not having your cake

At work, I write all the employees' birthdays on the calendar and we celebrate with cake and presents. Today is the birthday of a girl who no longer works with us. One girl said we should celebrate her birthday anyway with cake. I said, "Yeah, why don't you take charge of that?" Another girl was thinking along those lines with, "Just think, if Melissa were still here, we'd be having cake right now." Yup, these are the kind of people I work with :).

waiting

My college roommate had a picture of a train station as the wallpaper on her computer. One of my friends came over and said she had the same scene, and that there was something very romantic about train stations. I used to think airports were romantic. That is, until I was stranded in Heathrow for 6-8 hours flying stand-by. I jumped on the next available flight, even though it wasn't to my final destination. "I just want to get back to America!" I was reminded of this as I sat waiting at the airport this weekend. Thousands of people coming and going. Returning home or starting a new life. I mostly travel for fun, so I love airports and train stations, but I know someone who associates them with sadness because when she was growing up, it always meant someone was leaving :(.

ditching the alibi

I used to always scan my card at the gym, even when no one was checking. You know, in case I ever needed an alibi. I'm not going to do that any more. Half the time, the employees are too lazy to check or the scanner is not working/not connected. This girl at work, who also belongs to Bally's, told me that renewal fees are higher for people who go regularly than for people who only go once in a while. Her dad went almost every day and she only went sporadically. His renewal fees were more than double hers. Econ majors--is this a type of price discrimination? I said it was probably because he had a better plan than she did (access to more locations, more days of the week). She said they had the same plan and when he called to complain, they lowered his fee.

I've heard Netflix does something kind of similar, but not by raising the price. If you go through DVDs like babies go through milk, they try to slow you down by having fewer DVDs available to you (short wait/long wait). I take my time with my rentals, so most titles are available to me immediately. I've only heard one example of this, so I don't know if this theory is true.

the valley

Like, Happy St. Paddy's* Day! This morning I made my own corned beef and vegetables. It was okay, only about 7/10. In the afternoon, I went on an Amazing Race through the San Fernando Valley. I don't watch the show, but our actual scavenger hunt was so much fun! We went from Atomic Records to Rite-Aid, Bob's Big Boy, Trader Joe's, Sherman Oaks Castle Park, Pinkberry, then our hosts' home. My team got first place (out of five) because of our combined efficiency, ability to ask for directions, aggressive driving, and gaming skills. The prize was nothing more than bragging rights, but we did all share drinks and a beautiful meal afterward.

*Paddy is the diminutive of Padraig, the Celtic form of Patrick. Patty is the diminutive of Patricia. Simple enough, yet "Patty" has somehow become more widely established here as the colloquial nickname.

our first and last clues (click on picture to enlarge)

beefin' up

The winner of this year's corned beef cook-off was the defending champion. To challenge himself, he made corned beef wellington. It was beautiful, but I don't have a picture because my camera is out of the country :(.

lavender

I attended my first and only (I think) bridal shower of the year. Lotsa friends, lotsa food, lotsa drinks, lotsa fun.


lotsa prep work


haha, do you like the sign i made for the restroom?


all the way from hong kong ... bridal hello kitty and dear daniel