25!

This is from my Facebook page but since I have not posted in a while (and someone who refuses to get a Facebook account has been asking me to update) I thought I would throw it up here too...

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Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click post)
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1 - I LOVE reading these but I had absolutely no intention of doing this thing until I actually read the instructions and saw this: "If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you." Awww, ok. I'm a sucker for people being nice to me. The people I tagged are mostly women that I would like to know 25 random things about. Some of them are my closest friends, but I have also left off some other close friends, I don't love you less.

2 - I look at the clock almost every day at 3:21 - 3/21 is also my birthday. I dunno, I think that's cool.

3 - I am probably THE laziest person you know.

4 - You should absolutely posifuckingtively never try to have a conversation with me or, especially, ask me a question within the first 2 hours of me being awake. So you're usually safe after 9. Unless it's Monday, then I would just wait until Tuesday

5 - I have lived in the same 30 mile radius for my entire life but I think New York is absolutely the best city on the planet but I could never live there (permanently - but I would love to do a year or two). Oh and I think LA is second best and get irritated when people complain about it.

6 - I have not seen or spoken to a single person in my family for 17 years. (BUT I did just discover through Ancestry.com that my grandfather was a criminal, and I thought that was kind of badass)

7 - When I was in 6th grade, I had a sleep over and we were playing Red Rover in the street and the girls just unclasped their hands and let me through, but it ended with me totally face planting in the middle of the street, breaking a tooth and scratching the hell out of my face. I was pissed but also secretly happy that the girls thought I could actually break through their arms (not a chance).

8 - I think common sense is waaaaay more impressive and important than booksmarts.

9 - I've recently figured out that coffee makes me crazy

10 - There is almost nothing I like better than coffee

11 - I can remember your birthday and your phone number but not the ending of my favorite book or movie. Or the beginning. I can tell you IF I liked or disliked something but can't tell you why.

12 - I get crazy anxious - almost to the point of anxiety attacks - when I am in a church.

13 - I am trying trying trying to be more positive and rid my life of negative things and negative people but I will always be snarky. I do think people can change, but I happen to love sarcasm and don't fully understand why people think it's bad. I was recently called an "opportunistic slammer" and it took me a second to figure out if it was meant as an insult or compliment.

14 - I absolutely love musicals but I can't stand plays.

15 - I don't expect anyone to reply to this, so my feelings won't be hurt if you don't

16 - I have never learned a foreign language. I'm trying to master English first

17 - I have erased at least 5 things that would offend people that might read this

18 - I get soo happy when I hear sad music. Especially on sunny days. Sad music on rainy days just puts me to sleep.

19 - I think it's not too late to learn how to play the violin, but it is too late to master it, so that's that. No violin for me.

20 - The fact that the instructions said to write "goals" is stressing me out - I never really had goals - I just sort of do things. Goals. Goals. uhhh... yeh. I hope to hang up my clothes every day this week so I don't have to do it all on Sunday. (see #3)

21 - Neil Young was the first concert I went to. I was probably around 7. And was mad to be dragged to it. My dad's girlfriend was hiding drugs in her crotch (see #6). I think it was at Irvine Meadows or Pacific Amphitheatre? Some place that was outside and we were in the lawn section and I couldn't see the stage because I already needed glasses, and was apparently high on second hand smoke.

22 - I thought about making all 25 of these sex-related. But only for shock value and to be funny, not because I want you to actually know 25 things about my sexual history.

23 - There is almost nothing more important to me than music.

24 - I was in 3rd grade the first time my back went out - I was playing hopscotch and collapsed to the ground. It's been nothin but back problems since then.

25 - I have an amazing husband and we have an amazing life. duh.

A name is just a name is just a name

I love music. love love love it. When I find out that a favorite artist is coming out with a new cd I get school-girl with an ice cream cone and a new kitten giddy. I research street dates, tour dates, singles, all of it. What I don't do or understand is getting excited over the announcement of an album title and what I really can't comprehend is why I should care about a track-listing. Until you hear the music they are just words. I don't think it's giving you any sort of insight into the music at all. words. I mean, go to NME - and right now the number 3 story is "Pete Doherty names solo album - exclusive" - really? I care about what he's calling his album? Not at all... I mean I am not a Pete Doherty fan but I'm sure there was a similar story when Nick Cave named his last cd and you know what - I probably didn't click on it. I would have read the words Dig Lazarus Dig and thought "huh." MAYBE I would have thought "huh?!" if they correctly inserted the exclamation marks (DIG!!!). But I wouldn't have tried to figure it out and for sure it has not changed my feelings about the cd itself.

The fifth story right now on NME is "Bob Mould reveals new album details" - again - a title and a tracklisting. WHO CARES? Do you think you are going to enjoy it any more (or less) because 4 months before it's released you know that track 4 is called "MM 17" (unless of course there was an MM 1 - 16 and this was just a continuation of those songs)? AT LEAST they gave us the street date and tour dates. Finally - something I could get excited about - if I liked Bob Mould that is. I really don't have feelings about him. I'm sure he's worthy of 30 years of praise I just never got into him.

You see it in all music news outlets - indie and mainstream - and I have never understood it. Please explain it to me.

I have no focus

Late today I was wandering around the office making the rounds to some friends complaining about how I don't have any focus and trying to distract them from theirs. Most of em were surprisingly engaged in their work considering it was after 4, or in a meeting or not at their desk. One of them suggested I write about how I have no focus on my blog INSUFFICIENT FOCUS. oh right. That IS sort of the point of this thing right.?.

I have actually had HUGE focus so far this year - yeh yeh I know we're only like 4 work days into the year but I still feel accomplished. At home too. I'm feeling pretty good about this year so far. There are a couple of things that can still be improved - but fuck yeh - things are pretty good so far.

It's funny how when you start to really prioritize things in your life and become aware you find a lot of similarities around you and people saying the same things. I've been talking about how I want to multi-task less and have been thinking about how I need to be more present and concentrate on the now and blah blah blah and I swear 3 people have said the same thing to me this week. Maybe it's just the new year and people wanting a fresh start and are looking for a more positive experience in a shitty world and feeling optimistic about Mr Change swooping in to save the day in a couple of weeks. Whatever. I don't know. Hopefully I can remember to stay focused and present into at least February. It's also funny how when you start to be more aware you become more aware of all the stuff you can improve. I guess I need to make another list.

With a little help from my friends

I am good at a few things - eating, sarcasm, shopping - and for the things I am not good at I have Guy. When all else fails we pay people. We were expecting to have to pay a boatload recently for some repairs on the Honda. Thankfully, one of my good friends from work came to the rescue and kindly volunteered to take a look at it. Because this is something HE is good at I eagerly accepted his offer. It's stilling running great 3 weeks later! Oh shit, I just realized I still haven't paid him back for the part. damn!

Click here for full photo documentation of the event.
Honda repair

We like wine

We went wine tasting over New Year's Eve. It was big fun. We hit a few new wineries and found a couple new favs - Four Vines and Le Cuvier and of course visited old favorites - Halter Ranch, Turley.

Here are 200 pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Wine Tasting 08