Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
I Love My Friends...Even MORE Than BEER!
Ok so I Skypeed (is this a verb now?) my hubby, daughter and friends yesterday at our friend Sokoun and Chris' house.
Chris showed me a glass of that DELISH Karl Strauss Amber Lager...of course I was drooling.
He told me that Sokoun thought it was the favorite part of my trip!
Well, to be honest, it WAS a highlight...but NOT THE FAVORITE PART OF MY TRIP!!!
Aw...
SOKOUN AND CHRIS
OF COURSE the best part of the trip was seeing my beloved friends!
The reason why it took me so long to blog about my trip is that when I came back I slowly fell into a slump (which is normal actually - the post-vacation blues). I missed my friends and daughter terribly! I wish I could have stayed longer, but c'est la vie...that's the life of a working stiff comme MOI!
So....where did I end part one...oh yeah...the BEER ON TAP at Chris and Sokoun's - LOL.
I forgot to mention that they now have a new addition to the family...a 5 1/2 ounce Chihuahua named Lola...as in L-O-L-A Lola! la la la la Lola. I couldn't stop serenading her while I was there. No wonder she kept trying to bite me. She is ADORABLE but NOT the friendliest pup in the world! But once she got to know me, she stopped biting/attacking me and licked me instead. Sadly, I could NOT train her to lick my ear...but she IS a female - and not a lesbian either. Oh well.
It was wonderful hanging out with Sokoun and her awesome family. I mentioned that we went to her niece's graduation (where I got to work on my tan- bonus). After the graduation we went for a yummy all-you-can-eat (oh no) Japanese buffet. I never had so much sushi at one sitting in my life. It was delish. THEN to help digest our food we went SHOPPING and Sokoun picked out 2 lovely tops for me - and I get compliments whenever I wear them. One is a halter and I NEVER EVER would have dreamed of buying a halter top (I last wore one when they were in style in the mid 70s) but she eyed it and thought it would look good on me - and it really does! (ok I am not modest - y'all know that already!).
I can't divulge anything about another little shopping spree I had with Sokolun and Chris (after mucho sake and wine). Sorry. Use your imagination!
On Thursday I conned my friend Chelice into driving me to the train station to catch a train to LA. I have my ways...I invited her for a manicure and pedicure - and while she was having flowers painted on her fingers and toes I said, "um...can I ask a favor of you? Could you please take me to the train station? My train leaves in 20 minutes, by the way!"
I kid you not. Chelice is from Detroit and she's got the Motor City chops to prove it! We FLEW to the station - downtown - about a 10 mile drive...I bought my ticket, ran to the train and had a couple minutes to spare before the train departed.
This is what it's like to be a friend of Sue's! It's not pretty....I know I know. (Right Mary????).
I had a LOVELY trip up to LA. Oh it is just a gorgeous ride - along the coast. I chilled out and got PSYCHED about seeing my Ru friend Laura (we met at a Rufus Wainwright appearance in LA many moons ago), AND the one and only Martha Wainwright.
Laura picked me up and we drove to her apartment and she served a delish spaghetti dinner with this homemade mushroom tomato sauce. Laura is a vegetarian...I like hanging out with her because I always eat healthy food. We had a few glasses of wine and caught up...then headed for the Troubadour - which is just about a 10 minute drive from her house - it's near Beverly Hills. (Oh BOY!).
We got there just as doors were opening and OF COURSE headed straight for the center of the stage. We watched Martha and her band head up to the VIP lounge which was upstairs to the left of the stage...there are big windows and I was psyched to spot her dad - Loudon Wainwright. I was hoping he would perform with her (he did).
The opening singer was FANTASTIC - her name is Jesca Hoop. CHECK HER OUT. Laura was already a fan, but I had never heard of her. Supposedly she was a nanny for Tom Waits' kids - and he describes her music as: "taking a swim in a lake at night." Perfect. Just check her out, you won't be disappointed. It was just her on acoustic guitar (I could hear a strong Celtic influence), and she was accompanied for many songs by 2 other female singers. They looked and sounded like 3 angels (corny I know, but that's the best I can do!).
