list this

my mom and kev-friend are in the city for a month, and ever since their first few visits, i’ve been keeping a mental list of things they might like to do, places they may want to visit, etc. a few years back, i started with this list. since then, they’ve become semi-regular sf visitors, so the usual golden gate bridge and coit tower tour are sort of been-there, done-that. we also only hit four places on the entire list, so i know it's more of a wish list than anything else.

semi-off-topic: i don't know where i get my list craziness from, but no one else in my family seems to keep lists. or plan more than a week or so in advance. i think it's a regressive trait like blue eyes and blond hair or webbed toes. funny enough, i'm a list-maker and a procrastinator; just because i make lists doesn't mean i follow through on them in a timely manner!

but just like slim shady, mommy's back. back again. i’ve revamped the list, tailoring it towards things i’d like to show her and kevin. my outlook is rosy; if i knock two off of my to-do's, i'll be very, very impressed. plus, todd's mom is visiting sometime in september, so perhaps my list can do double-duty.

• the pirate store aka 826 valencia. because everyone loves pirates, trap doors, and laaaard. aaaargh, matey.
• tartine bakery
• opera in the park is coming up! i’ve never been to an opera, but there’s a right time for everything, right?
  
• the annual chocolate festival, featuring… pizza.
• tidepooling in pescadero or half moon bay. i think they’ve been, but i don’t care. let’s pet some sea anemones and stroke a starfish.
  
• buying tons of mochi at benkyodo and sharing each piece four ways.
• tracking down the wild parrots of telegraph hill. squawk.
• hot cookie, making a repeat performance from the original list. no one else makes macaroon boob cookies quite like hot cookie. plus, you can tell everyone you nibbled your boob today. very, very san francisco. and if anyone cares, em split a butch bar with todd last year.
  
• the cal academy of sciences reopens at the end of next month. family outing!
• the best place to get vegan moon cakes and a perplexed look of confusion- the autumn moon festival!

work it

5 things to do when you belong to the same gym as your coworkers

1. dress to impress: wear a thong under your sportswear. panty lines at work are a no-no, so the same goes when you're lowering into warrior I next to your cube mate. and better yet, try that new water bra for a natural yet perky downward facing dog.

2. always outdo that tanorexic guy from the 4th floor. show 'em you'll never, ever quit.

3. invite your team to 6AM group spinning. the one with the least sweat at the 30-minute mark buys the first round of vitamin water.

4. get stretched by a trainer smack dab in the middle of the free weight area. if wearing shorts, please exchange thong (see above) for boyshorts, granny panties, or a full-coverage banana hammock.

5. run around the locker room naked. and better yet, show your dedication to your job by talking to your project manager while in adjacent shower stalls. but whatever you do, don't share the suds.

Zhukov Dance Theatre @YBC

Zhukov Dance Theatre
“M&W” and “Passing”
Novellus Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
August 8, 2008

Yuri Zhukov, a former ballet dancer turned teacher and choreographer, introduced his new company to the Bay Area last weekend at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ newly named Novellus Theater as part of the Bay Area Now series. The evening, aptly titled “Product 01,” focused on two new works, but neither really defined who Zhukov or his dancers are. Maybe that’ll be “Product 02”?

“Passing” seemed to be the evening’s more mature production. With the dancers dressed in muted grays, the six dancers flitted through group work and solos with cool calm. Zhukov created a movement vocabulary and built upon it, something that wasn’t very evident in the opening piece, “M&W.” Yet when Vladimir Martynov’s “Come In!” poured through the speakers, the soaring strings many times overtook the dance onstage. Sometimes, though, simple is the right way to go, and “Passing,” while tackling issues of death, longing, and separation, didn’t call for a lot of bells and whistles to catch my interest, and that’s to be commended...

For more, go here.

i'm a game-her.

a few weeks ago, the wonderful women at brand about town hosted my nintendo party, officially titled "a girlfriends' guide to gaming." as you may know, i rounded up almost 30 women and we made our way down to dogpatch studios on the east side of portrero hill. i've never been down to the dogpatch (i've driven past it, but that's about it), and i didn't quite know what to expect, but i knew there'd be no dogs. ruff.

everyone seemed to have a lovely time, and how could we not? we were greeted at the entrance with a sandwich board dedicated to me (which is very hard for an introvert to digest...) and sped up in the elevator to the 2nd floor where we were immediately impressed with the whole shebang, which included an amazing light-filled loft space decorated with furniture, rugs, tables brimming to the edges with game-related gear (like brain books for brain age!), simple yet elegant flower arrangements, and a corner "bar" area featuring champagne, wine, sodas, appetizers, and amazing desserts.


the staff set the room up with very comfy L-shaped couches (note to self: a-line skirts and low-to-the-ground couches don't mix! nor does anything with those "men in black"-inspired mini rump stumps-- see the white things in the background!), and each couch served as a different game station. as each woman completed or played at each station, she received an adorable little charm for our charm bracelets (it's like elementary school, only WAY better). and gimmicky, yes, but still incredibly fun:) at the end of the night, everyone was gifted with their own personal nintendo ds lite.


there wasn't much more i could ask for. not only did i thoroughly enjoy myself, but i also met lots of friends of friends (and some friends of friends of friends). normally, i'm totally skeptical of free stuff, viral marketing, and such, but as a brand enthusiast, i feel like there's no catch. well, except for those short couches. and for nintendo's sake, i'm willing to ignore that.