Izzy!

My sister-in-law Julie, who is wonderful, just sent me this picture of my 2-year-old niece Isabella (Izzy).

Isn't this fab! I so HEART this photo... so much so that I want to attach it to emails I send out for business... just to express my feelings.

But, don't worry... I won't.

Google is SO overrated!

So, the other day a friend was telling me that he googles himself all the time... I am not sure why... maybe just to make sure he is staying under the radar or getting good press... I don't get it, he's definitely not famous or anything.

It's a bit egocentric for sure, but I decided to try it.

I have often said that I totally fear any sort of photos (not that I have taken any compromising ones) appearing on the internet. I just know that any that make it into cyber space will clearly look like the ones I take for the ward meat market catalog... which are never pretty! I fear this the same way my sister-in-law fears being filmed from behind as 60-minutes pans the crowd of people for the latest "over 80% of Americans are fat" series. She really does! Good thing she beautiful and tiny, so she's in the clear.

On the other hand, I DID see some frightening photos of me. Turns out the only reason I even appear on google is that I have run a dozen or so half- and full- marathons in the past few years... so you can imagine how hot the images are of me after 4 hours of running... Best thing about it is that before Christmas a few years back the company at the marathon who took the photos (from the ground up, mind you), sent me one in a Christmas-type photo frame requesting that I purchase some to send out for Christmas!!! I thought it was a joke, but it wasn't!

I am siding with Viacom these days... Google is so overrated!


That being said... has anyone else ever googled themselves? I am dying to know which of my friends is the most famous and why.

Steve... in Apt. #7

My neighbor Steve* is one chromosome shy of normal, maybe even two... AND so, of course, he has a crush on me!

Cori thinks it's so funny!

He's a really nice guy. But, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the day I saw him, I looked him up on Megan's Law... just in case... you can never be too careful! Thankfully, unless he “forgot to register,” Steve is not a sexual predator... or not one who has been caught at least.

But, he is DEFINITELY odd... bless his heart.

Steve and I first met when I moved in to my new apartment about 8 months ago. He came over to talk to me when I was trapped in a box on my patio painting my desk to match the new hutch. I was up to my elbows in paint, so I had to stay outside. This was our conversation:

Steve: Where are you from?
Me: Well, I grew up in Santa Barbara.
Steve: Really?!? I went to college at UCSB. I graduated in Biology. I wanted to go into the biotechnology industry, but, well you know, there's no money in the biotechnology industry these days.
Me: What?!? Really?!?
Steve: Yea.
Me. So what do you do now?
Steve: A lot of things.
Me: So, you're an entrepreneur of sorts?
Steve: What? Um, well sure I guess. I am currently trying to work my way up in the Del Taco Corporation.
Me: Oh, do you work in the Corporate Office?
Steve: No, (looking at me quizzically) I work at the one down the street.
Me: Um… well, do you at least get a discount.
Steve: Not a very good one.
Ok, at this point I am thoroughly confused. Would someone please tell me how a part-time Del Taco worker could make more than ANYONE (a rat even) in the Biotechnology industry???. Did I miss something here???

*I have wanted to snap a photo of Steve, so you could all see how charming he is... but, I gave up, because, as it turns out, he is kind-of-sort-of-ok-enough-being-nice really weird and he's started to kind of stalk me. Eeeek.

On Sunday I had a bunch of friends over and Steve came out calling my name, I wasn't home yet, so they told him this... and he waited perched in his doorway.

Once again, Cori found this very funny! Brat!

Basically, he wants me to attend his graduation. That's right kids... Steve is getting his Master's from the University of Phoenix... and then hopes to get his PhD. I never thought I’d be so happy to be in the sketchy villages of Mexico somewhere between Tecate and Tijauna… but, lucky for me, I will be there right during Steve’s graduation. But, just my luck, Steve must not like me THAT much, he told me I could only come if I was willing to pay $10 for my ticket.

Have I mentioned that Steve is one of those guys whose is of a non-descript age, he can't be that old, but he can't be that you... and, his shirt never quite covers his girth... he keeps volunteering to go running with me... and sometimes in the middle of the night I can hear him laughing...

I have never much cared for the name Steve…

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better...

Diet Coke added Vitamins and Minerals...

and introduced Diet Coke Plus!

Now it's a diet and health food.

I'm about to contact the FDA and get it added as the cherry atop the food pyramid!

Show & Tell

So, I went to Texas for an extended weekend getaway, to see my family and friends. I have so many nieces and nephews there. They are all so cute. My youngest niece, Sarah Jane just turned 1, so we celebrated as she double-fisted her first piece of cake, she’s totally one of us!

Olivia (Age 5, Texas) - Haley (Age 5 - Connecticut) - Chloe (Age 6, Texas)

Anyway, yesterday morning I got a call from my sister Kimberly, she said that my niece Olivia had "Show and Tell" at her pre-school and she had already had a plan for what to bring, but she changed her mind and wanted to bring me instead.

Man, it was a lot of pressure! I got all decked out in a cute outfit and did my hair and make-up. Heaven forbid I embarrass my niece!

When I arrived there was a chair for me in the front of the classroom and about 2 dozen wide-eyed 4- and 5-year-old children. I sat in the chair and my niece came up and linked arms with me and in her cute sweet voice said, “This is my Aunt Ali.” In unison, the class said “Hi, Aunt Ali.” But, Olivia didn't say anything else. She just stood beside me clutching my arm.

Good thing they had questions for me.

