San Francisco Trip

Lee and I had a great time in San Francisco this weekend, despite the Redskins loss. We enjoyed a couple of nice dinners in the city (1300 Fillmore & in Chinatown), as well as a warm chowda' bowl & Anchor Steam at Fisherman's Wharf. Since we drove, we also took some spare time to roam about the gorgeous areas outside of the city (Marin Headlands, Sausalito, Muir Woods and Muir Beach). Can't wait to go back again soon! Here are some trip pics. Please don't mind the duplication of photos. I was having fun playing with my new camera and settings (color, B/W, sepia).

Ironic?

When driving around on Christmas Day, a sign I saw struck me as pure irony. It was a sign for Arizona Tile. Wonder why I thought this was ironic, among other things I thought of? Here's why:

If you live in Arizona, what do you say when you're going to Arizona Tile? "I'm going to the tile store?"

If you live in California, what do you say when you're going to California Pizza Kitchen? "I'm going to the pizza kitchen?"

If you live in Montana, what do you say when you order the Big Montana from Arby's? "I'll have the Big?"

If you live in Kentucky, what do you say when you want to go to Kentucky Fried Chicken? "I'm going to fried chicken?"

If you live in St. Louis, what do you say when you order St. Louis Ribs? "I'll have ribs?"

If you live in New York and sell cheesecake, how do you advertise New York Cheesecake? Just plain "cheesecake?"

Finally, if you live in Philadelphia and sell Philly Cheesesteaks, what do you call them? Just "cheesesteaks?"

Hope you enjoyed this bit of irony. I sure did. Let me know if you have any others you'd like to share. Post a comment.

Merry Christmas

Hope you all have a wonderful day full of many blessings!

Baby Chase Has the Hiccups

Top 10 Politically Correct Christmas Carols

My Mom posted this on our family blog and I thought it was so funny, I had to share it on mine:

Top 10 Politically Correct Christmas Carols

10. "O Holiday Tree"
9. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Day of Winter"
8. "Frosty the Snowperson"
7. "Chestnuts Roasting on a Safely Contained, Continuously Monitored, Eco-Friendly,
Nontoxic Outdoor Fire (for which I do have a permit)"
6. "Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
5. "Grandma Allegedly Got Run Over By an Unidentified Non-Human Perpetrator"
4. "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Unendangered Foliage (if office policy permits)"
3. "Hark! The Herald Mythical Winged Creature Sings"
2. "I Saw Mommy Greeting Santa Claus with a Purely Platonic Expression of Inoffensive
Mutual Affection"
1. "I'll Be Home for a Short Period of Time in December"

Welcome Chase William Riehle Siris!

Many of you know that my best friend in the world is Becky Riehle-Siris, who gave birth to her first child yesterday. Chase William Riehle Siris was born 12/17, at 4:39 p.m., weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz. (Pete originally thought 7 lbs. 14 oz., but he was smaller than that), and measured 19 in.

I've included a picture that Chase's other auntie took (thanks, Julie!), because I was in such a hurry to get to the hospital in the pouring rain, that I forgot my camera! Duh!

Of course, Becky was a superstar and hardly looked like she'd just given birth. Pete was the very concerned husband and new daddy, which was adorable! Also, I think Becky's dad still hasn't come down from Cloud 9!

Congrats to the beautiful family! Lee and I love you more than you know!

P.S. In case you're wondering, little Chase looks exactly like his daddy, except he has Becky's earlobes. Can't wait to see if he starts to look like his mommy, as he grows up.

One Line People, One Line

What is it about the holidays that make people 10x more idiotic than normal? I know we have a lot going on in our brains, but that shouldn't automatically result in stupidity.

Take for example my holiday shopping excursion last night (a perfect display of why I choose to do 75% of my Christmas shopping online vs. in the stores).

Lee and I went to Macy's for a few things. As I approach the two-sided checkout counter, I see that there is ONE line, despite there being THREE checkers. So, I patiently wait behind two dudes. The checker from the backside of the counter motions for the next guest and looks at me, but I say that these dudes were next in line. So, I stand waiting for my turn. Then, the lady at the counter with 100 items remembers that she forgot something, so had to go back to the men's department to pick it out. All the while, I still wait, as does the guy checking her out. By this time, some idiot doesn't see that I'm waiting in ONE line and makes his own line on the other side of the counter. At that point, the original checker who offered to help me starts to help the idiot that formed his own line...and not me. HELLO??? I'm still here.

By now, Lee is furious. Another 100-year-old checker busies her self with putting stickers on tags, while, you guessed it...I still wait. Then, the original checker turns around and sees me and I say "I thought there was one line," as to indicate "why the hell did you help that other guy first and not me?" To which he replies "I didn't know you were still here." Nice. Nice customer service, a-hole.

The kicker - after I still wait for this checker to finish with the idiot customer, or the other checker who's still putting stickers on tags or the lady with 100 items, the original checker finishes with the idiot and starts to walk away, as I head over to his side of the counter to checkout! WTF? So, I get to the counter and say "so, are you ready to help me now or what?" He says, "Oh, I didn't know you were still here." My husband says, "yeah, we liked wasting 10 minutes of our lives being ignored." His response "Thank you very much for your patience." Beautiful.

