(Dolphin) Watching

Last weekend the BF and I went whale watching in Newport Beach. It was the perfect weekend-morning date after a long, hectic work week. You kick back on the deck with a beer and stare out at the gorgeous coastline (read: gorgeous beach houses on the Newport coastline) with no cell or 3G signal to distract you. (Although I still attempted to tweet)

I was a little disappointed that we did not see any whales even though it was prime grey whale migration season but we did see 6 different types of dolphins and some lazy sea lions.

My favorite part, though, was staring at the coastline. There was something peaceful about swaying on the water, being on the outside looking in. Aside from gorgeous houses and architecture, it was amazing to just take a timeout and think about what a great city I live in. Where else can you see surfers on the beach in the foreground and snow-capped mountains in the back?

Let's Run

I am heading out to Brentwood for my favorite run. I have never been a runner (in fact, I'm more of a jog-walker) but I do enjoy the solitude of being left alone with my iPod and running shoes. Tonight I am introducing my little sister to my favorite route, 2.2 miles around the Brentwood Country Club. When I lived in Brentwood I used to jog-walk this route because it was the easiest on my knees -- almost the entire thing is a dirt path. It gets a little dirty when it's muddy so I try not to take Lulu with me unless I had plans to give her a bath anyway.

I think the funniest thing about this route for me is that I always start at the same place and go in the same direction. I find comfort in the fact that I slow down in the same places and push myself to the same corners. I love that running syncs you up with your body, so that you find comfort in the familiar. Your knees and hips give you immediate feedback. You know which muscles are weak and which ones need work.

The soundtrack for tonight's run will be Alicia Keys: The Element of Freedom.

Happy New Year~

I had dinner wtih family at my great-grandmother's house before heading up to Brentwood for countdown + drinks at my sisters' apartment. Sigh. Do I miss my black hair?

Trying to ignore the box of Sprinkles, calling my name.

I'm the oldest in my generation... here I am chillin' with a bunch of my uncles.

Cutest little cousins ever -- we like to mix things up!

Only Child

Lulu has been an only child for the past week or so and she has been acting like a big baby. On her first day alone, I took her to work with me (against office rules) and she was -so- excited. She hadn't been to the office since before the new rule was put into place and she was bouncing around in the car in anticipation. Unfortunately I was "reprimanded" and she had to spend the next few days alone at home.

She was glad to be alone for the first few days. She didn't make a mess and she was uncharacteristically cheerful when we came home. She ate well, played a lot and asked for attention. Over the weekend it started to die down a little bit. When we came home late on Saturday night, she didn't even bother meeting us at the garage door and I found her knocked out upstairs on the bed instead.

Then this morning she was a cranky, whiny little baby! She refused to go outside to pee or poo. After numerous attempts, we finally had to force her out the front door. I think she knows that we leave for work after she does her business so she was trying to prolong it and come with us to work! After we left, she sat at the door barking continuously. It was so sad- I hate leaving her alone when she wants to come along. :(

So the next couple of days shouldn't too bad-- work is a little slow so I am going to try to work from home the rest of the week. That way, Cora can come back home too since I'll be there to monitor the Christmas presents! I'm wondering if we should keep the tree up until after the new year (to make our New Years' party more festive) or get rid of it immediately after Christmas so Cora can stay at home again. Then again, I'm sure she'll find the next best thing to chew on!

GV Nonsense #1

I'm going to start a series of nonsensical Google Voice transcripts. Here's one from my greataunt to start. The original voicemail was about pearls.

Hello Sheena you need to call in the promo I need to have a media 9th and she's not. He must whacks at my mom buddy and we'll be at a what I mean yeah daddy gonna get a pass it on the all hello money at project and and. Yeah, okay. Yeah. Thank you. Bye bye.