Graduation

Buster completes step one of his "become a good doggy and make my daddies spend thousands of dollars on me" phase tonight. He has learned so much!

Like Steve, he has the book smarts
Like me, he has the unique, dashing, almost unparalleled combination of street savvy, book smarts and wit. I kid.

We are proud of him!

Also, happy birthday to Marley, Abby and Pete! Lord knows what we would be doing tonight if we were at Colby.

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Random thought: Leather Remains Weird

It was a nice, warm day in SF today, yet hundreds of thousands of people came to the Folsom Street Fair wearing ass-hugging, sticky leather outfits. I was expecting to be more shocked by the sights, and we ended up only spending an hour or so there.

So many people look forward to this fair to express their inner (and during this weekend, outer) leather-ness. Weird to me.

I don't hate....I appreciate.

I am glad we live in a city where so many people feel comfortable expressing their uniqueness. That being said, leather whips and chains are still really weird to me.

Off to study.

Hasta la proxima.

Excess

Just got back from our every-three-month Costco run. We bought oodles of wine, cereal, etc. - so if you want to come party and then get the munchies for some cereal, you know where to be!

This week has been pretty busy at work with my new "leadership" role. I had to exercise some authority today, which was a bit weird. I was surprised that it was taken so well by my coworker. I have also been hitting the books pretty hard since we do not have cable. I did see some movies (6th sense, AKA) that I had not seen in a long time.

This weekend should be fun. Tonight, we are just keeping it low-key with some wine after spending $$$$ at Costco and then Whole Foods. Tomorrow, we play tennis in the AM, then plan our vacation to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver!!!

(This all depends on whether Steve can convince me that the winter olympics are worth the crazy expenses involved). Also, we booked our flight to a wedding in Hawaii in May. This means I will not be able to head back east for the college reunion, but there is always the 10 year fiesta!

This weekend is also the Folsom Street Fair. I saw so many rugged men downtown at work, and there were all these rumblings about the fair, etc.

So, Folsom Street Fair is about excess, camp, etc. Costco involves a different type of excess. I never thought I would buy a 20-lb bag of frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts.....

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Surprise

What a great day! Great review (surprisingly) at work, promotion AND tickets from Lauren to the Giants game tonight. Now if only they were to give out free Cold Stone Creamery, I would be the happiest camper.

So, thoughts of leaving work are officially behind me. Onward and upward.

(Those who speak to me regularly...just tell me to shut up if I talk about leaving again).

More tomorrow...Off to the game!

Appreciation

First off, congrats to Mrs. and Mr. Rufo. Secondly, I'm thankful to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Today, I saw the usual (attractive) man asking for "help for food" outside of 7/11 on my walk to work. Now, I have never helped this guy out (don't carry cash or much food), but many do. He looks so genuine and appreciative when people give him $$$.
For the first time, I saw him accept food from someone when they said "all i have is this yoghurt". Remember, he asks for HELP WITH FOOD. Well, this nice young lady forked (or spooned) over her yogurt, and you could see she felt good about herself after making this random act of kindness. What does the guy do?

***IMMEDIATELY THROWS THE YOGURT IN THE TRASH***. I got so upset for some reason, even though I am sure lots of homeless SF-ians do similar things when not given change or money as an offering. Anyways, needless to say I will look at this guy very differently every morning as I pass.

Got me thinking about appreciation. Many of you have heard about my discontent at work, but my mom brought up an excellent point - I should appreciate what I have.

I should also learn to realize that this is not the time in my life to "call the shots". I'm putting in my time for an eventual reward. I cannot and should not rush this reward. That being said, this "annual review" at work tomorrow should be quite interesting as I have a lot of feedback to give (and receive, I am sure).

Agotado

Means "exhausted", "spent" in Spanish. Full day of speaking/writing Spanish with potential clients from Spain (mi segunda patria - second homeland.......ok maybe third after Chile).

I have such trouble falling asleep when I know I need to get up early (be it 5:30AM like today, or just on a Sat. when I am planning on working out). This is frustrating. I worry about sleeping. How messed up is this?