FINALLY Martha came out - and the place was PACKED. I think it was a sold-out show. I was SO happy for her. The last time I saw her - about 3 years ago now - she played in San Diego to a crowd of maybe 10 people? I was feeling for her, but that's San Diego for you! NOT A HIP PLACE AT ALL. But even when I saw her in LA a few months before the San Diego show, where she opened for Stephen Malkmus at the El Rey - people were NOT receptive, or attentive...that is until she played "Bloody MF A***hole." THAT perked up their ears!
I met her after that El Rey show (for the second time) and she was really down...I could see it. Then when I saw her in San Diego she said, "Oh I remember YOU!" In San Diego told her all about Rachel Fuller's webcast show In the Attic and many moons later I was able to connect her to Rachel and she DID make an appearance on her show - and she met Pete Townshend there and they all became friends...and he recorded on her latest cd. (Sorry but the backstory is needed for the next installment!)
Anyway- things change - and thank goodness she has hung in there...she's "matured" (I hate that term, but you know what I mean) and seems MUCH more confident now.
She's married to her bass player/producer Brad, and seems quite content.
The highlight really was when Loudon came out - he was BEAMING - you could see how proud he was of his daughter. His opinion means alot to her (as a father's opinion would to any daughter). They sang: "You Never Phone," and it was BRILLIANT. There are 2 snippets on YouTube. I will look for the link and post it here later.
Martha's latest cd- BUY IT!!! :)
END OF PART 2!!!
Chris showed me a glass of that DELISH Karl Strauss Amber Lager...of course I was drooling.
He told me that Sokoun thought it was the favorite part of my trip!
Well, to be honest, it WAS a highlight...but NOT THE FAVORITE PART OF MY TRIP!!!
Aw...
SOKOUN AND CHRIS
OF COURSE the best part of the trip was seeing my beloved friends!
The reason why it took me so long to blog about my trip is that when I came back I slowly fell into a slump (which is normal actually - the post-vacation blues). I missed my friends and daughter terribly! I wish I could have stayed longer, but c'est la vie...that's the life of a working stiff comme MOI!
So....where did I end part one...oh yeah...the BEER ON TAP at Chris and Sokoun's - LOL.
I forgot to mention that they now have a new addition to the family...a 5 1/2 ounce Chihuahua named Lola...as in L-O-L-A Lola! la la la la Lola. I couldn't stop serenading her while I was there. No wonder she kept trying to bite me. She is ADORABLE but NOT the friendliest pup in the world! But once she got to know me, she stopped biting/attacking me and licked me instead. Sadly, I could NOT train her to lick my ear...but she IS a female - and not a lesbian either. Oh well.
It was wonderful hanging out with Sokoun and her awesome family. I mentioned that we went to her niece's graduation (where I got to work on my tan- bonus). After the graduation we went for a yummy all-you-can-eat (oh no) Japanese buffet. I never had so much sushi at one sitting in my life. It was delish. THEN to help digest our food we went SHOPPING and Sokoun picked out 2 lovely tops for me - and I get compliments whenever I wear them. One is a halter and I NEVER EVER would have dreamed of buying a halter top (I last wore one when they were in style in the mid 70s) but she eyed it and thought it would look good on me - and it really does! (ok I am not modest - y'all know that already!).
I can't divulge anything about another little shopping spree I had with Sokolun and Chris (after mucho sake and wine). Sorry. Use your imagination!
On Thursday I conned my friend Chelice into driving me to the train station to catch a train to LA. I have my ways...I invited her for a manicure and pedicure - and while she was having flowers painted on her fingers and toes I said, "um...can I ask a favor of you? Could you please take me to the train station? My train leaves in 20 minutes, by the way!"
