Monthly Archives: November 2007

Construction Delays (Part One)

During the summer of 2002 I was scouting out the Sacramento area Peet’s Coffee locations in preparation for my move up from Los Angeles in August to finish school. After a four year hiatus from college I wanted an easy transition back to student life so I had decided to step down from my management position with Peet’s and transfer to a NorCal location as a regular barista to work fewer hours.

At the time I only knew my family who lived in Lincoln, so I began to look around Roseville for apartments. Roseville was a 25 minute commute to school, but a brand new Peet’s was supposed to be opening there that summer across from the GREAT! BIG! MALL! I’m sure you can imagine my excitement. But as moving time grew closer, I kept getting the same update about the Roseville Peet’s.

Construction delays.

I realized that my only option was going to be to work at the one Sacramento Peet’s location, which meant it would make more sense to move to Sacramento proper. I was bummed because this meant I would be farther from the only souls I knew (and of course that GREAT! BIG! MALL!) but I figured living closer to school and work would afford me the opportunity to meet more people — and let me tell you, it was one of the best things I ever did. Those construction delays brought me to a major turning point in my life.

In November of 2003, a little over a year after settling into my new Peet’s and my new Sacramento life, a few new holiday hires joined our store. One of them happened to be a guy named Garrett and if we’re being honest, I thought he was pretty smokin’ from the start.  But this is far from a love-at-first-sight story.

If you must know the truth, I used to be a little judgmental. Snap judgments seem to be my biggest flaw, but trust me when I tell you this particular situation has certainly taught me a lesson in that. The thing about Garrett’s arrival is that I wasn’t the only girl who had noticed. There was plenty of buzz surrounding him, and I thought to myself smugly, “Let the rest of these chicks swoon over him just because he’s pretty. I’m so beyond that!” You see, I had just spent 4 years doing some soul searching in Los Angeles (remarkably enough you can find your soul down there if you know where to look) and I felt like I was discriminating, damnit! I had come to Sacramento with a fiercely independent attitude, and I certainly was not going to fall prey to another pretty boy with too much gel in his hair who used to work at The Gap. Been there, done that.

I decided just about instantly that Garrett and I had nothing in common and thus acted accordingly. In my book he was just another prepped out, spoiled douchebag and my independent, all knowing self just didn’t have the time for that.

To this day, that is something I regret.

I spent a good 6-8 months not being the friendliest to him, though I definitely kept my eye on him. I remember once we had a conversation standing behind the pastry case at Peet’s and the entire time I don’t think I heard a word he was saying.  I was just staring at him sort of dumbstruck and I managed in that conversation to unknowingly twist a button off the back pocket of the green pants I was wearing. When we both realized what I did, there was sort of an awkward pause in the conversation. A snap back to reality that I can still see feel vividly (it was weird) but it was in that awkward moment that I allowed myself to admit I kinda liked the guy.

It was this giant tidal wave of emotion, and I was immediately self conscious about it. In hindsight I am surprised that I even kept myself speaking in coherent sentences. Those pants are covered in coffee stains and not to mention kind of out of style, but every time I clean out my closet I can’t bring myself to throw them out because they absolutely remind me of that moment when I knew. That moment of realization that all of my immature behavior had really just boiled down to that elementary school style of showing affection – be mean to the ones you truly love.

I wrestled with that epiphany for a while and put it in the back of my mind. As I realized what a jerk I had been and amended that behavior, we slowly became better friends (shocker.) Piece by piece we told each other our stories over shared pitchers of Newcastle, and long phone calls that didn’t end until one of us fell asleep. We exchanged CDs with each other (CDs! Oh the relics of youth!) and began a tradition of doing pub trivia at Streets of London every Sunday night with a few of our other co-workers. Presently I’m a Monday thru Friday 9 to 5-er, and I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that I have never looked forward to a Sunday night with such anticipation as I did during that time in my life.

The best part of our new found friendship was that on top of Garrett being a wonderful guy that I was loving to get to know, he was also my coworker (which, hello! meant I got to see him ALL THAT MUCH MORE).  A few mornings per week he would be the first face I saw at 5am when we would roll into our store with our sleepy faces on,  claim our regular parking spots and dive into acomfortable, wordless routine. Those were the best mornings and they are some my clearest and fondest memories of that time – the days when I got up a little bit earlier to plan my outfit and used just a little extra Cool Mint Listerine. When I would look at the schedule with anticipation every week to see what it would hold.

