The Visitor

I've been quiet lately only because I've not wanted to bore you. Things haven't been very interesting. Or not interesting enough to write about. At least not in my opinion. But here's an interesting thing: Michelle is coming for a visit tomorrow. She'll be here for a whole week and I have her schedule so jammed packed with fun that she'll need a vacation from her vacation. And I mean that.

Tour highlights include:

• California Academy of Sciences
• Chinatown Walking Tour
• a yarn crawl that will take us to Art Fibers, A Verb for Keeping Warm and Article Pract
• a "night cruise" of Alcatraz
• Anchor Steam Brewery

And when in San Francisco you must eat and eat you must:

• Bar Tartine
• Mission Street Food
• Magnolia Pub & Brewery
  
• Swan Oyster Depot

This here list is only the highlights. There will be walking the 'hoods and eating lots of food. As in typical style, we will have cameras in tow. Now I'm hoping it won't rain the entire time she's in town. That would put a damper on things.

Toronto, here I come!

I'll be back June 12th through the 21st. Who wants to play?!

Trip #2

As all good children know that when a steal of a plane fare jumps in your inbox you better take it, because if your folks find out that you passed up on a $300 ticket to visit them they'll be sorely disappointed. And that's how my second trip came about. Very last minute and incredibly cheap. Plus I didn't want to dissappoint the folks!

Honestly, I don't visit my parents as often as I should and my excuse for it isn't a very good one. They live out in the middle of nowhere and there's not much to do except eat and go to the Walmart. And since I'm not a fan of Walmart (I'm a Target Girl) we end up eating. A lot. And on this trip I ate stuff that I can't find easily in healthy California. Like shrimp 'n' grits, country fried steak and BBQ - just to name a few things that I sucked down with such wild abandon that it made me giddy.

But the coolest thing was that I was able to be in town for my Grandma's 91st birthday. And we celebrated with cake and chinese food. It was awesome!

Between Trip #1 and #2

I knew my rest and relaxation was going to come to a crashing halt when I got back to SF. The day before I left for Toronto I had a meeting for a big project that was going to be due the beginning of January. That meant that I needed to have started my part of the project last month. So I was preparing myself for running around with my pants on fire. And it was true. I did. I'm a fan of the original Batman with Adam West and my week between Trip #1 and #2 kinda felt like this:

"They may be drinkers, Robin, but they're also human beings."

Trip #1: Return to The Great White North

Although, it was pretty freakin' warm for November.

Anyhoo, when I moved back to San Francisco in August I promised Michelle that I'd come back for her wedding. At the time I agreed it felt like November was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay in the fuuuuuuuuuuture. But it came quick as a hare. And boy, was the return trip amazing. The wedding was so much fun. It was perfect in every way. And it gave me the chance to cut loose. Which I really needed since The Move was so stressful. I know Michelle has a bit of wedding burnout but I'm going to post some photos anyway.

1. DSC_0555.jpg, 2. DSC_0376.jpg, 3. DSC_0691.jpg, 4. DSC_0638.jpg

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Friends opened up their homes to me (big props to Jen, Miko and Amy - ladies, you rock my world!) and the whirlwind of social engagements was dizzying. From the wedding to seeing Cute With Chris Live! to hanging at The Purl to photography in the park to watching the election results in my jammies and eating amazing s'mores - the list of goes on and on and I had more fun than the law should allow!

1. DSC_0896.jpg, 2. DSC_0904.jpg

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

The funniest and weirdest thing I did on the trip was take some socks out to photograph in the park by The Purl. I'm keeping some of the pics under wraps but there's a few I'm sharing.

But I tell ya, hilarity ensued what with appearance of a wiener dog and then a small child (see below). As an extra bonus, when I start my rock'n'roll career I already have my first album cover shot.

I definitely didn't spend enough time with some peeps (you know who you are) and there are some I didn't even get to see at all (you definitely know who you are). I'm hoping to remedy that in '09 (along with my lack of cell phone coverage) when I come back yet again.

You may have thought you got off scot-free, but Toronto, you've been warned!

Hello? Is this thing on??!

Testing, testing.

Is anyone out there?

*crickets*

I'm not surprised you left. For the love of all things yarny, I did go away for a long time! And I didn't write. Nor did I call. Bad blogger, indeed. At this time I think passing blame is an excellent idea and I am going to blame the invention of the airplane. If it wasn't for the airplane I would have been home knitting and blogging. But I didn't stay home. I took two wonderful trips. More to come. I promise.

