Category Archives: the hubby

Well Now, That Was a Good Waste of Two Hours

Leave a reply

Who knew that 8GB on an iPod just wouldn’t be enough?  I mean it sounds like it’s plenty of room.  Maybe it is…for other people.  But it turns out I had to delete a good chunk of my iTunes library (mostly my husband’s stuff and it’s all in his iTunes library).  On top of that, I still had to leave a bunch of stuff off the Nano’s play list.

Totally not what I was expecting.  I still need to make a little room for some teleseminars and podcasts. I guess that’s the price we pay for such a modern convenience.  I mean, if this was just 10 years ago, I’d have to choose between which CDs to take and let’s be honest, that would take up WAY more space.  So I guess there’s no point in complaining.

I do feel better about what’s left to do.  Turns out there’s not that much left.  Tomorrow I’ll vote, get my brows down, pick up the dry cleaning and finish the actual packing. If there’s time left (I’m sure there will be) and I’m so inclined (no comment) I’ll also give a quick vacuum through the place.  We come home to enough cat hair, no sense making it worse by not vacuuming up the old stuff, right?

I left figuring out our travel arrangements to the hubby.  Looks like we’ll park at his office and then taxi to LAX.  That should work out just fine, though it will be on early morning considering we have the stop the pupster off first thing.

And now, I really, really need to get that Press Release taken care of.  later.

I Hate Feeling Groggy Like This

Leave a reply

Turns out my migraine didn’t exactly leave the other day.  After getting back from the dreaded dentist (where my Xanax didn’t work nearly as well as it should have!) I basically crashed for like three hours. And you have no idea just how much I’ve slept this weekend.  Really, I’m not sleepy at all.  I’m feeling crappy and groggy and achey, but not sleepy.

Even now I kind of feel like I’m in a bit of a daze.  I have no desire to do my pile of dishes (we’re out of forks and cat bowls) or to write my work articles for tomorrow’s newsletter (guess I’ll be taking advantage of some stuff that others have written and made available).

I also have to figure out a little business prioritizing here.  I had this brilliant idea to pitch for some giveaway product via HARO.  My goal was to do a giveaway a day on my site for the entire month of November.  On top of that, I’ve been pitching individually to some of my favorite products. And well, it worked.  Some might say it worked a little too well (if that were even possible).  It now looks like I’ll be able to start my giveaway a day in October and probably run straight through to some time in December.  And while this will be coller than cool, I dread the future post office trips and the post office costs to fulfill the sweepstakes.

Now on top of all that, I’m also going to be taking on a newsletter for my new site highlighting blog posts, contest and giveaways (all while still writing my regular business blog and newsletter).  Which means that for the next three months, my main focus will be on my site and not on my business.  Such a switch for me.

And on top of it all, of course, is our so awesome trip to Ireland in a couple weeks.  The paperwork is in it’s totally 100% booked and official.  I just need to finish shopping, prep and then pack for that.  I have a feeling things might get a little busy and slightly frazzling in a couple of weeks.

Wonder if I can talk the hubs into picking up dinner tonight….hmmmmmmm

Silly Winter-Related Question…

Leave a reply

Does your man wear any winter weather paraphernalia, you know, hats, scarves, gloves, etc.?  Now that winter stuff is finally in the stores, I’m trying to finish up our Ireland shopping.  For the hubs though, I’m kind of stuck on his accessories, so to speak.

Here in Southern California, it doesn’t get all that crazy cold.  And when it is cold, well, you’re not in it all that long.  But in Ireland, I’m assuming we’ll be outside quite a bit more and that it will be quite a bit colder, and more wet, than here.  So the hubs needs some supplies.

Right now he has a cheap ass pair of Old Navy gloves that I bought for myself (and are way to big) to wear when we go walking at night.  But that’s it.  No scarf, no hat, nothing.  So what do fashionable, yet normal, men wear in the cold?  Anything I can get here at Kohl’s or any other basic store?

Mind you, this is SO not a problem for me.  One, I love scarves and have plenty to choose from.  Two, I already bought two hats and still have two other hats here already (I get cold easily, what can I say).  I have earmuffs too, but that’s just for when we walk during the winter.

Man, I miss winter weather…

I’ll Cry At Darn Near Anything

1 Reply


La Brea Tar Pits

Originally uploaded by YoNoSoyTu

No really. I’ll cry while reading a good book, watching a good movie (I Am Sam leaves me crying my eyes out), and well, embarrassingly enough, I’ll even tear up during some commercials (did you ever see those old Mastercard commercials where the dog, Badger gets lost on vacation? I rest my case).