I kid you not. Chelice is from Detroit and she's got the Motor City chops to prove it! We FLEW to the station - downtown - about a 10 mile drive...I bought my ticket, ran to the train and had a couple minutes to spare before the train departed.
This is what it's like to be a friend of Sue's! It's not pretty....I know I know. (Right Mary????).
I had a LOVELY trip up to LA. Oh it is just a gorgeous ride - along the coast. I chilled out and got PSYCHED about seeing my Ru friend Laura (we met at a Rufus Wainwright appearance in LA many moons ago), AND the one and only Martha Wainwright.
Laura picked me up and we drove to her apartment and she served a delish spaghetti dinner with this homemade mushroom tomato sauce. Laura is a vegetarian...I like hanging out with her because I always eat healthy food. We had a few glasses of wine and caught up...then headed for the Troubadour - which is just about a 10 minute drive from her house - it's near Beverly Hills. (Oh BOY!).
We got there just as doors were opening and OF COURSE headed straight for the center of the stage. We watched Martha and her band head up to the VIP lounge which was upstairs to the left of the stage...there are big windows and I was psyched to spot her dad - Loudon Wainwright. I was hoping he would perform with her (he did).
The opening singer was FANTASTIC - her name is Jesca Hoop. CHECK HER OUT. Laura was already a fan, but I had never heard of her. Supposedly she was a nanny for Tom Waits' kids - and he describes her music as: "taking a swim in a lake at night." Perfect. Just check her out, you won't be disappointed. It was just her on acoustic guitar (I could hear a strong Celtic influence), and she was accompanied for many songs by 2 other female singers. They looked and sounded like 3 angels (corny I know, but that's the best I can do!).
FINALLY Martha came out - and the place was PACKED. I think it was a sold-out show. I was SO happy for her. The last time I saw her - about 3 years ago now - she played in San Diego to a crowd of maybe 10 people? I was feeling for her, but that's San Diego for you! NOT A HIP PLACE AT ALL. But even when I saw her in LA a few months before the San Diego show, where she opened for Stephen Malkmus at the El Rey - people were NOT receptive, or attentive...that is until she played "Bloody MF A***hole." THAT perked up their ears!
I met her after that El Rey show (for the second time) and she was really down...I could see it. Then when I saw her in San Diego she said, "Oh I remember YOU!" In San Diego told her all about Rachel Fuller's webcast show In the Attic and many moons later I was able to connect her to Rachel and she DID make an appearance on her show - and she met Pete Townshend there and they all became friends...and he recorded on her latest cd. (Sorry but the backstory is needed for the next installment!)
Anyway- things change - and thank goodness she has hung in there...she's "matured" (I hate that term, but you know what I mean) and seems MUCH more confident now.
She's married to her bass player/producer Brad, and seems quite content.
The highlight really was when Loudon came out - he was BEAMING - you could see how proud he was of his daughter. His opinion means alot to her (as a father's opinion would to any daughter). They sang: "You Never Phone," and it was BRILLIANT. There are 2 snippets on YouTube. I will look for the link and post it here later.
Martha's latest cd- BUY IT!!! :)
END OF PART 2!!!
Monday, July 07, 2008
"Ooh life is juicy..." Part uno
"...juicy and you'll see..."
Ok that's all I remember from that song (from Funny GIrl)! LOL.
Growing up, I was um...subjected to WAY TOO MUCH Barbara Streisand. I'm sure it has had serious long term effects!
(Could be why I love gay men so much, I dunno).
Well I cannot believe I haven't blogged for a month. VERY BAD BLOGGER SUE!!
I had a FAB time in San Diego and LA!!!
Anjoli and I spent the first few days with my dear friend Chelice. She has a really cute house in Bonita with a beautiful view.
Here it is!
Her dog Leo LOVES me. I really think we were lovers in a past life. I am SERIOUS! :) He has a thing for me, and oddly enough, I have one for him. He licks my ears and I find myself in the throes of ecstasy! Yup.
