A good week

Well, I taught both of my classes this week and the math class will be pretty easy to teach and the students seem nice. My freshmen seminar only had 8 of the 16 people show up. If it stays that way, it will also be great. Generally, it was a busy week at work and in the building where I had to meet with some contractors.

Massage continues to be slow.

I was told today that I would probably be the type that goes crazy and talks to myself when I'm old. I don't know how I feel about that.

I had more nightmares about Sarah Palin. Ack!

I had a mouse in my apartment last night. I think he/she got away though. I certainly hope so but I'm going to buy a trap.

And my funny story for the week: MUNI has had these 'testimonials" from drivers plastered on the buses for a few months, but they always make me laugh. They basically tell memorable stories that these drivers have and I think it's supposed to be marketing to make MUNI seem more personable and part of the community. But I think whoever did this marketing should be fired. It doesn't make the transportation system look good at all. Take these excerpts for example:

Shirley remembers: "A passenger was having a seizure on the bus. I kept calling central command but they weren't responding." Thank you, Shirley for bringing to light the poor management of MUNI.

Juan recalls: "A passenger came up to me in tears because she was heading to a job interview and we were running late that day". A wonderful reminder of MUNI's unreliability.

And finally, Yvette shares: "A crazy homeless guy started yelling at me and ran up to the front of the bus and kept pushing on the accelerator and grabbing the wheel from me. I couldn't stop the bus and we kept going through red lights. Finally, I was able to push him off the front of the bus. Thank goodness it was late or we may have all BEEN KILLED!". Really makes me feel safe as I ominously eye the crazy homeless guy sitting across from me (which is ALWAYS the case). Thanks, Yvette.

Hosting a Dinner Party

Don't ask me why, but I've been thinking a lot about celebrities this week and who we consider to be celebrities and why they are worthy of our attention. So, I propose to you this question: If you could invite seven currently living "celebrities" to a dinner party with you, who would they be and why? I'm going to think about my own list as well and post it soon.

Brevity

So, I realize I haven't been posting a lot and I think that's because I feel like I need to update the blog with a chronological recount of everything that's happened to me since last time I've posted. Well, of course that seems intimidating every time I sit down to do it. So, in the interest of keeping you, my faithful readers, in the loop, I will be trying to make more frequent, albeit shorter, posts. So, in the interest of time, here is the brief recap since last time I posted:

Massage business is slow - damn economy! I've created a more rigid budget.

I've seen only one movie - Vicky Christina Barcelona - my first Woody Allen movie. Different, but I give it 4 stars.

I have not cooked much but am considering joining a CSA that delivers local produce to my door bi-weekly to inspire me to do so.

We've started the semester so the last week has been filled with orientations and lots of meetings. Classes start for me (teaching) next week.

Kurt and I both got colds this week - ugh. But I'm feeling better! (Kurt - not so much).

That is all!

Recent Movie Reviews

Lots to catch up on!!! First, last weekend, Clark and I saw Bottle Shock. It's a cute, feel-good movie about the competition in 1976 where Napa Valley wines beat out French wines in a blind tasting. The side story about the family involved was a little cheesy, but the music was good and I loved Alan Rickman. If you love wine and Napa valley, you'll love the movie. Otherwise, you'd probably just think it's okay. So, this hovers somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.

This past weekend Kurt and I saw two movies. The first was Tropic Thunder. I thought it was pretty funny and it gets 4 stars. Some people think it's offensive and too politically incorrect. But I think they're being too sensitive. Robert Downey, Jr. was hilarious as an Australian actor who died his skin to play a black actor. Jack Black plays a drug-addicted comedian trying to act in a different type of movie. And Ben Stiller is a fading action star. The humor was crude and sometimes the plot seemed longer than it needed to be, but overall, I'd go out and see it.

What I wouldn't see is Star Wars: The Clone Wars. We saw it because we're gullible geeks. But it was really just another way for George Lucas to capitalize on an idea that ran out of steam many years ago. It was so horrible. And Jabba the Hutt has a gay drag queen for an uncle. Who knew? Literally - that bad! Don't see it....ever. No stars given.

Massage class

I realized I had yet to blog about my massage class last weekend. It was in Sports Massage and focused on frequent issues athletes have and how you can do pre and post event massage as well as maintenance massage in the off-season. It was a great class overall and I learned a lot which will hopefully help my cyclists and runners that come to me on an regular basis. It was all very practical and not too "new age" so I liked it a lot. Most of it could be done clothed or not, which is good because it means I can incorporate some of it into shiatsu if I want too.

What I will say about massage classes that I've taken is there always seems to be certain "types" in every one. I mean, obviously massage attracts a certain type of person but seriously, it's like every class has the same cast of characters including:

• The skinny, shaved head white guy who is very flakey and can't seem to follow along with what the instructor is saying, preferring instead to just do the same massage techniques they always do.
• The female student who seems to be an expert in the subject matter already so why they are in the class is a mystery to me. They enjoy constantly expanding on what the instructor is saying to prove to everyone that they are smart and knowledgeable. This woman is usually shorter and stocky.
• The Asian women who can hardly speak English, but who are usually very nice and try hard. I just always pray they aren't learning to then go use their skills in the downtown "gentlemen's spas".
  
