Oh look! I DO have a blog!

How is life? Mine, well, pretty good actually. My parents just left Saturday after a fun 7 day visit. Yes, I did say fun. My parents are young for my age as well as young for their ages (it makes sense, think about it). So we were on the go every day. I woke up early, well early for me, every day and took them on an adventure!

Saturday, after fetching them from the San Diego Airport we stopped off at C Level to toast their arrival and enjoy the view. Sunday we headed off to Old Town, where to my surprise there was an Art Festival! We looked at everything. After we were done there, Mom insisted on a trip to the Swap Meet. Ew… we capped off the day with dinner at the Turf Supper Club. Awesome place! What better way to follow up a meal in a dive than a trip to the shishy-est sky bar Altitude?? Monday was all about rest and a home cooked (by me!) meal. Tuesday we did the Geocaching with dad, since it was Richard’s day off. Plus, we wanted to try it with our iPhones. It works! So now we have a log in at the site and 7 caches under our belt. LOL. Obviously Mom had other plans, and was off for a Shopping Day with one of our friends. Later we de-parented at the big SDTweet-Up (#sdtweetup). That was, as always an amazing time! Wednesday my folks and I were off to Temecula Valley Wine Country for a day of tasting and scenery. Fantastic! Thursday was more Geocaching around town. That Geocaching is a great way to see some great sights you wouldn’t otherwise… That night I was pooped so Dad manned the grill and we dined out on the patio at home. Friday was when I finally had to sleep in! Well, till 9:30.. we lazed at the house till Richard got home. He had ditched work early so we shopped and hit up Bing Crosby’s Piano Lounge until it was time for the crowning jewel of the visit: dinner at Kous Kous. My folks got to eat well (very well! you MUST go to Kous Kous!) and meet up with our friends and generally have a great night out. Although we had drinks first at Martinis Above 4th, where the owner stressed me out when he KISSED Richard hello in front of my father. That’s when my father realized we had taken him to a GAY bar. OMG OMG OMG. He never would have known otherwise… Oh well. No harm was done. All was erased by the amazing food at Kous Kous!

As for Saturday… Well that was for packing and the Airport. Buh-bye!

You know what?

tagged: richard gay san diego blog shopping mom friends wine parents surprise

So tonight we knew we might have plans with Sheila, we just didn’t know what. After we spoke we decided on Movie Night. Death Becomes Her, a classic we have all seen. Good times, right? Well Sheila showed up with the makings of a Fountain Of Youth Martini. Surprise! Turns out she was able to swipe the menu last night from Martinis, and it listed all the needed ingredients. Just not the amounts… So we began the evening with a taste test of sorts.. till we got it right. Only then did we put on the movie. Heh. Is that the perfect cocktail for that movie or what?? Good times.. 

tagged: test death night evening surprise plans movie youth cocktail martini

Those of you that have been with me a while know that Richard and I have this rule. No gifts. Not on Christmas, birthdays, or any other gift giving holiday. It has worked for us. Instead of sweaters and cologne and junk throughout the year, we do meaningful purchases. Like our bedroom set this year. That was Christmas, and then some. Over the years we have been able to get things we may not have otherwise. So it’s good. ‘No gifts’ works. Oddly though, the rule has exceptions. I guess most rules do. Heh. So Valentine’s has been one constant exception. No matter how much we discuss the ‘no gift’ rule, no matter how often he refuses any exceptions I want to make, Richard has always sent me flowers on Valentine’s. Well, until last year. That was when he hid an iPod Shuffle in the mail box. That was classic! Naughty, but classic. I think he subconsciously is compelled on VD. Scott said it well with his Valentine post:

If you are hooked-up, partnered, or married, the situation isn’t much better.  Ads on television and the radio remind your special someone that if you don’t buy them at least the Hope Diamond for VD, then you must despise them and you are little more than cow manure in human form.  Don’t think that you can get away with just one VD gift or card either.  According to a recent television ad I saw from a card company, you must find a humorous card that smartly sums up your love for this person in a funny way, a “I can’t bear to be without you” card that you slip into the person’s briefcase or tote bag, and then finally the “You are so completely perfect in every way that I need you more than oxygen itself” card.

LOL. I hope that isn’t why he does it. I am delighted every year to be surprised. This year was a total surprise! He has been so against my getting an iPhone that it has been a bit scary. We have even argued about it (I was going to get it last week as I had saved enough actual cash while still taking care of my bills). So imagine my surprise when I opened the card he had stashed in my lunch I took to work yesterday and found an enormous Apple gift card! Not an iPhone, but a nice chunk to put towards an iPhone! I am sooo excited! An still a bit shocked. I am so spoiled by that man! I love him! Heh.

