one of those “duh” statements but I feel like even though my brain knows that this technology exists, my eyes sometimes automatically go into thinking “wow I can’t believe Demi Moore really has such a gorgeous neck line” or “uh oh Iran launched 4 missles” (nope just two). Still don’t get the point – watch this awesome ad:

I was planning on going to bed early tonight because tomorrow I am driving to Milpitas at 7:30 (aka sitting in traffic) for a photoshop class that lasts from 9-5, then driving back (aka sitting in traffic) and going to the grocery store with Jon to get the food for Thanksgiving and then getting ready for another couple busy days. That is what I was planning. Then TLC stepped in with Jon and Kate Plus 8 and the Duggars.

I think the fact that I am not planning on having kids for quite some time (sorry Mom) makes me obsessed with watching tv shows where people manage to deal with more kids than anyone should ever have to handle at one time. Either that or it is sort of like watching a train wreck … or whatever the good equivalent to that is … you just can’t tear your eyes away.

Tonight the Duggar family show takes the first place prize though, which is why I am still up at 10:30 watching them. I am just going to make a quick disclaimer: I completely respect and admire their family and the way they live their lives. But I still sometimes think they are crazy. But thankfully tonight they have backup. Another family – this time with 16 kids and one on the way – have come for a visit. And this family makes their own dresses – that look exactly like what you would imagine they would look like.

The best part of tonight’s episode is that cousin Amy Duggar is visiting too. Thank you Amy for saying everything that I think. It is almost like I am in the episode. Her sarcastic, snappy remarks and need for an iPod on any car ride and love of brand name clothes make me feel much less guilty about the un-Duggar like life I lead. Thank you Amy especially for eliciting the comment from one of the older Duggar girls that even though she has a different lifestyle and values they still “accept” her. It was said with a smile and all. Oh the joy. Seriously if you get the chance to watch the episode where the Duggars and Bates go to the Christian amusement park please stay up late at all costs just to catch it.

Either that or the part where Amy compares the Bates girls’ dresses to the dresses the folk in the old West section of the amusement park are wearing. Classicly snarky.

End of the weekend and new week here I come. Thankfully with the holiday this is going to be a short week. Ok well work wise. Jon’s family will be in town so it will be jam-packed even without work. Take two of Ashley and cooking a turkey – let’s see how it goes this time around.

In honor of Jon’s parents coming to town Jon and I both dtermined it was time to clean out our cars. Now for me this means throwing away some trash (read mainly trash Jon has left in my car) and vacuuming up the mounds of dog hair that manage to coat the back seat. Even after using the shop vac thoroughly I still was pulling out piles of fur that managed to hang on tight. I can now promise only a mildly hairy look if you happen to pile into the back seat.

Jon on the other hand managed to turn his car from a mild death trap into an actually pretty decent looking 97 Honda Accord that happens to have rusted paint and a few missing pieces required for a functioning air conditioner/heater (thank goodness we live in San Francisco where the weather is always the same). Seriously … I took on the task of cleaning the trunk. Among some of the finds were:

• a broken glass I won and then gave to him when Sarah, Nico, TJ, Nolan, Jon and I went to play pub quiz
• seven socks, three tshirts, two hats, one scarf, a fleece that we are not sure who it belongs to and a leather jacket that we do not who it belongs to (so Jon will be very warm on the top and completely nude down below)
• three tennis rackets and 9 tennis balls, plus a racket carrying case
• a backpacking backpack from his trip to Europe summer of 2007 and a ski carrying case without any skis
• my Christmas present to him from last year, card included and all
• his front license plate

The rest was mainly trash, more trashy trash and stuff that should actually be in the trunk of your car (like an Atlas, jumper cables, winter car kit, etc.) For the first time since he has had the car I was able to see both the floor and the seats on the car at the same time. To this I remarked “wow you have cigarette burns on the seat … crazy.”

So now that this is basically the most boring blog post of all time I will tell you the exciting news – Glory’s Chuck-It toy was down at the bottom of the abyss (aka trunk). She was very thankful to have her long lost friend back, so much so that she gave it a hearty shaking and left him in the backyard. He needed some fresh air.

**UPDATE** Ok to be fair I should let everyone know that Jon’s present in his trunk wasn’t the real actual present but the present I gave him that was a framed printout of the real present I got him, which hadn’t come in the mail yet. So not quite as bad … but still!

Here comes the bride … soon to be Mrs. Donald Wilson (currently Miss Megan Gauthey just in case you’re lost).

So I am going to be in my first ever real-life grownup wedding. I am hoping that my bridesmaid dress shows off my hot bod and allows for plenty of stretch on the dance floor. And I also hope that Penny will walk me down the aisle.

This gives me the excuse to visit Texas more over the next year, eat ridiculous amounts of cake and fight off Becca for the bouquet. Is there anything better than a best friend getting married?

Apparently Gmail is now trying out a new concept where you can choose themes for your Gmail layout. Similar to iGoogle they have color based themes, nature based themes, and the token “Japanese style animation” based themes. I went with the “desk” theme so that I can continue to feel ultra important and super profsesional even when reading emails about my dorky webinars or the latest news about my mom’s dogs.

They seem to be rolling this out slowly as neither of my co-workers have this available on their Gmail yet. Seems like I am part of a special elite club (at least for the next hour to week until everyone else is part of it too).

Be jealous.

As I made dinner tonight (yes I cooked … pasta …. impressive) I flipped through O magazine that my roommate has upstairs. The front boasted “100 Gifts under $100 – from $8 to $99″. Well with this being the economy that it is and me being the broke person that I am I assumed this article was the answer to my Christmas gift woes. Let me just cut the suspense for you … unless you are interested in spending $50 for a bookmark or $54 for a plain calendar this is not the list for you. Although I can honestly say the most overpriced but least quality item on the list is the poptop purse. Are they serious?

So I’ve decided to share a few items on my own Gift List that won’t cost you your entire unemployment check.

• Magazine Subscriptions: One year of Glamour, Maxim, or Better Homes and Garden for only $10? It’s the gift that keeps giving.

• 2009 Chuck Calendar from Dooce.com: ok at $20 this isn’t super cheap but it is super cute – who doesn’t love Dooce?

• Beautiful glass flower earrings on Etsy for $12.50

• Cruelty-free journal from villagers in Haat – purchase benefits The Hunger Site; actually there’s a ton of great, inexpensive, and fairtrade gifts on The Hunger Site.

Or I guess you could always go with my favorite backup: a nice framed picture of your super cute dog. Or mine.

Dear nonprofits:

I appreciate that you think highly enough of me to believe that I send many important letters that should not risk being lost in the mail. However, I am already broke and in this economy cannot afford stamps, much less a donation greater than the meager portion I give already each month. Your address labels are only serving to make me feel guilty.

Sincerely,
Ashley