I have to say though, one thing that will get me crying without even trying is this statue at the La Brea Tar Pits. No really, even just talking about it makes me start. Heck, looking for this picture makes me start tearing up. I mean look at that image…the mama is stuck in the tar pits and she’s crying out to the dad and the baby. The baby is freaking out. It’s just so sad, it kills me.

Last night, over dinner with the girls, I was talking about the statue and yes, you guessed it I started crying. Not just tearing, but crying. The ladies just sat there and stared while I laughed through my tears. Then again, once I got home to tell the hubs about the tears, I started tearing up again.

Of course, he finds it all amusing. I mean so amusing that he’ll go out of his way to drive me by this statue. Luckily, the Tar Pits stink, so I know well in advance what he’s up to and avert my eyes. To which he chuckles. Glad to know I can amuse him.

And here’s Badger finally on his way to his family. Tell me that doesn’t just break your heart…

So what makes you cry?

We’re Off to Try Some Shanghainese

Leave a reply

And let me tell you, I’m just the slightest bit scared.  Not that I don’t like Chinese food because I do. But for one, I’ll be meeting my husband’s entire work team (going away/maternity leave party for his boss).  Secondly, they’re all also really adventurist diners and well, they’re Chinese and Vietnamese. On top of that, it’s also the first time I’m meeting everyone.  So either way, a little nerve-wracking.

And let’s keep in mind, we were complaining (toungue in cheek) that my friend and his wife served our table the Americanized version of Chinese food at their wedding.  But as he explained it…being told to expect that a full chicken with head and feet is coming to the table is not the same thing as seeing it.  His co-workers are totally into the chicken feet sort of thing and they talk about it at work (no really, I do believe that 3/4 of them are either immigrants themselves that came over as a young child or first generation).

The Yelp reviews of the place we’re going are good though.  I could always just get something that I’m comfortable with, like um…noodles or the shrimp in mayo (yum!).  Of course, back at the office they’ll probably get a good giggle out of that.  But really, I can’t say I’d blame them.

Coming from an immigrant family (okay, I was raised by my first generation grandmother, but we lived with my immigrant great grandmother), I never really had food from other cultures until I was an adult – spaghetti and pizza don’t count.  Heck, I never had Mexican food until I was like 17 and even then, it was from ChiChi’s (and we all know that doesn’t count).  The only Chinese food I’d had was chicken lo mein and that was at my elementary school cafeteria (again, don’t really think that counts).  I didn’t have Indian or Mid-Eastern food until my late 20’s.

Since meeting my husband, I think I’ve tried more ethnic food that I can think of.  So it’s not that I’m scared to try new or unknown foods, I’m just not sure I’m up for the chicken feet or braised pork belly.  We just didn’t eat that sort of thing growing up (though those Eastern Europeans do seem to love their tongue and liver – nothankyouplease).

Wish me luck!

Last Week Was Crazy

1 Reply

And this week doesn’t look any less crazy.  I think I must have had something going on every day last week.  In fact, one of both of us were so busy, that we only had one meal together at home (not cool).  I actually canceled my Saturday seminar so I could spend a little time at home with the husband.  Now this week isn’t looking all that much better since he leaves on Wedsnesday morning to head out to Chicago for the rest of the week and I leave on Thursday.

I’m doing another LWL workshop tonight on blogging.  But before the workshop, I’ve got a session with a client and dinner with a friend.  At least it should be a short workshop since a good quarter or third of my original attendees probably won’t be there.  I think I’ve had at least 5 cancel already.  Add to that the natural flake-factor of about a third and yep, not expecting much.

I think I’m doing it too soon on the heels of the last blogging workshop.  Which is fine.  It’s just the sort of motivation I need to get out, find a location, opening things up to the general public and start making some money at it.  I’ve been giving it away since January and I feel totally comfortable with my giving back-ness.

And of course, I’ve got BlogHer this weekend!!!  I’m really starting to get excited.  There’s been tons of talk on the BlogHer network about what to wear, what to bring, how to survive that I just can’t help but get excited.  I’m just waiting on a cute dress I ordered for Thursday’s newbie mixer and my postcards so I can promote my website.  I expect both any day now.

If you’ll be at BlogHer and would like to meet up or at least say Hi, feel free to drop me a line.  My goal is to meet people and make some connections, so don’t be shy.

I Smell Smoke!

3 Replies

Yes, it’s nearly 1:30 in the morning and I’ve just sent my husband outside to see if he can find any fires.  I walked around the building with him, but nothing going on.  You can definitely smell the smoke from the street though.  Thing is, you can’t really tell if it’s haze/fog/smog/whatever around the streetlights or smoke.

