Birthday Bash, Gays Galore, and Visiting Vagabonds

Where does the time go!?

Last weekend I celebrated my fantabulous 25th b-day! It was simply amazing, as always. I'm so lucky to have such awesome friends! On Friday, I had a night out at Rendezvous Lounge, and my lovely faves bought me bottle service - SO SWEET! A lot of people showed up, and the guestlist was pretty random so I was especially impressed with those who showed up not knowing anyone else. I turned down shots for most of the night and managed to walk out of there alive. It was really nice to see everyone, and I was genuinely overjoyed. Looking back at the pictures from the night made me smile, that's probably the happiest I've been this year -

On Saturday, I stayed home and slaved away for hours making ceviche. I rested for most of the day because I had just gotten over a cold a few days before. I slept early, and thank goodness I did.

Because we went rafting on Sunday!!! American River Rafting, to be exact. The water was so high that we needed a guide on our raft, but we got a really cool manager who we didn't mind hanging out with at all. On the way to Rancho Cordova, we got sidetracked by Sonics! I was having a really great time, both in the car and eating at Sonics. To be honest I could have cared less about rafting. I <3 -="" :="" a="" activity.="" actually="" alas="" all="" and="" appetite="" area="" at="" away="" back="" bay="" began.="" birthday="" bus="" but="" car-icure="" car="" ceviche="" chad="" city="" class="separator" clean="" company.="" conversation.="" couldn="" day="" delicious="" dinner="" div="" drinking="" drunk="" ducks="" easily.="" enough="" even="" feast="" finish.="" floating="" food="" for="" four="" from="" future.="" gave="" good="" got="" great="" happy="" he="" his="" i="" in="" it="" joynt="" klaus="" like="" made="" me="" monstrous="" more="" moved="" my="" nice="" night="" of="" on="" ordered="" out="" people="" perfect="" perspective="" picked="" rafting="" river-goers="" river="" s="" sang="" snacks="" someone="" sooo="" squeaky="" still="" stronger="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" sunday="" sunshine="" t="" talk="" thank="" the="" though="" three="" to="" tommy="" took="" up="" was="" water="" way="" we="" when="" who="" with="" you="">

On Monday evening after work, I came home to my favorite dim sum for dinner, and later $50 worth of desserts from my brother. Cupcakes, assorted cake slices, tarts, creme brulee - you name it! I'm so spoiled <3 .="" :d="" a="" after="" alex="" and="" andy="" awkward.="" birthday="" bit="" br="" brian="" but="" came="" castro="" celebration="" dancings.="" drinks="" entertained.="" few="" finish.="" first="" for="" from="" gary="" glad="" good="" great="" had="" he="" hh.="" hiep="" i="" in="" it="" later.="" m="" met="" out.="" out="" pigging="" planet="" ridiculously="" s="" showed="" so="" start="" stro="" talk="" the="" then="" they="" this="" time="" tired="" to="" up="" us="" very="" was="" we="" went="" with="" year="">


<3 .="" :d="" a="" after="" alex="" and="" andy="" awkward.="" birthday="" bit="" br="" brian="" but="" came="" castro="" celebration="" dancings.="" drinks="" entertained.="" few="" finish.="" first="" for="" from="" gary="" glad="" good="" great="" had="" he="" hh.="" hiep="" i="" in="" it="" later.="" m="" met="" out.="" out="" pigging="" planet="" ridiculously="" s="" showed="" so="" start="" stro="" talk="" the="" then="" they="" this="" time="" tired="" to="" up="" us="" very="" was="" we="" went="" with="" year="">And then this weekend was PRIDE. Oh, the madness. On Friday, Janet and I went to Dragon with some gay boys and AS ALWAYS it was a blast. Love gay clubs!!! Such positive energy, and the deejays there are the best. On Saturday, I dragged Ryan out to the Pride festival but I didn't know it was at the Civic Center, LOL. We ended up doing brunch at Lime. Bottomless mimos, O M G. Such a bad idea... I ended up at home around 3, pretty wasted. So wasted that I fell asleep.

And Victor showed up for a surprise visit!! He was already in SF when I woke up to his texts, and I scrambled to get ready to go out! We went to dinner with his friend and Planet, and then we went to BOOTIE!! It was Madonna vs. Gaga night, although I don't really remember the music. All I remember was having fun fun fun, and the club being super packed. I danced my ass off - always a good time at Bootie.