Random young boy #1: Um how old are you?
Teacher: It's not nice to ask grown-up women their age.
Random young boy #1: Oh.
(For the record, I would have answered that, I don't care. I mean basically anything over the age of 12 is going to yield me a "wow".)
Random young boy #1: Do you have any kids?
Me: Nope.
Random young boy #1: Well, do you have a husband?
Me: Nope.
Are you kidding me, even toddlers are not immune from wanting to know this???

Random young girl #1: My name is Ali too.
Me: Fantastic.

Random young boy #2: Where do you live?
Me: In California
Random young kids: Where?
Me: REALLY close to Disneyland
Litterally, several jaws dropped. I am pretty sure at this point that I AM the coolest Show and Tell guest ever!

Random young girl #2: What do you do?
Me: Um.... (how do I explain Director of Business Development for a Civil Engineering Firm on a pre-school level???) Well, I work at a company that builds bridges and streets and sometimes buildings.
Kids: Oooh.
Random young boy #3: Did you build the big red bridge in San Francisco.
Me: Well, no.
Looks of confusion and disappointment were rampant and I am pretty sure the little ankle-biters forgot all about my proximity to Disneyland.

Random young girl #3: How did you get here?
Me: On an airplane.
Kids: Wow. Really.
I am pretty sure I reclaimed my status as the coolest Show and Tell guest ever!
Random young boy #4: How long did it take you?
Me: About 4 hours.
Random young boy #5: It takes a long time to get to Spain on a plane. It takes all day and all night. I mean, you have sleep on the plane.
Me: I know. Have you been to Spain?
Random young boy #5: with a quizzical stare, No.
Me: OK.

Teacher: Do you guys know what an aunt is?
Kids: silence
My sister, Kimberly: An aunt is your mom or dad’s sister. Ali was born on my 6th birthday. We're like twins, but 6 years apart in age. She was my 6th birthday present.
Me: Yep.
All the children were thoroughly confused with this concept.

Random young girl #1: My name is Ali too.
Me: OK, noted.

Who is this guy?!?

Sanjaya Malakar?!?







At least I think he's a guy?!?

I could care less what he has done to his hair for the last some-odd weeks!

I am WAY more concerned with what he/she has done to my mom!

I, like Alexander - and most other people in the world, occasionally have a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day". It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I call my mom. Well, first I call my roommate Cori, who tells me basically that I can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Then I call my mom. She gives it to me straight, even though I almost undoubtedly always like Cori's feedback better. She's my mom. And, so I call and I listen.

But, lately she's been REALLY off.

So, just the other day, I called her for advise and to make me feel better, (Cori was out-of-town) and this is basically what she said, "At least you're not crippled*. I have to go now, American Idol is on again, that's what dad and I do for Family Home Evening**."

What the...??? How the...??? Who the...??? Who would chose a he/she (especially one whose greatest aspiration is "to become witty" and apparently conjure up a different style for his coif every week) over their own child?!? When is this show over??? Where is Ryan Seacrest when I really need him??? Can someone please put an end to this madness!?!

Don't get me wrong, my mom, she's one of the greatest things God ever created. She's fabulous!

But, just in case I ever change my mind, does anyone know where I would order one of those moms who would willingly Tanya-Harding the whole cheerleading team, just to procure an opening on the squad for her daughter?

*Note 1: I, in no way, want to sound like an ingrate here or to sound unsympathetic to the plight of those who are physically (or mentally) challenged. Please note, I am in deed grateful for the use of my limbs, and on most days, my mind.

**Note 2: I haven't attended lately, but correct me if I am wrong, I thought F'n HE was only on Mondays?!? Not Tuesdays and Wednesdays or whenever it is that show airs. (I am too busy with more quality shows like "The Hills", "The Bachelor, An Officer and a Gentlemen-caller" and my newest passion "Paradise City"- the epitome of drama and white-trash entertainment, to even care about the likes of "American Idol"!)

You'd think the areas around me would be cleaner by now.

Generally, my cleaning regiment is tailored to ensure that at least half of my common spaces provide me refuge from constant clutter and madness. The formula is as follows:

Office - It WOULD be clean, if the boys would stop putting all the stuff they don't know what to do with in it, which makes it almost can't-even-function cluttered.

Kitchen - Clean, always clean!

Bedroom - not so much always clean, but occasionally clean. To quote my father Dr. Phil "It appears as if another tornado has landed... really close to us... in fact, it seems to have only hit a small area - your room!" But, anytime I am actually at home for more than an hour (not counting sleep time), I clean it.

Bathroom - Clean, must be clean, unless I am held captive or fall ill and I can’t get to it for some unearthly reason, it gets a deep cleaning every week, at a minimum...

Car - Um, have you ever seen that FRIENDS episode where Ross dates Rebecca Romijn and he goes to her apartment and can't find a place to sit down? Well, my car… it's only slighter cleaner than that, most days. Animals could be nesting in there for all I know. And if I ever get stranded I could, almost assuredly, find SOMETHING to eat in it?

Landscaping/front yard/back yard - if I had one, it would be clean, with a hammock and poppies planted in it.

City/State - You see, here where the problem lies. You would think after all the money I have shelled out to various and sundry municipalities, in street sweeping fines, that this city would "shine like the top of the Chrysler Building"! But, I still see debris!

So, as I walked out to my lone car and saw my 9,348th street sweeping ticket this morning, I had two thoughts:
(1) How does everyone always remember which days to move their cars to the other side of the street?!?
(2) I am not so bright.