So he thought that you know, since he’s wide awake after drinking a diet Coke after 8:00PM, that he’d take the pupster and walk up to the corner to make sure all is well.  You see, we have a park kind of behind our street and then over the freeway, we have the massive Griffith Park.  In fact, last May, we had some major fires in Griffith Park that got a little close to home. So it can be some pretty scary shit.

Okay, he just now got home…all is well in the ‘hood.  Whew.

NJ History: I’m Just Slightly Appalled

3 Replies

I need to be quick (and let me preface by saying that I’ve been enjoying a glass or two of wine), so here goes…

The school teacher in me (specifically, the 4th grade, history teacher in me) is absolutely appalled that I ended up with a guy that just doesn’t seem to care that he’s walking by a building where our first President has slept.  Or that he’s walking about Princeton with the very buildings were our Continental Congress, well, congressed and declared Princeton the Capital the United States in the early days of our country’s history.

Hello?!?!?  We were stand right there, looking at Nassau Hall (pictures once I get home), the very location where all of this went down.  What the hell?!?!

Nothing.  Not even mentioning battlefields as we passed by.  Nothing at all.  Seriously, how could I have married this man???  Damn good thing I love him to pieces, I’d guess.  And let’s not even mention that he just doesn’t get the food that I’ve been craving since we arrived.  Diners!!  Need I say more?

They Say You Can Never Go Home

3 Replies

Well, it’s that time. We leave within the hour. I told myself when I left years ago (back in ’89) that I’d never go back. Well, not exactly never, but only go back 1) if someone died and I needed to be there or 2) when my friend Matt got married and he’s the lucky bridegroom and reason for this trip this weekend!!

I have to say though, I’m getting a bit excited. Maybe it’s watching all that House which supposedly takes place in Princeton (home of my very first job!). Or maybe I’m just finally ready. Either way, look out Jersey, and my long lost, Jersey accent…’cuz you’se guys, I’m comin’ home!

Here’s hoping I won’t get too lost and thrown for a loop.

See you Tuesday (unless I get to steal some computer time from the hubs)…

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday: Sonoma Edition

2 Replies

Consider yourself warned…this is a long post, with photos.

IMG_3114.JPG

Sonoma was fun. Sonoma was cold. Sonoma was rainy. Herbie was awesome! Really, that’s the trip right there. Fun, but cold and rainy with a great show. We didn’t get to do pretty much anything on our brief list of things to do – no cave tour, no fancy, delicious dinner since we ran out of time on Friday and they only do dinner on the weekends and we were flying out Saturday night. And the camera barely came out of my purse since it was so crappy out. Oh well.

Instead we hung out on the square for the first time. We tasted some chocolate at Wine Country Chocolates – and of course bought some champagne and zinfandel truffles (yum!). We enjoyed some wine with some cheese over at the Sonoma Wine Shop (OMG YUM!). We bought two bottles of wine (an unoaked ’07 Chard from Valley of the Moon and an awesome ’06 Miner Viognier from Simpson Vineyard) and took a ’04 Merlot from Millerick Road from backstage. We also bought some cheese from the cheese tasting – a Humbolt Fog from Cypress Grove Chevre and a killer dry Monterery Jack from Vella Cheese Company – both are absolutely delicious. And I did a little shopping at the outlet center before we left (hello new purse!). So not in the plan, but that rain, well, it messed us up a bit.

If you’re heading out to Sonoma, be sure to stop at the Sonoma Wine Shop – $5 tastings (good pours too and they really take the time to ask what you like) and $5 cheese tastings to go with your wine (and again, they really take the time to ask what you like and pair things up). Best $15 we spent – two wine tastings and some cheese. And again, it shares the courtyard with Wine Country Chocolates. What more could you ask for?!?

As for Herbie’s performance, it was awesome. Probably my favorite so far (and while I’m most definitely not a fan of jazz, I do see quite a few Herbie shows). I chose to sit in the audience instead of hanging backstage. Forty-five minutes or so and he was still only on the second song! It was great though to be in the middle of the audience when he played Rockit. He hasn’t played that song life in years (he said nearly 20, but I believe he’s played it somewhere else – non-US show – a few years back). We’re talking about the crowd just freaking out, jumping up out of their seats, dancing everywhere you looked. It was so cool. For a more musical review (by someone that likes and knows jazz), here you go.

And now for the photographic part of this Wednesday post. Too bad half the photos didn’t upload and dingdong me deleted them from the card already. Oh well, it’s not like I took many pictures to begin with (and it’s not like I won’t be seeing Herbie again…soon).

Writing up the setlist…

Jess Writing Up the Set List

During sound check…

Backstage @ Sonoma Jazz Rehearsal

During Rockit…

Herbie Hancock & Vinnie Colaiuta