what irks me most

1. Not having close friends in the same time zone so that when I come home from work late, which is often and I want to catch up, bitch, laugh, cry, whatever - I can't call anyone. They are all sleeping.
2. not capitalizing the first letter of the first word of a sentence in everything you type is fine in a casual setting: text, emails to friends, memos to self. etc. however, it is NOT acceptable and is down right annoying when people do this at work. just plain unprofessional.
3. People who stand on the left side of the escalator who don't don't move to the right hand side if they don't plan to move their arses, walk up or down - especially during rush hour.
4. Drivers who still are still using their cell phones in the car while driving.
5. Drivers who don't signal.
6. The company trying to be green at work by buying less bottled water and installing a water system for employees to use. What this has created is people hording all the bottled water in the morning since there is limited supply so that if you have an afternoon meeting with clients or partners, good luck carrying more than 2 big cheap plastic red glasses of H2o to the conference room without spilling.
7. People who are obviously not friends but really acquaintences when they ask you how you are doing at your new job and say the wrong company name. Obviously, they weren't listening or cared at your going away happy hour or the number of times you saw them afterwards.
8. Don't complain to me about people giving you unwanted advice now that you've learned you are pregnant and then turn around and dish out unsolicited annoying advice to me that my doctor has not even mentioned to me.
9. Know it alls.
10. Snotty elitists.
11. More often than and I don't want this to irk me but it does: minus one couples.
12. 50-60 degree weather in freakin July. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

To be continued...

Fritz in Hayes Valley

Grabbed a bite to eat after the wedding on Hayes Street. They recently moved next door to where they were and renovated. I miss the coziness of the old place. It's more modern now and they lost the outdoor garden space in the back!

The 'fritz' is still great. My favorite dipping sauce with the fries is the wasabi mayo! YUM.

a&w's wedding

I have not been to a wedding since Li's in Hawaii in 2005. But that was a destination wedding and a totally different category. The last wedding before that one was Jake's in New York in 2003? 2002? It was so long ago that I can't even remember the year.

There was a time between 1996 and 2000 when I went to a lot of weddings. People were still getting married in their 20's right after they graduated from college and landed a decent job. Most were dating their college sweetheart. Some their high school loves. Others found their mates shortly after college. They followed 'the plan'. Graduate, get a job, get married, make some babies. Pretty much all of my friends were on this path. Only I was not. I was with someone for 12 years and never took the next step. We were engaged for more than half our relationship - for 8 years. We got engaged even before some of our married friends starting dating each other! We, or I had thought it was enough at the time. We were committed. No need to get married for the paperwork to make it official. In hindsight, I think neither one of us wanted to grow up and move into true adulthood. We were having too much fun being young and carefree. Too selfish to think about starting a family or becoming husband and wife.

I was so anxious this morning about going to this wedding today. I was nervous about who the other possible guests may be. There was one person in particular who might have been invited that I didn't particularly wanted to see. She had not been very nice to me in the past. We were colleagues and once friendly but all that changed when I got promoted and she didn't. She stopped talking to me the very day the promotions were announced. I know it shouldn't matter and that with someone like that I shouldn't even let it bother me. She, it, isn't worth it. But of course, I'm human and may be a bit sensitive and it did/does bother me to this day. After all, I tried to talked to her to find out why. But some conflicts have no resolutions. And some situations are just the way it is. There are some things in life I've learned I cannot change and should not care to change. If she wasn't happy for me in my well deserved promotion, than she was never a real friend in the first place!

I knew today is not about me and that I should just suck it up. The day belonged to a&w and I had to show up in support and celebration of their love in marriage.

In the end, she was was not there or not even invited. I will never know and I don't care anymore. At least I did not have to be fake and smile as if nothing was wrong.

It was the shortest ceremony I had ever been to. And it was perfect. They got right to the important part and the reason why we were all there - to witness the exchange of the marriage vows and to hear them say, 'I do!' The whole thing was over in 5 minutes. I know because I had my Flip and recorded the whole thing.

Aimee asked me what's it like to be married, to be a Mrs now. And I told her the truth. I think I wrote it in their card as well. The ring, the ceremony...doesn't change anything. Nothing really changes. And nothing really matters as long as the love they have for each other never changes. And now people might even start to call her husband by her last name instead of his since she is not changing her name.

things i miss about nyc

In no particular order

1. 24 hour Duane Reades on every other block
2. Starbucks on every other block
3. 'regular' coffee
4. coffee carts
5. Biales! - Toasted and dripping with butter.
6. convenience
7. modern, clean, affordable nail spas everywhere
8. the subway
9. the bus
10. Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
11. The best beef jerky ever - on Mulberry
12. People walk. At all hours
13. homeless problem controlled
14. Central Park!
15. Canal Street
16. The midtown tunnel
17. The Yankees
18. The US Open
19. Big Wong restaurant
20. warm nights
21. 4 seasons
22. all the bridges - Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queensboro, Verrizano
23. Battery Park
24. my friends
25. my sister

chicken and waffles

The strangest combo. Not bad and quite interesting. Seems to be all the rage since Dave was just talking about having us over but that he hasn't perfected this recipe of chicken and waffles yet. Then a couple of weeks later, Hak tells me that Geoff wants to try out this place in Oakland that serves chicken and waffles.

So we go and ate the crispiest, very juicy and tasty fried chicken serves with waffles, butter and syrup. And of course, as many sides as you'd like to order: greens, corn bread, grits, yams, potato salad, mac and cheese.

HK Starbucks experience - 16 June 2008

HK tram ride - 16 June 2008