I need to take better care of myself. There is no point in going to the masseuse or acupuncturist to feel better if I’m not making efforts on my end.

My current problem is that I am a social drinker. Unfortunately, I’ve been out and about socializing for many nights in a row, several weeks in a row. It didn’t help that the parents were out of town this week, but they’re back now! I am quitting the booze for an indefinite period of time. I can have fun without it, and my liver would appreciate it very much.

Tonight, I hung out at a happy hour, sipping on my ginger ale. I also went out for dinner at a place that is known for their ciders [of the alcoholic variety]. I drank water with my crepe [photo is of friend's crepe]. Later in the evening, dancing to 80s music with another ginger ale.

So begins the detox.

In honor of the Twitter Fail Whale and all things FAIL [I love that Fail Blog!], some folks in the Fail Whale Fan Club threw a party at Shine. There was a free photo booth, so of course I had to partake in that. Unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of it as much as I truly wanted to.

Yeah, just two shots. I loved that on multiple screens around the place, they were playing a slideshow of various FAIL moments.

Sometimes I just do not have more to say than a few phrases or sentences that amount to fewer than 140 characters [size of a typical Twitter/Plurk]. Other times, I’ll write essays. Usually, I don’t because it’s hard for me to stay on topic for so long. I leave the long paragraphs for Yelp reviews where I can sneak in a little bit of personal experience with commentary on a given business.

Several questions I thought about recently:

1. What is your blog about?
Nobody ever told me that I needed a topic. It’s about my life and my observations on life. Nothing spectacular. It serves as a way for my friends to keep an eye on me. It’s also useful in reminding myself about my life. I tend to forget. Isn’t that sufficient?

2. Who are you with?
I’m with my friends. I’m with myself. What does it matter? But seriously, I attend these techie parties because I am just interested. I also seem to get along better with those not in my industry. I do need to find a better answer for the question though. It is also funny to witness changes in attitude once someone [who was all up in the party to network] finds out you’re not in the industry. It doesn’t happen often, but there were a few cases. Amusing.

Sidenote: This site makes my day: Totally Looks Like… Famous People and Celeb Look-A-Likes.

A friend of mine recently started a blog called “Dating is Miserable.” She has fewer than ten entries up, and already – WOW. I am not much of a dater, only starting recently, but it’s amazing who’s out there. Some of her stories are hilarious. Others are just sad and make you want to lose all hope in the dating process. Goodness, I’m glad I’m not anyone she’s dated. Wouldn’t want to be one of the topics of discussion. At least it makes them a little internet famous!

Fortunately, my life is not anywhere near that level of excitement. Instead, I’ll bask in the random traffic I get here from being linked by my friends. YAY!

Her latest entry is about the questions she usually asks on a first date to gauge whether or not to continue on with the shenanigans. Here are my answers:

1. How do you take your coffee?
I tend to like the sweeter, mixed drinks. However, lately I haven’t been taking my caffeine very well. It keeps me from sleeping properly at night, and during the day, it makes my stomach gurgle.

2. How do you like your eggs?
Poached. Eggs Benedicts and versions thereof make me super happy.

3. Have you ever been married?
That’s a negative.

4. What is your favorite movie?
I don’t have a favorite, but movies I enjoy include: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Amelie, Garden State, Matrix, Serenity, Serendipity, Love Actually, Wristcutters: A Love Story, Big Fish, etc. This list could go on…

5. Taken from Chuck Klosterman’s 23 Questions I Ask Everyone I Meet, Let us assume there are two boxes on a table. In one box, there is a relatively normal turtle; in the other, Adolf Hitler’s skull. You have to select one of these items for your home. If you select the turtle, you can’t give it away and you have to keep it alive for two years; if either of these parameters are not met, you will be fined $999 by the state. If you select Hitler’s skull, you are required to display it in a semi-prominent location in your living room for the same amount of time, although you will be paid a stipend of $120 per month for doing so. Display of the skull must be apolitical. Which option do you select?
This one is just bizarre. If someone asked me on a first date, I’d probably just look at ‘em… like what?

6. What is the last book you read?
Sadly, nothing new lately.

7. What kind of music do you like?
Everything! Something different for every mood. I like to sing along to pop songs on the radio in my car or at home. I’ll dance to anything booty-shaking.

Yeah, I don’t think I passed…

While we’re on the subject of things upcoming, the Perseids Meteor Shower is heading our way [our: meaning Earth] on August 11-12. Sure, it’s an annual occurrence. It is fascinating, just the same. I remember grabbing some camping chairs and a sleeping bag last year and heading for the beach. We sat there on the sand, tucked away in our blankets, leaning as far back as we could to stare up at the sky. All the while, we were trying to stay warm.