We spent so many days drinking espresso, cracking inside jokes, and accidentally brushing arms while making drinks. The intimacy was palpable and we built a relationship over coffee beans that plays over and over in my head to a soundtrack of Radiohead, Stars, Muse, and The Arcade Fire. To this day when I hear Muse’s “Endlessly” it makes my heart beat just a little bit quicker in remembrance of that time.

But this phase in our relationship did ultimately cause a problem of its own. Not really dating, but having a relationship that was so intense meant we were constantly in limbo. And this went on for a LONG time. For OVER A YEAR! And let me tell you, for a high strung control freak like me who is constantly setting goals and trying to take action in her life– that limbo phase ate me up inside.

In my mind it all made sense– Boy: check, Great Chemistry: check, Butterflies: check, Shared Values: check – the potential was amazing and every day that it wasn’t being realized it began to irritate me more and more. All this philosophizing about life and agreeing about relationship standards– all the laughing and having fun and the late night phone calls just weren’t working for me without a label (I know, I’m a total spaz – spare your comments, I’m totally aware). BUT I WANTED A TITLE DAMNIT! I was an English major, I liked definitions and words that identified things. Words brought clarity, and I wanted it settled in my mind already. I wanted to know what we were doing, where we were going, and I definitely wanted the fairytale exclamation that Garrett had loved me this whole time.  Preferably confessed in a romantic, grandiose fashion

Ha!

Unfortunately that wasn’t exactly how we came to be. The beginning of my relationship with Garrett was wrought with its own construction delays…

Story Continued here


Three Cheers for Girls Night!

I’ve been jonesing for some girl time this week and tonight really quenched that thirst:

6 pm – meet Garrett for tea over at Peet’s just to check in. With his mom in town our visits have been few and far between, but we spent a little time together just to say hi and chit chat face to face. Even though he’s a boy, that quick visit was a great way to start my evening.

7 pm – Talked to my mom…for an HOUR! About what, you ask? Who Cares? It didn’t matter that I had already talked to her twice today — we somehow mustered up 60 minutes worth of stuff to gab about.

Put on Pajamas.

8 pm – Watched America’s Next Top Model with the roommate and made bitchy comments about how stupid all the models are. (Bianca is such a hater — and dang that photo shoot made her look like Dennis Rodman!) Threw in a few sarcastic remarks about Tyra Banks just for good measure.

Ate Dessert.

9 pm – Watched tonight’s episode of Oprah aptly titled “The Greatest Love Story Ever.” In tears after 10 minutes. Holy hell, have you heard this story? It was just about the sweetest love story every!! I dare you not to cry!

Now we are just waiting for the Season Premiere of Project Runway, which I’ll be watching right before I curl up into bed with the ubiquitous Eat, Pray, Love.

What can I say, some nights are Ladies’ Nights, and tonight there are no boys allowed.


Asked and Answered

So if you refer to yesterday’s wishlist, it included getting out of jury duty and having a day off of work so that I could just read and relax. Although I also did a ridiculous amount of errands, today was spent mostly reading, killing time on the internet, enjoying tea and pancakes as I watched the View (shut up!) in my pajamas — and this was all because I ended up NOT have to go to jury duty today. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? Is that a 24 hour turnaround or what? Hallelujah!

If you must know the truth though, the real reason I got out of jury duty was because I didn’t read the form correctly and I actually just have to call tomorrow night to see if I have it on Thursday. So all this time worrying about “Tuesday’s Jury Duty” has kind of been for naught. Huh. So sue me, I guess I’m a bit of a rookie at this. But while we’re talking about I was wondering — if you have it in your heart, will you cross your fingers for me tomorrow that I get the word that I don’t have to go back on the following day– because frankly, I got the sitting-around-doing-nothing out of my system today and I certainly don’t feel like doing it again on Thursday at a Courthouse. I mean, I hear down there that there is no wi-fi OR pancakes. And that would be a travesty!