I was on Taiwan time, so the second night there, I took Leo for a "moonlight stroll" at 3 am! Chelice gave me this goofy spelunker's light to wear. It IS convenient, so I wore it knowing not too many people would see me.
We walked for an hour and a half...and got caught up.
::sigh::
OK I'LL STOP!
I was lonely, ya know? ;)
OMG it is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL to walk in Bonita in the middle of the night though. Oh, it's such a pretty area. I do miss it.
Chelice was so kind and lent me her Miata (which she bought from Sujoy before we moved to Taipei) and her truck for when I had Anju and Kristin.
She's doing really well and dating up a storm! Weeeee! You GO girl!
Anjoli went to her old school for a few days and gave a PowerPoint presentation on Taiwan for 3 classes (including her teacher from last year). The teachers all raved about it. Anju forgot her index cards though so she had to wing it. She wouldn't let me watch her though - she said it would have made her too nervous. So I have yet to see it.
It was fun visiting Anju's school and seeing old friends. Only problem was I was SO out of it due to jet lag! Just a total zombie for the first week actually! oi.
I went to TWO "graduations" - one for Anju's best friend, Kristen who will enter middle school next year and the other was for our friend Sokoun's niece - who will enter high school next year. They both made me cry. It makes me kind of melancholy to see kids with hope and promise...maybe it made me realize how I was feeling the same way at their age...but then took a few wrong turns and got sort of lost for awhile. But I am happy now so it's all GOOD!
The first weekend I spent with Chris (he's married to our friend Sokoun). Sokoun had to go up north for the weekend for a family celebration/memorial. Oh don't worry we behaved.
:)
Got to cruise around San Diego in Chris' new Porsche Carrera. OMG. I've never gone so fast in a car before. It's BEAUTIFUL. (Never been in a "real" Porsche before either - only a 914- my mom had one).
We had a nice weekend, even though I was quite boring and in bed by 9!
I watched GOLF for the first time in my life and I was shocked that I actually enjoyed it.
But Tiger - well, what's not to enjoy about him? And the other guy was cool - Median(?) with his peace belt buckle. Awright!
It was really exciting - it was the US Open, live from Torrey Pines, which is just a few miles south of where I was staying...so that made it extra special.
Also - Chris designed something called a "Launch Monitor" for Nike and Tiger uses it. It's a golf analyzer - it analyzes your swing and speed of the ball, etc. Chris actually met Tiger and showed him how to use it! Tiger said to him, "I ALWAYS know where I'm going to hit the ball." Ok, Tiger, we believe you!
Chris has satellite tv so during commercials he made me watch porn. KIDDING! We watched maybe 2 minutes total. It's so boring anyway. (Oh I hope my grandmother isn't reading this. Sorry Nana. But it WAS boring- honest!).
Chris and I hung out in Coronado for a bit - had a yummy salad after walking around the bay. On Sunday we walked along Pacific Beach and watched the coolest thing - it's called "kite surfing" (I think that's what it's called). Oh to be young again - I would LOVE to learn how to do it, but it's too scary to even think about trying! Afterwards he took me to a really cool bar that has AWESOME food.
I had the best salad ever there.
I ate lots of salads on my trip so I could drink beer without the guilt!
Chris and Sokoun have a never ending keg of Karl Strauss Amber beer on their porch with a tap like you see in a bar...so every night before bed I had one in a chilled glass. Yum. Oh how I love beer.
It helped me sleep. (Even though I was jet lagged, I was over tired).
I think Chris was happy to see Sokoun come home since I wasn't very much fun in my comatose state! Sorry Chris.
-End of Part One-
Ok that's all I remember from that song (from Funny GIrl)! LOL.
Growing up, I was um...subjected to WAY TOO MUCH Barbara Streisand. I'm sure it has had serious long term effects!
(Could be why I love gay men so much, I dunno).
Well I cannot believe I haven't blogged for a month. VERY BAD BLOGGER SUE!!
I had a FAB time in San Diego and LA!!!