This year, the peak is going to be a Monday night/Tuesday morning. I want to drive out to the middle of nowhere to watch.

Info from NASA: here.

WordCamp 2008 is coming to San Francisco on August 16th! I’ve used other platforms for blogging, and I can definitely say that this one is my favorite. If you’re in the area, please come.

Registration is open!

If you can’t make it out here, there will also be WordCamps in other cities:
- Capetown, South Africa
- Manila, Philippines
- Beijing, China
- Portland, Oregon
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Birmingham, Alabama
- NYC, NY
- Toronto, Canada
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Sydney, Australia
- Washington, DC

Check WordCamp Central for details!

PS – I’m going to volunteer at the event, passing out t-shirts in the morning. Say “hi” or something!

I spent today working in the City. When I’m working elsewhere, I think about how much I want to be back here. When I’m here, I think about how wonderful it would be to walk outside and NOT be cold. It was 90+ degrees where I was the rest of the week. Now it’s upper 60s or so? Greener grass, as usual.

Went to lunch at JM’s company’s cafeteria [free food - yay!]. That was pretty cool. They have a very nice view of the Bay Bridge, and his coworkers are hilarious. I am slowly growing fond of the guy. I’m definitely in that “hope he likes me” stage. Trying to keep my cool, hehe. He’s heading out of town for the week, and I’m going to training the following week. Wondering how and if this will pan out.

Tonight is going to be pretty relaxing. Not heading out until later in the evening, and even then, I’ll be hanging out with friends, playing Rock Band. I’m slowly getting into that game. If I start dreaming about it though, I’ll have to stop.

Several hours last night were spent at the San Francisco Food Bank, filling plastic bags with a pound of rice and stuffing them into boxes. I’ve volunteered there on various occasions, and it always blows me away when I read their website regarding hunger in San Francisco. We’re all fully aware that there are starving people in other countries, but not many realize just how many people within our own city do not have enough to eat.

Basically taking this all from their website:

There are nearly 150,000 San Franciscans at risk of going hungry. Hunger touches people of every age, race, ethnic group and neighborhood. In some families, hunger occurs when a sudden emergency or crisis hits, but for most low-income San Franciscans, hunger has become a long-term condition of poverty.

Among the vast majority of hungry people who live in San Francisco, hunger is a hidden problem. It strikes individuals and families with children, as well as the elderly poor. Many of the people who need food assistance have full- or part-time jobs. But in a city where housing costs are among the highest in the nation, a full-time job does not guarantee that a family will be able to make ends meet. Low-income people are constantly making difficult choices among food, health care and rent; food is often the first thing to go.

The effects of hunger on our community are pervasive and far-reaching. One in four children in San Francisco is at risk of going hungry, which seriously hampers their ability to learn and grow. Among the elderly and disabled, hunger can exacerbate both long- and short-term health problems and make it difficult to recover from minor setbacks. Finally, for most adults, having access to food and good nutrition is the first crucial step in learning new skills, launching a job search or kicking an addiction.

Support from the community is vital to the health of San Francisco’s poorest residents, particularly in a time when the federal government has reduced its commitment to meeting the basic needs of its citizens. We ask that each and every resident of San Francisco take action in the fight to end hunger by volunteering at a food bank or food service agency, starting a food program at a congregation or community organization, making a personal or corporate contribution, or learning more about the causes and effects of hunger.

Unfortunately hunger exists in every community. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture it is estimated that more than 5 million people do not always have enough food in California. Nationally more than 38 million people are food insecure — or 12% of our population. Hunger is a serious problem that affects all of us.

Just a few hours to make such a big difference. *sigh*

I need to come up with other reasons to hang out with someone. All these eating-related [AND drinking] events are leaving me feeling heavy and exhausted. I know that I have high metabolism and that it doesn’t really show on my body, but I feel icky patooey gross!

Ideas include:
- Bowling
- Hanging out at Dolores Park
- Watching a movie
- Going for a hike
- Riding bikes

Of course, once the activities are finished, I will be quite famished. Guess what? Back to square one!

JM and I had dinner last night at a restaurant that I love. There is a dish there that is loaded with butter. They classify their food as soul food. Yeah, definitely fattening. Afterwards, we had some tasty ice cream across the street. We really do need to come up with other ideas. OR I’ll have to stick to the low fat, low carb, low whatever dishes. *sigh*

I need a Wii Fit or something.

On Friday, with our assigned seats printed on the tickets in hand, we gathered at the wonderful Sundance Kabuki theater for a showing of The Dark Knight. Christian Bale was as hot as ever, but it was without a doubt all about the villains.

Wow.

There was much hype for the movie due to Heath Ledger’s passing, but his performance is definitely NOT overrated. It shows his ability to capture such a complex character and his flexibility from one role to the next. The other actors performed brilliantly as well.