I just wish I knew ahead of time so I could know how much we were spending. I figured from recent happenings (car accident) that this was to be a no gift year for reals. Now I feel cheap. I am going to take him to dinner this weekend, or lunch. He loves a good lunch out. In the meantime, I do think I did well with the card I selected for him . 

tagged: richard holiday iphone ipod lunch love surprise gifts valentine excited

A handy list to romance your partner this Valentine’s Day:

Write “I love you” in the steam on the bathroom mirror after he takes a shower.

Offer a back massage with some good smelling lotion.

Write a poem. Then use Google Translator to translate a poem into either French or Italian. Then handwrite it out with the translation on the back side. Or better yet, greet your partner at night and read it to them with passion and then hand them the translation.

While in public, declare “I love you, Matilda!” (not Matilda, but your partner’s name.)

Make a CD with a few songs that are meaningful to your relationship.

Invite him to take a bath complete with bubbles, champagne, candles, and maybe a little Barry White. (the music, not actually Barry White in your tub.)

Surprise her at work and take her out to lunch, maybe take-out food in the park or maybe to a little diner, for a midday romantic interlude.

50 Very Simple Ways to Be Romantic (via).

tagged: links list romance surprise relationship valentine's day

I am still in shock.

So yesterday I was all busy getting my sleep on. I was rudely awakened by the doorbell. Oh no. It was like 8:45 in the morning. I was not getting up. Who could it possibly be anyway… No one important calls on me at that hour. I was not expecting anything. I hadn’t ordered anything. I am on a budget right now! So I went back to sleep, leaving the door unanswered. Later as I was leaving for work I saw the FedEx message on the door. FedEx? Had Richard ordered something? I put the tag upstairs and took off. I called Richard from the car but he was clueless as to why FedEx would be delivering, but he was unsure. So I was like whatever.. The next day (today) I was busy sleeping in, but Richard was home. Apparently FedEx came again. When I woke up Richard told me that I had a package. Bleary eyed and confused, I went downstairs to investigate. Sure enough, it was a small box addressed to me.

I was hesitant as I opened it. I mean, come on. I had no idea where it was from. There was no return address, no sender name. What ever it was, it was wrapped in white once I got thru the cardboard. There was a small envelope. I cracked that open first. It was a small white card, about the size of a business card. It had one question printed on it, “Who loves ya baby”. Richard! What had he done??

I took off the white wrapping. It was an iPod Classic. OMFG. I ran upstairs to Richard. As I was speaking, excitedly announcing the iPod to Richard, he looked more and more confused, insisting he knew nothing about it. Weird. I went back down to admire my new toy. I removed the packaging slowly. Any Apple aficionado can tell you that the packaging is part of the experience… I savored it. As I held the amazing little machine in my hands I noticed that it was engraved.

It was from my father. “Who loves ya baby” on the card. Of course. My parents! In my mind the value of the thing just quadrupled. The thought alone that in this nothing month, far from holidays and birthdays, they thought of me. And out of all the Apple products I am currently lusting after, this is the one that fills the most needs/wants in one item. I am amazed.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

tagged: richard ipod parents surprise dad gift ipod classic fedex

I missed my mother’s birthday. I feel just awful. You see, I had arranged for a flower delivery for yesterday. I was waiting all morning for my surprised mother to call and tell me how excited she was. She never called. I figured maybe she was at work during the delivery. When she gets home she’ll call. Um. Nope. No call. Strange, but I was at work myself so I got busy and forgot. It was when I got home that I got the message on my answering machine. Not my mother, as I had expected. It was the customer service center from 1-800-Flowers telling me that they were unable to deliver. No reason, no excuse. Just “Sorry we were unable to deliver. Would you like us to deliver tomorrow or cancel.” WTF? Well, being that we have now missed the birthday, the flowers were MORE important! Shit! I hadn’t even sent a card, cause I knew I was sending flowers.

The next message was from some other guy at 1-800-Flowers asking me to call him at once. I did, and there was a bit more sincerity as he apologized. But still. The day is over. You missed it. You suck! But the delivery should happen tomorrow, and apparently there will be some note letting my mom know that it was their fault that the order was late. Beh.

I called mom next to explain what happened. Sure, it ruins the surprise, but my father had sent a nasty email because she had thought we all forgot her birthday! Yep! She just thinks I forgot, and sent them THAT DAY. They better remember to put that damn note on there.... I feel awful!

And here we are the next day. What is it, 2:30 in Florida? She hasn’t called to tell me she got them yet… Next time I think I’ll use FTD. It is FTD right? Or is that the feminine spray? Hmm. I should Google. 

tagged: mom birthday surprise delivery florist ftd 1-800-flowers