Anjoli and I spent the first few days with my dear friend Chelice. She has a really cute house in Bonita with a beautiful view.
Here it is!
Her dog Leo LOVES me. I really think we were lovers in a past life. I am SERIOUS! :) He has a thing for me, and oddly enough, I have one for him. He licks my ears and I find myself in the throes of ecstasy! Yup.
I was on Taiwan time, so the second night there, I took Leo for a "moonlight stroll" at 3 am! Chelice gave me this goofy spelunker's light to wear. It IS convenient, so I wore it knowing not too many people would see me.
We walked for an hour and a half...and got caught up.
::sigh::
OK I'LL STOP!
I was lonely, ya know? ;)
OMG it is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL to walk in Bonita in the middle of the night though. Oh, it's such a pretty area. I do miss it.
Chelice was so kind and lent me her Miata (which she bought from Sujoy before we moved to Taipei) and her truck for when I had Anju and Kristin.
She's doing really well and dating up a storm! Weeeee! You GO girl!
Anjoli went to her old school for a few days and gave a PowerPoint presentation on Taiwan for 3 classes (including her teacher from last year). The teachers all raved about it. Anju forgot her index cards though so she had to wing it. She wouldn't let me watch her though - she said it would have made her too nervous. So I have yet to see it.
It was fun visiting Anju's school and seeing old friends. Only problem was I was SO out of it due to jet lag! Just a total zombie for the first week actually! oi.
I went to TWO "graduations" - one for Anju's best friend, Kristen who will enter middle school next year and the other was for our friend Sokoun's niece - who will enter high school next year. They both made me cry. It makes me kind of melancholy to see kids with hope and promise...maybe it made me realize how I was feeling the same way at their age...but then took a few wrong turns and got sort of lost for awhile. But I am happy now so it's all GOOD!
The first weekend I spent with Chris (he's married to our friend Sokoun). Sokoun had to go up north for the weekend for a family celebration/memorial. Oh don't worry we behaved.
:)
Got to cruise around San Diego in Chris' new Porsche Carrera. OMG. I've never gone so fast in a car before. It's BEAUTIFUL. (Never been in a "real" Porsche before either - only a 914- my mom had one).
We had a nice weekend, even though I was quite boring and in bed by 9!
I watched GOLF for the first time in my life and I was shocked that I actually enjoyed it.
But Tiger - well, what's not to enjoy about him? And the other guy was cool - Median(?) with his peace belt buckle. Awright!
It was really exciting - it was the US Open, live from Torrey Pines, which is just a few miles south of where I was staying...so that made it extra special.
Also - Chris designed something called a "Launch Monitor" for Nike and Tiger uses it. It's a golf analyzer - it analyzes your swing and speed of the ball, etc. Chris actually met Tiger and showed him how to use it! Tiger said to him, "I ALWAYS know where I'm going to hit the ball." Ok, Tiger, we believe you!
Chris has satellite tv so during commercials he made me watch porn. KIDDING! We watched maybe 2 minutes total. It's so boring anyway. (Oh I hope my grandmother isn't reading this. Sorry Nana. But it WAS boring- honest!).
Chris and I hung out in Coronado for a bit - had a yummy salad after walking around the bay. On Sunday we walked along Pacific Beach and watched the coolest thing - it's called "kite surfing" (I think that's what it's called). Oh to be young again - I would LOVE to learn how to do it, but it's too scary to even think about trying! Afterwards he took me to a really cool bar that has AWESOME food.
I had the best salad ever there.
I ate lots of salads on my trip so I could drink beer without the guilt!
Chris and Sokoun have a never ending keg of Karl Strauss Amber beer on their porch with a tap like you see in a bar...so every night before bed I had one in a chilled glass. Yum. Oh how I love beer.
It helped me sleep. (Even though I was jet lagged, I was over tired).
I think Chris was happy to see Sokoun come home since I wasn't very much fun in my comatose state! Sorry Chris.
-End of Part One-
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