• The super beefy gay guy on steroids who insists on taking his shirt off whenever he can. "Time to massage feet and ankles". "Wait, let me take my shirt off".
• The former dancer who is constantly displaying her contortionist skills with weird stretches and postures whenever the instructor is lecturing.
• The person (male or female) who always tries to trip up the instructor by asking difficult questions or pointing out right away if they misspoke. This person's motivation for doing so is unknown.
• On the flip side, the person who asks the simplest questions just to look smart. Well, they don't really ask questions, they comment or make "connections" that all of us already know, but they just like to hear the instructor say "That's correct."
• And finally, the person who just loves massage so much that they continue to work on their partner throughout breaks and into lunch when everyone else is done just because they are such a "giver".

Who am I? I guess I'm the one that always sits in judgment of all these other folks :-)

Fire! Fire!

So, this past Friday night at 1:15 in the morning, the fire alarm for the building went off. When I first heard it, I thought I was back in the dorms. So, I threw on some clothes, got the fire alarm keys, went upstairs and found that some people had burnt some food and set off the alarm so I silenced it. Of course, the fire department still came and I had to meet them but they didn't stay long when they found out what it was.

Here's what gets me. Who's cooking food at 1:15 in the morning? And these people that were, get this, have done this same thing before. In my time here the fire alarm has gone off twice, both times set off by these folks. More importantly, they didn't even apologize when i went up there. The guy just looked at me with this dumb face, said nothing, and went back into his apartment. His wife was trying to fan the smoke detector with a pillow. I told her it was too late, she stopped and went back in too. No "sorry for waking you up". No explanation of any sort. Also, hardly anyone else in the building came out of their apartments. Two people out of 28 units came out to check. The rest didn't. Now, some probably weren't home but still, I think in the event of a real fire, these people might just stay in side and burn up. I'm not sure.

And in other building news, there was more dog poop on the roof today. I'm not touching it.

That is all. I will update you on my latest movie and the massage class in my next post.

The Best Laid Plans

Well, because I had a massage class scheduled for Friday to Sunday of this weekend, I decided to take Wednesday and Thursday off to get some things done and maybe even find time to relax - crazy I know! Well, let's just say that things didn't quite go according to plan....and for those of you who really know me....you know how upset I get when things DON'T GO ACCORDING TO PLAN!

Wednesday started out pretty lazy. I knew I had a lot of time since I didn't have a client until 6:30 PM. So, I got up and sent off some e-mails and decided I was going to order cable and internet through comcast. I figured it was time to rejoin the modern world again. So, first I cancelled my ATT internet via the phone. You would think this would be simple, but it literally took almost 30 minutes. I was on the phone with this southern woman who just kept saying, "I have to put in a few more codes". She must have said this ten times. Shouldn't there just be one code that says "cancel service". I couldn't figure it out. Of course, they try to convince you to stay so I had to lie and said I was moving to an apartment where they were already hookedup with service, just because I didn't want to have to deal with the sales pitch. So, now it's 10:30 AM.

I went online to order comcast and after filling out all the order information and my preferred dates for installation, I was connected to a "Live Chat Representative" to complete my order and schedule my installation. This person was the slowest typer ever. It took 5 minutes for him to get out Hi - How are you? Anyway, after talking with him for while, and giving him even more information, I was told I couldn't order online and had to go to the comcast store which is down in Potrero Hill (not close for non-San Franciscans). I then asked him if I would need to place a new order there or would they have my information. Five minutes later, he typed back that I would have to place a new order. I was so frustrated. That was 45 minutes of my time wasted. It's now 11:15 and I decide to eat lunch (I know it's early but I was hungry!).

While making my lunch, I had a person call to see if they could schedule a massage. I figured I could move some of my errands back a day if I scheduled him for 4:30. It was inconvenient but I still had time to clean the building and go to the gym and get there and I could use the money.

Okay, this is getting long - abbreviated version - stupid person moving furniture out in the building without telling me and they left a complete mess and damage so it took longer to finish up in the building. Got to the gym - power outage - couldn't work out but hadn't showered, so had to head to another gym where I had enough time only to do 30 minutes of cardio, shower, and dash to my 4:30 who I had squeezed in only to find he was paying with a gift certificate (CURSES!) so I squeezed him in for no money. Other client was fine and then I went and watched the Olympics with Clark, Larisa, and Justin - that was the best part of the day.

Thursday - more plans including my postponed ones from the day before. All were thwarted by a dreaded MIGRAINE! I could feel it coming right after I put my laundry in. So, I had a horrible 5 hours of taking hot showers and still feeling cold, using the toilet in more than one fashion, and scampering in the dark like a roach (or a Gremlin) because the light was too bright. I felt better around 1 so ate something and went to the gym only to have it return so I headed back home and napped for a few hours until it mostly went away. Then I felt sorry for myself and pouty so I watched Superbad (FUNNY!) and because Netflix has been screwed up and I didn't have anything else here, I watched the full length cartoon movie where He-Man finds She-Ra on youtube. Don't ask me why. I also drank a Capri-sun while I did it. Maybe I felt like being 8 again.

Anyway, that's the report from the last 2 days. Not what I had planned for sure. Oh, and I was still so frustrated with Comcast that I called ATT and cancelled my cancellation (it only took about 38 "codes").