Moral of my story - nothing. I just wanted to vent. Peace out.

Fuzzy Felines

I couldn't resist. This was too cute! Click the link below to view the video (after a brief commercial).


Cute Kittens Bopping Their Heads

Take Your Time

During this busy holiday season, we're so consumed with getting things done, that we rarely stop and take time for ourselves. So, I wanted to share a quote that I keep on my bulletin board at work, which I pulled from a 2006 issue of Real Simple Magazine:

"The best reason to take your time is that this time is only time you'll ever have. You must take it, or it will be taken from you. It is telling that the phrase "taking your time" is synonymous with slowing down. If we want to live life fully, we do best to slow down. I don't suggest that we turn back the clock, trying to retrieve a bygone era when life was slower. We couldn't, even if we wanted to. But I don't believe we should want to . We should revel in our electronically supercharged, unbounded world. But, to make the most out of this new world, to avoid feeling overbooked, overstretched, and about to snap, to make modern life become better than life has ever been, a person must learn how to do what matters most first. Otherwise, you will bulldoze over life's best moments. You won't notice the little charms that adorn each day, nor will you ever transform the mundane into the extraordinary."

P.S. - I Love P.S. I Love You

Sappy movies aren't usually high on my to watch list, but there's one that gets me crying like a damn baby every time - P.S. I Love You. I forgot how much I loved this movie the first time I saw it, until I watched it for the second, third and forth times this weekend on HBO.

Maybe it's my love for my family's homeland (Ireland); maybe it's the vulnerability of Hillary Swank's character, Holly; maybe it's the adorable charm of Gerard Butler's character (plus the accent), Jerry; or maybe it's the sheer sexiness of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character (plus the accent), William. Whatever it is, the combination of these things makes for an incredible movie.

Trust me, I'm not your average girl when it comes to chick flicks. I'd much rather watch kick ass boy movies such as Snatch, Bull Durham, the Borne series, Bond movies, etc., but if there's one chick flick that will always be at the top of my list, it's P.S. I Love You.

Don't forget the Kleenex.

InCRANible

I'm not much of a beer drinker, especially anything dark (stout or porter), but I've recently developed a liking for Sam Adams' Cranberry Lambic. It's very tasty, so get it while you can. It's only around for the holidays.

Elf Yourself

If you haven't "Elfed Yourself," you're missing out. This is hysterical. Go to ElfYourself.com to create a personalized dance with photos. You can select from Classic, County, Charleston or Disco. Here's mine :)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Memories

There's just something about watching the very basic animation of the Christmas shows that the networks have been running, which quickly revert me to a five-year-old. Not only did I enjoy the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, but I've watched Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Island of Misfit Toys and The Grinch. Although today's animation (digital and cartoon) is far superior, I just can't help but relish the memories of these Christmas favorites.

Two Thumbs Down

Is anyone else besides me completely freaked out by the AT&T commercial with talking thumbs that text? Turns out, I'm not alone. There are websites dedicated to the hate of these commercials, as well as it being one of the top hated commercials on "CommercialsIHate.com." It is seriously so wrong and gross. But, what do they say in the advertising world? Any publicity, good or bad, is publicity. If we're talking about it and I actually remembered the name of the company in the commercial, they did their job. Now, ask me if I'll ever buy anything related to AT&T, because of this commercial. NEVER. If you haven't had the joy of viewing this wonderful creative genius (yeah, right), here you go:



I give these commercials two thumbs DOWN!

What Are Wii Doing?

OK, so I'm going to get on my high horse about Nintendo Wii. I'm completely bugged by how the gaming world is dominating families' lives. I'm sorry, but purchasing a Wii, so your family can share time together is lame. Go to a park, go on a hike, ride your bikes, etc. That's how you should spend family time. Not cooped up in a room playing one video game after another, dumbing down your minds. After all, most of us reading this blog live in CA, and we have gorgeous weather all year round. Now, I can understand if you were doing this Wii thing if you lived in Minnesota or Canada.

Another thing that irritates me about the new Wii music game (and Rockstar and Guitar Hero) - the girl on the commercial says that she always wanted to be a rock star. Oh yeah, then why don't you take real music lessons instead of trying to rock out with an electronic controller? IRRITATING!

My apologies to my friends who are Wii lovers - this is only my opinion.

Don't get me wrong - Wii is very fun and I have played it several times with my friends, and I know I'll play it again. I'm just bugged by how gaming companies are making families think that this is one of the best ways for families to bond.

What are Wii doing??

Cyber Monday Deals

In case you haven't already seen or heard yourself, today is Cyber Monday - the online version of Black Friday in stores.

Here's a sampling of offers valid for Cyber Monday:

• 25% off of all orders at BathandBodyWorks.com - enter promo code 25PERCENT at checkout (ends tomorrow)

• 30% off all orders at LuckyLooLoo.com - enter promo code cybersale at checkout (ends 12/4)

• 1 cent shipping at Wine.com - enter promo code cybermon at checkout (ends today)

• Free shipping on all orders at Dogeared.com - enter promo code FreeShipHoliday08 (ends 12/16)

I'll let you know if anything else juicy pops up in my inbox. Happy Shopping!