The DVDs are almost ready! Considering I haven't seen myself perform yet, I'm kinda nervous.
Kristine and Gary were kind enough to release a teaser. Click on the "play" button to watch.
If you want to order a vid, visit GrrrBaby.com. They're $25 a pop.
7.30.2006
work, food, work, week
This past week was consumed by work, work, and more work. I've been trying desperately to get a very complex schedule together, and I basically spent all week buried in it. Even with neglecting all of my other work, I didn't get it done until Friday. Gahh! Now I'm so behind. My brain is still slightly mushy from the mental exertion... though not nearly as bad as Thurs and Fri, where the only things I could do afterhours was stare blankly at the wall.
I did, however, manage to sneak in a couple of nights of fun and food. On Wed, Carol, Cayce, Monique and I went to Lime, a crazy-retro restaurant in the Castro. The decor was out of control! We were all admittedly apprehensive after seeing the website, but it turned out that the food was quite good for the price. And the price! $30 per person, and that includes alcohol! That in itself is worthy of a good Yelp review. I also loved the mini-ness of everything because, well, I'm a mini-person.
Afterwards, we headed a couple of blocks to get super yummy gelato at Gelateria Naia. I'm not usually an iced-treats fan, but it was very, very good. I got Asian pear and Chocolate-Meringue
in my cup... nice and light, and I'm sure very caloric!
Last night (Sat), A came over and we ate at my place. I made my favorite Moroccan steak - ribeye, majoram, garlic, olive oil - plus roasted sweet corn, broiled butter potatoes and Greek salad. We were supposed to cook the steaks on the grill, but A admitted defeat with our grill on the impossibly windy balcony, so we cooked everything in the broiler. Topped with a delicious reserve Cab from Benzinger - courtesy of Caro's generous family friends - it was a fantastic meal.
We decided to be old people and stayed in to watch Garden State. What a weird movie - very funny, but weird. As A said, "Natalie Portman does Jersey Girl well." I concur - she sounded exactly like my little sister. The scenes with the fire arrow, knight speaking Klingon and the funeral were all hilarious. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely check it out.
This morning, we lounged about and then finally headed to Town's End in search of mini-muffins. The line was out the door, but we finally got served. A of course got his humungo pancakes (drowned in syrup); I had a surprisingly light frittata with leek, artichoke and pecorino cheese. Yum! Completely stuffed, we went to our respective homes and then passed out for a couple of hours.
Its amazing that I managed to stay mostly on plan this week, with the work and the food. I must go to the gym a lot next week :-)
On the non-food related end, I splurged on a fabulous ESQ Swiss watch that I'd been eyeing for weeks, and also found the Ariella silver stacking rings that I've been searching for forever. I got a set back in Feb, but lost 2 out of the 3, so I'm very excited that Nordy's is carrying them again.
I did, however, manage to sneak in a couple of nights of fun and food. On Wed, Carol, Cayce, Monique and I went to Lime, a crazy-retro restaurant in the Castro. The decor was out of control! We were all admittedly apprehensive after seeing the website, but it turned out that the food was quite good for the price. And the price! $30 per person, and that includes alcohol! That in itself is worthy of a good Yelp review. I also loved the mini-ness of everything because, well, I'm a mini-person.Afterwards, we headed a couple of blocks to get super yummy gelato at Gelateria Naia. I'm not usually an iced-treats fan, but it was very, very good. I got Asian pear and Chocolate-Meringue
in my cup... nice and light, and I'm sure very caloric!
Last night (Sat), A came over and we ate at my place. I made my favorite Moroccan steak - ribeye, majoram, garlic, olive oil - plus roasted sweet corn, broiled butter potatoes and Greek salad. We were supposed to cook the steaks on the grill, but A admitted defeat with our grill on the impossibly windy balcony, so we cooked everything in the broiler. Topped with a delicious reserve Cab from Benzinger - courtesy of Caro's generous family friends - it was a fantastic meal.
We decided to be old people and stayed in to watch Garden State. What a weird movie - very funny, but weird. As A said, "Natalie Portman does Jersey Girl well." I concur - she sounded exactly like my little sister. The scenes with the fire arrow, knight speaking Klingon and the funeral were all hilarious. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely check it out.