10 Things I Want Right Now

1. You to forgive me. So, apparently my smug Next Iron Chef prediction yesterday was incorrect, and actually Michael Symon won. Humph!
2. A Doctor’s Note to get me out of jury duty tomorrow.
3. My pride back. I just fell down the stairs at my work and totally clawed up my hand. There was someone at the bottom watching. Awesome.
4. A home cooked meal. I went home for lunch only to find that basically my fridge is empty except for condiments, one Corona, old orange juice, mascarpone cheese, and a ball of pizza dough from Trader Joe’s.
5. A massage. See #3.
6. A day off to lay in bed and read. Although if you see #2, it is sort of a happy medium. I won’t be in bed, but I will be armed with reading material, and most likely hours of free time.
7. A new car. It’s not what you think. I’m not that spoiled. My car was totalled on August 9th and I have yet to replace it. I’ve been lucky enough to have Garrett loan me his second car (don’t worry, he’s not spoiled either, it’s a hand me down 1991 Toyota Cressida that belonged to his granmother). This has worked swimmingly until this weekend when the radiator started acting up. It’s old, it’s allowed to, but I just hate that feeling of unreliable transportation and think it is probably time to start looking for cars seriously.
8. A day off work.
9. Grey’s Anatomy to be on 7 nights a week.
10. The heater in my apartment to start working.

I dont know, is that too much to ask?


The Devil is in the Details: A Photo Essay

Before we get started, I feel obligated to state that I do not think I am the most fashionable person on the planet. In fact, I am quite sure I would be laughed right out of Rachel Zoe’s office due to the fact that just about my entire wardrobe consists of cheap and easily mixable pieces — namely GAP favorite tees, jeans, and sometimes the occasional colorful item from oh, I don’t know Target. For the record though, most of the time I think I look relatively put together and it has mainly to do with how I accessorize my bare bones wardrobe. In my humble opinion, the quickest and easiest way to spice up any plain jane ensemble is in the details, and the following are some tactics I employ on a regular basis. For Example:

1. Heels

I double dog dare to you to wear heels and not feel pretty. Okay so if you have a hard time walking in them and fall on your face, you may not feel so pretty — That one I’ll give you. But seriously it only takes a little practice, start with a kitten heel and move up from there and you will immediately have a foolproof way of making even jeans and a t shirt look classy.

2. Cute Flats

Because hammer toes ARE NOT sexy. Wanting to feel pretty and spending everyday in heels is like wanting to look young and laying in a tanning bed on your lunch hour. No bueno in the long run, ya know? But that doesn’t mean you can’t rock the flats, or quite frankly your creamsicle complexion — the world has no shortage of leather faced girls! Cute, flat shoes can add some sugar and spice to even the simplest attire.

3. Flip Flops

Oops! Wait, scratch that. I’m pretty sure flip flops never “make” the outfit, but who doesn’t love them? What did I ever do before Old Navy and their Rainbow Brite wall of $3 flip flops?

4. Baubles

Haha! I just like that word. I don’t actually have any, really, but I do like a big fun necklace every once in a while. If nothing else, 9 times out of 10 they are a great conversation piece, and nobody notices that underneath it is that plain black favorite tee again.

5. Scarves!

Silk scarves, wool scarves, it doesn’t really matter. They are all absolutely fabulous and worthy of wear whenever you have a chance. I love to tie them on my neck, on my purse, on my head — the possibilities are kind of endless, no?

And last but not least, if nothing else works and you must call in for reinforcement, you should always have an option or two for going incognito:

It beats wearing a paper bag over your head, right?


Does YOUR Nightstand Do This?


Mine seems to multiply when I’m not looking. It starts off with the book I’m reading, then I get an idea about what I want to read next, then I get a recommendation…and then it all goes downhill.