Too tired to write much....long day, but it was nice to reconnect with some Spaniards (a couple from Salamanca even!).

Hasta,

TS

Random Thought: Dogs are Cute, but Weird

Disclaimer: NOT Buster, but looks like him.

Buster had school again last night. Will bring camera next week and post pics. He has learned what "down" means and I teared up the first time he did it on his own. This guy's a proud papa.

I got to thinking how weird dogs are, specifically mixes like Buster....how does a Boston terrier swing a cute chihuahua into making sweet love, then producing a thing like Buster. That's one lucky terrier.......or chihuahua. (btw how lame does "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" look? Ask me in a year and I bet I will have seen it)

Buster gets the most eye-gunk (eye boogers, however you like to call 'em) I have ever seen a dog have. They are worst (most plentiful) in the mornings or when he wakes up, but his eyes can constantly use a good wiping.

His nose is also totally wet, which is normal for dogs. He also has the most "ups" I have ever seen a dog have (ie, boy can jump). He still chews on his yellow blanket from the shelter...all night long. He howls like a wolf when provoked. He throws his head back like whiplash when over-excited. He spins like 8-9 times before doing his business (#2....tmi???). He "bloops" when in a deep sleep.....I don't really know how to describe this sound....but it makes us smile in the middle of the night.

One of the weirdest creatures I have seen....but that's why we love him.

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Dealing with High-Maintenance People

I'm curious to hear people's take on how they deal with high-maintenance people.

Do you ignore them?

Does it make you want to work even harder on his/her behalf?

Does it drive you nuts? How do you deal with this?

Certain clients at work (I know they are NOT reading this) are driving me absolutely nuts. The harder I work, the more they expect. When I go away for two weeks (ie honeymoon) on end, I come back to 0 emails from them. However, when I am in the office working on more pressing matters, they will send me 3-4 emails per hour with seemingly mundane questions.

Bad luck? Do some people have a sixth sense and know just when to push buttons?

I'm starting to just smile....take a deep breath....and sigh.

If anyone has some tips about dealing with overbearing people (spouses excluded...I kid...love you Steve), please share!

Oh, and thanks for all the positive re-enforcement about the blog!

Sorry if today's entry is lame. It's Monday...and I had to rush home from work, walk Buster, cook....and now we are off to his second obedience class.

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Making it my bitch (pardon the strong language)

For those out there that know me (I have been getting some great blog feedback via email from people as far as Belarus), you are all well aware that the LSAT and law school have been a three-year long saga in my life---delayed by meeting Steve, anxiety issues, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of money involved in law school, moving cross country, buying a house, etc.

I am done giving myself a hard time about not having been back to grad school yet. I am 26. I have years and years of work ahead of me. My preoccupation with all the issues and responsibilities in my life is totally normal.

On another note, I can only do so much in my job as a non-lawyer. I have hit the proverbial glass-ceiling. Sometimes the ceiling feels concrete and unbreakable.

I start studying today, again, and am in good place about the test. I will not overstudy like I did before, nor will I let the test run my life (ie not go to gym, study during lunch at work, stay in on a weekend night to study).

By December 4th, the LSAT will in fact be my bitch.

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Weekends

People live longer in Europe (well, according to most EU statistics). People in the US are always in a rush, eating fast food at their desk, stomping over people to get on the subway or bus, running across the street and almost getting hit by cars.

My point: The next prez (ahem, Obama) should work on a mandatory four-day work week for most jobs. Admittedly, I would be pissed if I needed an operation and a hospital told me, "Oh, we are closed on Fridays". This is why I say MOST jobs. I think that morale at most organizations would be boosted if this measure were implemented.

This is not to say that there are not more important agenda items that should be addressed first...and quickly.

However, today is Saturday...I (and most) had a long week....and while I am enjoying the day...tomorrow is Sunday....and Sunday means thinking about work....again....vicious cycle.

Songs I can't get out of my head

What are thing songs you cannot stop singing (either internally or out loud?).