On Sunday we went to the Alice Summerthing, except Victor and I went to get lunch after we found a sitting spot. There were too many people everywhere, and I don't really like crowded places anymore. But after we finished our Shanghai Dumpling King (where I got hollered at by My, LOL) we went back just in time to catch One Republic. They sounded so good live! I enjoyed their set, and I guess that was worth walking 10+ blocks. Damn you SF parking! After the concert, we went to Mayes to get Hiep drunk for his birthday. Lots of oysters, more appetizers than we could eat, and drinks all around! Picked up a bunch of food from Lee's after and went back to Planet's to hang out. We ended up calling it a night early, everyone was exhausted.

The past two weekends have been spectacular! Between all of the love from my birthday, and getting to hang out with Charles and Victor this weekend, I've been having a wonderfully chaotic time.

My first stay-cation

This past weekend was a unique vacation for me, in fact it was a stay-cation! I almost forgot that I needed to pack also, and I did so last minute. Of course I forgot a handful of things, but what's new? LOL. I put in my time at work early on Friday at picked Victor up from the airport in the afternoon. We headed back to the city to check in at The Clift and drop off the car. For dinner, we walked to Fish&Farm, where Victor had some San Francisco salmon for the first time -- and approved! It was delicious, and appropriately (as the way a good vacation should start) I'd never eaten there before!

Later at night, we went to RN74 (also had never been there before) in SOMA where we met Victor's friends from Philadelphia. They turned out to be quite the delightful couple! Very lively and interesting, one was an architect and the other a chef! I think that might be the perfect pairing. That part of the night was pretty fancy, with wine and escargot and all of the niceties that are required when getting to know new people.

And then we went to Harry's Bar and the realness came out. Without getting into details, I'll say that we were a lot louder and less polite there. Although, it was in a good way and I really enjoyed their company the entire time! The contrast was comical, though.

On Saturday afternoon, we headed up to Napa for some wine tasting! The destination location turned out to be V. Sattui, the winery I went to a few weeks ago for Cindy's birthday, but Victor's friend's friend invited us into the special people tasting room so the experience was quite different. I found something I like even better than the Fantasia! It's a Moscato and it is DE-LICIOUS. The tasting was very pleasant, although I still like Castello di Amorosa better -- but then nothing beats a castle.

We stopped at Robert Mondavi where I wished it wasn't pouring rain! The rows of vines were still gorgeous in the rain but I'd love to go back and walk through the greenery. We drove through the mountains to Sonoma but didn't make it in time for one more winery stop. For dinner, we came back to the city and went to Ryoko. It was delicious as always! After dinner, we barely had time to rest before going to Sugar Cafe. We stayed there the rest of the night and Alex, Andy, Janet, Kevin, Chad, and Priscilla came out to play! Lots of drinking and even a little bit of dancing. Good times!

On Sunday, we checked out and went to San Mateo to get some Ramen Dojo. The wait was ridiculous and I honestly don't think the Spicy Garlic was worth the hype. Victor enjoyed it though, and that's what matters most -- since people in Seattle don't get quality ramen! I still prefer Himawari or Santa Ramen. We came back to the city and hung out at Japantown with Andy and Janet, where we perused an aquarium and wandered the streets a bit. We ended up at Zeitgeist (never been there either!) where we started drinking in the early afternoon. Brian joined us a bit later and we ended up at his house eating grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Instead of leaving on Sunday night as planned, Victor ended up staying an extra night and flying out on Monday morning! It was a really fun weekend and very worthy of being my first stay-cation. And here I am, molesting a pig at Robert Mondavi.

Better Luck Next Year

With my personality, one of the things I've learned that I must be especially wary of is getting too attached or too emotionally invested in things. My newfound obsession with the Sharks, apparently, is no exception.

Hockey has certainly helped me grow as a person. I found more time to spend at home with my brother and my mom, instead of going out all of the time and drinking. This probably couldn't have been a better year to do it also, with my brother moving very recently. Through hockey my brother and I found a way to bond which has never happened before. We have no other hobbies in common. I also took the time to learn about the sport! Now I know what people are talking about when they discuss at least ONE sport.

This season has been an emotional roller coaster for me, but after every losing game there seemed to be a winning game not too far after. I really thought the Sharks could win the Stanley Cup, and I'm sad that they didn't. The elimination in the conference finals was devastating. I couldn't even talk to anyone the next day, it was reminiscent of darker days. The very last game was heartwrenching -- I went into the series fully aware that the Canucks could beat the Sharks. They're a fantastic team. But the way the Sharks were playing right before they got eliminated was enthralling! And so I had hope!