Current Read: Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Quick and easy, I am burning through this one at every opportunity. Too bad I picked it up in the middle of reading our BookClub book.
BookClub Selection: The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud. I’m only about 60 pages into this one and I have to have it read by the 19th.
Beach Read Without A Beach: Make Him Look Good by Alisa Valdez Rodriguez. My cousin gave this to me in August at The Treehouse — it looks fun and sugary, but still unopened.
Rest In Peace: IV by Chuck Klosterman. One of my favorite writers, this is a collection of unabridged magazine articles such as SPIN spanning the past decade. He’s hysterical and I read about half of this at Pajaro Dunes and it has now apparently come to my nightstand to die.
On Loan From My Aunt: Grace (Eventually) Thoughts On Faith by Anne Lamott. Graciously given to me by my Aunt (hi Elizabeth!) who is one of the only members of my family who loves Lamott as much as I do. Yup, still sitting there.
Too Pretty To Read: Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis (who I LOVE!) But sunshine and summer don’t always mix with an Ellis novel. This one had to wait.
Overhyped Now Undermotivated: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Garrett bought this for me at 1/2 Price Books because it has been on my “To Read” List for ages. Before I had a chance, my roommate read it and said it was only alright. HUMPH!
Less Than 300 Pages, No Excuse: Old School by Tobias Wolff. Enough said.
Pretty Cover But Needs to be Retitled: How To Be Good by Nick Hornby. Too bad it’s not called How to Be Good at Reading the books that are multiplying like gremlins on your nightstand. Maybe then I would be further along.

So…What are you reading?

 


Because Thank You Notes Show Gratitude

Dear Universe,

Thank you so much for recently making all of my Le Creuset dreams come true. I wanted you to know how much I appreciated you understanding that enameled stoneware and I go together like ham and eggs, spic and span, um…gin and tonic? Right…so anyway, like I was saying — Thanks! I wouldn’t want you to think I wasn’t grateful. Because I’m very grateful, I have had so much fun with that pot and plan on many more future shenanigans just me and my dutch oven. Did you like the picture I posted? Yeah, pretty neat huh, all shiny and red and stuff. Well, since you asked, I took that with the digital camera I currently have. It’s cute, and small, and fits in my purse and stuff, but sometimes it takes me 5 or 6 attempts for me to get the shot I’m trying to get. It’s not the camera’s fault, I mean it has proved to be quite the companion over the years while I was learning to docuement my life digitally. But it’s nothing like, oh…I don’t know…this guy:


Have you heard of him? Yeah he’s supposed to be pretty cool. And I was just thinking that if you have one hanging around, that needs a new home — I mean, I’m nice, and I like pictures you know. So, uh, it’s just something to keep in mind.

I’m just saying…

 


Wishful Thinking – Rewarded!

I sent a little love letter to the Universe around this time last year via the blogosphere stating that All I Really Wanted was a Le Creuset Dutch Oven that was shiny and sparkly and new. Well the Universe sure doesn’t have a 24 hour turnaround, but fortunately for me I have a pretty stellar boyfriend who took the hint (or perhaps just couldn’t take the constant ooh-ing and aah-ing Every Single Time we passed one) and look what showed up at my house for my birthday.

Don’t you just want to kiss it? I wanted to kiss it ON THE MOUTH!

In truth, my love for it was so intense that I wanted to take it out of the box immediately and curl up with it and whisper sweet nothings, but I read once somewhere that enameled stoneware doesn’t really like to cuddle, so instead I made soup! Delicious soup, as it were, which by the way was also made possible in part due to the other fabulous birthday gift I received.

All in all I’m starting to think this Love Letter thing might work. And I definitely know it’s going to be a good Winter!

 


Just Say the Word….

There is a gentleman who works in the cafeteria/Starbucks at my office who looks a bit like Tone Loc. So much so that almost every morning when I see him I inevitably get some terrible song like “Funky Cold Medina” in my head for at least 15 minutes afterward. So this morning I am waiting in line to order my usual latte (shame on me) and he busts out with an impromptu version of Phil Collins’ “Sussudio” and honestly it brightened up my whole morning. I mean I didn’t even have to start playing mindless Fergie songs on loop in my head just to stop the singing of “Wild Thing” under my breath — which mind you, is probably not the most appropriate utterance while walking through the hallways at my place of employment.

But as I was walking back to my desk I kept wondering to myself, what in the hell does Sussudio mean? I mean seriously, is that even a word? Well hallelujah! internet, I just googled that exact question (complete with punctuation, thank you very much) and found this. I mean really, who knew? Did you? If so, kudos my friend, you are smarter than me. I bet you also knew that Falco died in a helicopter crash in the Dominican Republic, didn’t you, you smug little shit? If not though, feel free to thank me later when you are on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and that is the million dollar question and Regis or Meredith Viera or whoever hosts that god awful show now asks you and you are able respond with zeal! Or at least call me so I can Tivo it, ok?

 

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