Guilty pleasures right now:

"When I Grow Up"--PussyCat Dolls
"Damaged"--DK (i'm embarrassed)

Not-so-guilty pleasures:

"Disturbia"--Rihanna
That new Kid Rock Song about "Sweet Home Alabama"
"Free Fallin'"-John Mayer Version

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today

Today, we remember.....

Make sure y'all tell your loved ones that you love them....









On another note, I just had a REALLY good turkey sandwich from Whole Foods and am thoroughly enjoying non-vegetarianism.

Also, I got my first comment! Thanks Ande....Yeah, Brit Brit needs repeated reality checks...

Go-To Restaurants

We just went to Slow Club, our local go-to eatery. Love the food, wine selection and atmosphere there. I also love that the clientele is mainly potrero/mission folks, and the place remains a bit unknown to the general crowd.

We were realizing how amazing it is to have such a comfortable, high-quality place right around the corner from our condo. In Boston, the closest restaurant was PF Chang's (nothing against its fans). In Maine, it was WHOP or Subway...and we know what WHOP can do to a midsection. I digress....

This week seems ridiculously long with some key deadlines at work. It was nice to have a couple glasses of Oregon Pinot Noir tonight to just chill out with Steve.

Check it out: www.slowclub.com

Hasta la proxima,

TS

Rambling: Confrontation is NOT Always a Bad Thing

Had a much needed "confrontation" of sorts at work today - something that has needed to be done (also something that has caused many sleepless nights over the past few months). I feared having this confrontation, but when it was happening I realized that it was nowhere near the big deal I anticipated.

Lesson learned: sometimes you just gotta put yourself in uncomfortable situations. It is crazy how much I learned about dealing with difficult and stubborn people just by putting myself in this situation today.

Also, instead of sitting at my desk during lunch and scarfing down my food, I have been bringing my lunch, eating it at my desk (ok, sometimes still in a rush), then heading outside for 30-40 minutes an reading in the sun (or fog, I am in SF afterall). I have been reading (and re-reading) "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". While some chapters seem to be filler or simple fluff, others have proven to invaluable with how I am trying to see life....Telling myself that life is not an emergency. Also, the author recommends the following when feeling anxious: think about whether the matter at hand will really matter a year from now. Chances are it will not. Of course, things one's your marriage, etc. are exceptions - not the rule.

Looking forward to the weekend, and it's only Wednesday. Went to Chow this past weekend, a great go-to eatery/bar in the Castro. Heading to Park Chow this week for a much-needed one-on-one dinner with my friend Laurel.

That's it for now. Hasta la proxima.

TS

Buster Starts School

Tonight, we took Buster to his first obedience class. He was overly hyped-up (a la quad latte from pete's) but performed well. He may be teacher's pet even (like I was in high school....wink wink). We realized that we may spoil him too much and need to have a little more distance.

Goal=Convince Steve that Buster should NOT be sleeping with us.

a.) for the sake of his well-being when we are not around;
b.) for the sake of our new marriage. (kidding here).

Happy to be Anti-MTV

Britney Spears won two VMAs? And who the hell is Russell Brand? So glad MTV has gotten so crummy in the past year (a la tila tequila). Glad Britney is finally recognizing that she has kids, but come on........"video of the year"......How much did her rep pay to get her that "honor"? Bet she had to sacrifice a kid or two for it...

Hasta la proxima,

TS

PS. Happy Birthday Tedward!

Intro and Whatnot

Hey all (ok, maybe nobody is reading this yet........but they will, oh yes.):

I thought I would start this little blog-thing to document my struggles and triumphs as a mid-twenty something, currently feeling quite out-of-place in good ole San Francisco.

Moved here with my partner (now husband, kind of - he still refuses to call me this) about a year ago from Boston. Boston=mother, father, security, friends, stable job, Red Sox, Patriots (sorry about Tom Brady), etc.

SF=the unknown...for now......stay tuned. So far, job is okay, city is okay, people I have met are okay. Everything is okay. Time to make things GREAT.

This will be a regular thing as we have decided to eliminate cable from the equation of life....

Hasta la Proxima (until next time)

TS