Unfortunately, it was too little too late. I still love the Sharks, and will follow closely next year. The let-down was shocking -- who knew I could care so much about sports? But in the end, it's probably a more healthy investment than other available options. Thank you Sharks for the wonderful season, and for laying it all out in the end. They DEFINITELY went out with a bang.

And lastly, the lighting and effects they use at HP Pavillion are amazing. Go technology! Last season, I was entranced by the montages. This season, I was in awe of the graphic projections. Who knows what will be in store for next year?!

Awh Shucks: Oyster Weekend & Sharks Penalty Fail

Saturday was BBQ @Tomales Bay day! Gorgeous weather, delicious oysters, and good company. Generally people should arrive early in the morning there to claim a table/grill as there are no reservations. I even asked a friend of mine who recently had a birthday there, what time is best to arrive. I then relayed this information to the people who were setting up. And so apparently, this fine weekend, tables at Tomales Bay were not in high demand -- upon arrival I was overwhelmed by smart-ass comments from the people who got there early for no reason. Mega irritating. Next time I'll just not give them a heads up.

After I got over that unwelcoming-welcome, I started to enjoy the day. The sun was out and winds were high, that's actually the perfect combination. Lots of oysters were eaten and shucked, and I only hurt myself once. Because of the storm during the week, the oyster farm was supplemented with Washington oysters (for lack of local oysters). But actually, I liked the Washington oysters better!

We started driving back mid-afternoon. Kevin and Kyle hopped into my car and we took the scenic route! Abso-freakin-loutly mind-blowing. Love the views off of Highway 1. We stopped at 2 of the lookout points just to take it all in. <3 a="" bay..="" before="" car="" class="separator" div="" drive="" enjoyable="" fun="" klaus="" more="" pretty="" rupert="" scary.="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" taking="" the="" those="" too.="" twisties="" up="" was="" way="" winding="" with="" zippy="">


We met up with the other people back in the city at Land's End. And we hiked up to the labyrinth, which I'd actually never seen before.

Later Andy and I headed to Brian's for the night. I did work while they went to dinner and later Brian went out. When I was all done, Andy and I were singing along to Youtube video duets.. SO FUN!!! We didn't want to leave when Brian got back, LOL. We ended up going out but it was an uneventful night.

Today was Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals Sharks vs. Canucks at home. It was... a travesty. Yes the game was exciting, but no we didn't win. So disappointing! The Sharks were doing well in the first period, but with three back-to-back (and overlapping) penalties in the second period there wasn't enough time for the Sharks to catch up. Too many opportunities, not enough goals. Le sigh. We went to OSF afterward for our lunch of shame. We had a photoshoot while we waited for our table, they had some pretty cool furniture.

I had some awesome moments this weekend, the weather was fantastico. Summer is going to be amazing, and I will surely miss SF if I leave. Andy explained that the proper way to walk a labyrinth is to choose a question to ponder for the entire duration of the path -- the question I asked myself was "Could I be truly happy in Seattle?" Unfortunately, I spent most of my brainpower trying to keep balance and not get blown over the edge of the cliff.

As always, I'll try my best and ultimately let fate decide. But for now, from me and all of my fellow Sharks fans, a picture for the Vancouver Canucks.

BMW Sunday & Blistering Monday

My weekends have been so chaotic recently! It was nice to do nothing all day Saturday, just relax and hang out around the house. Saturday night I went to Bo's birthday at Swig and saw a bunch of friends that I barely see. It was fun but just way too packed up in the loft area, and I was super sweaty. Janet and I met up with Andy Chad Henry and others at The Cellar. I think it is safe to say that it was another one of those nights where I had TOO MUCH fun.

Sunday I worked a special event for BMW! Walking into the dealership through the side door, stowing my purse in the back closet, and finding my work shirts where I left them -- pretty awesome. Just like old times! It was so great to catch up with everyone and get back into the environment that really still (and probably always) feels like home to me. I was surprised and a bit delighted that I remembered how to use Arkona and the fiche. What a fantastic day! I got to be a *model* for one of the speakers who was doing a presentation on buying the right gear. I felt a bit awkward and probably looked awkward, maybe I'm not cut out for modeling but it was a fun experience.

Today was another hum-drum day at work. But then after work I went to Best Buy to pick up my KINECT + DANCE CENTRAL!!! Super exciting!! I spent 3 hours playing when I got home, and I only stopped because my feet already have blisters. My mom also told me to give it a rest, but it was such a great workout and so much fun -- totally didn't want to stop. I'll probably beat the game soon, even though I'm working mega overtime this week. WHO NEEDS THE GYM!?!?!

Santa Cruz Shore