Toronto, here I come!!

I'm so excited! In three days I'm going to be back in Toronto. Hanging with my knitting peeps. And it will be so awesome!! I land Thursday (hopefully mid-afternoon) and I'm heading straight to The Purple Purl - no passing go, no collecting $200 - and then enjoying some Knitty Yarn Roundtable time.

The reason for my trip? Michelle is getting hitched on Saturday night and I wouldn't miss it for the world! I decided to stretch the visit out a bit so I'll be in TO for a full week. And I plan to be at The Purl as much as possible.

Oh, and I'm going to see the Cute With Chris live show on Friday night - but that is just the cherry on awesome trip sundae.

Hee!

I'm coming back to Toronto!

You didn't think I'd miss Michelle's wedding, did you?!

I'm arriving Thursday, October 30th, and staying for a full week.

Who's gotta couch I can crash on?!

:D

I'm back!

San Francisco was wonderful! Unfortunately I don't have much to say about the flat we're looking to buy so probably best you don't ask. Or if you ask, don't be surprised if I kinda shuffle my feet and exhale heavily. It's not you... it's the situation. I promise!

However, I will try to sum up the best I can here. We're still in negotiations and it seems that we will be in negotiations for a while. Not fun! I mean, we have a LOT to figure out before we can even consider ourselves in the homestretch. But we did accomplish quite a bit in a short amount of time: we had the inspection, met the other potential (uncooperative) buyers and learned that there is a stubborn-as-hell/disillusioned tenant in the first floor that is going to throw everything into flaming tailspin. But besides all that, I did have time to have a good time.

I started a new project that I call "Lace on a Motherf#cking Plane." But I think the official pattern name is Wabenshal.

Yes, it looks like a g-string but I promise it is not. This was taken at the beginning of my first leg out of Toronto. I've done a lot more but not as much as I would have liked. There was a bit of unknitting and cussing. Hence the name I gave it.

Just as a side note, I have a new fascination with sitting in the window seat. I've been an aisle seat girl for quite a long time. I guess since I've been flying so much in the last two years, my actual fear of flying has started to diminish - which I guess is good as I like not getting rammed by the food/drink cart all throughout the trip! Anyways, I loved these cloud formations and I wanted to share.

Things I did while in town:

- checked out SF Opera's Lucia di Lammermoor FREE simulcast in AT&T Park and got to hang out with my very good friend.
- went to the SFMOMA and elbowed my way through the Frida Kahlo exhibit
- danced to afrobeat at the Stern Grove Festival
- ate awesome food with more good friends

I know you're probably like, "Ummmmm...that doesn't look like food." But it is. And it was deelish. It was "white chicken and sausage in a tomato curry sauce" with french fries. Don't ask me what the actual German name was because I definitely don't know. But I will say that if you ever find yourself in Hayes Valley on a Sunday morning you should run to Suppenküche for hearty (or heartstopping) German food that will make you cry like a baby. It's that good.

Oh, and their beer list will make even make this man want to come to brunch EVERY Sunday.

I'm back!

Did you miss me? Or are you wondering who this person is who barely posts? Are you even reading this anymore? (Bueller? Bueller?)

Anyhoo, I have to say that the trip was awesome. I spend quality time with a friend in need, ate amazing food (natch!) and soaked up the sun when I could. I even came back with the slightest of tans. (Go me!)

Yes, that is a fried chicken sandwich. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Of course, I didn't take a picture of my favorite SF food, the burrito. But trust me when I say I enjoyed a few. If I'm stumped as why my pants no longer fit maybe you can remind me of that fact.

Unfortunately I had very little time for knitting, but I'm not asking for a pity party. I did have something like 10+ hours waiting in airports/airplanes, so I did get a little time for my favorite craft.

Behold, it looks like a sock!

Although don't look too closely at my heel. I was trying to multi task and my eye of partridge looks like normal knitting in a spot or two. Also the heel is really tight. I can get it on my foot but not without a little bit of a struggle. I'm trying to decide if I should rip it out or not.

Any thoughts?

more sunny pics

Thanks to all the Torontonians who reminded me why I moved to Canada. I think just sometimes one needs a break, you know? Sometimes you just need to see this:

Green grass!

And this:

Blue sky!

And of course, I had to get a mani/pedi:

Like little Easter eggs!