This morning, we lounged about and then finally headed to Town's End in search of mini-muffins. The line was out the door, but we finally got served. A of course got his humungo pancakes (drowned in syrup); I had a surprisingly light frittata with leek, artichoke and pecorino cheese. Yum! Completely stuffed, we went to our respective homes and then passed out for a couple of hours.
Its amazing that I managed to stay mostly on plan this week, with the work and the food. I must go to the gym a lot next week :-)
On the non-food related end, I splurged on a fabulous ESQ Swiss watch that I'd been eyeing for weeks, and also found the Ariella silver stacking rings that I've been searching for forever. I got a set back in Feb, but lost 2 out of the 3, so I'm very excited that Nordy's is carrying them again.
7.24.2006
i heart being at home
As nice as it was to be on a mini-vacation, socialize, see friends, date a boy, work out and/or have a life - I have to admit, I miss spending time at home chilling. Tonight, I'm home doing my laundry and surfing the net. Its wonderful.
7.23.2006
impromptu vacation
This weekend, I went on an unexpected, but much appreciated vacation. Carolyn has some friends of the family who live in Napa, and they asked her to dog sit. Since they have a pool and it promised to be gorgeous, I readily packed my bags and headed north.
The house we stayed in was utterly ridiculous. Its a mansion - no two bones about it. It has 5 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, a 4 car garage, a humungous yard, built-in grill, and an Olympic sized pool. Not only that, but in the smaller wing of the house, they have a full studio apartment - complete with kitchen, living room and all - where guests or the nanny can stay.
This picture does not do the house justice... mostly because my camera is too puny!
Erica came up on Friday night as well, and we headed up out for wine tasting and lunch on Saturday am. After a disappointing tasting at Herr Newsom's PlumpJack winery, we had much more satisfying experiences as Clos du Val and Silverado, where we were treated like royalty by one tremendously nice server.
"No no! I don't like white wine!" complains Carolyn
Me and Caro and some humungous aloe
The gorgeous view from Silverado
The rest of the weekend was spent lounging by the pool. I acquired a very nice golden brown color, and a not so nice tan line. Carolyn unfortunately got burnt, even with the SPF 4 she was wearing (!!!!). Erica, fair as they come, didn't even chance it - she was covered from head-to-toe despite the 100-degree heat.
The pool
Erica
Caro
Me + Trashy Novel
Besides getting away from it all, and having a chance to just lounge and read trashy romance novels, I got to spend quality time with some very cute puppies! Ok, one of them was a total jerk, but I did get quite attached to Sammy...
Sammy!
... and it only made me miss my baby more!
More pics of the magnificent house here.
The house we stayed in was utterly ridiculous. Its a mansion - no two bones about it. It has 5 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, a 4 car garage, a humungous yard, built-in grill, and an Olympic sized pool. Not only that, but in the smaller wing of the house, they have a full studio apartment - complete with kitchen, living room and all - where guests or the nanny can stay.
This picture does not do the house justice... mostly because my camera is too puny!
Erica came up on Friday night as well, and we headed up out for wine tasting and lunch on Saturday am. After a disappointing tasting at Herr Newsom's PlumpJack winery, we had much more satisfying experiences as Clos du Val and Silverado, where we were treated like royalty by one tremendously nice server.
"No no! I don't like white wine!" complains Carolyn
Me and Caro and some humungous aloe
The gorgeous view from Silverado
The rest of the weekend was spent lounging by the pool. I acquired a very nice golden brown color, and a not so nice tan line. Carolyn unfortunately got burnt, even with the SPF 4 she was wearing (!!!!). Erica, fair as they come, didn't even chance it - she was covered from head-to-toe despite the 100-degree heat.
The pool
Erica
Caro
Me + Trashy Novel
Besides getting away from it all, and having a chance to just lounge and read trashy romance novels, I got to spend quality time with some very cute puppies! Ok, one of them was a total jerk, but I did get quite attached to Sammy...
Sammy!
... and it only made me miss my baby more!
More pics of the magnificent house here.
7.20.2006
dinnertime for old people
As my 30th approaches, I've been lamenting about getting older. It was topped off on Tues night, when we got to Baraka at 5:30 on the dot for the Early Bird Special. Ok, to be fair, we were trying to catch a movie at 7, but still. When we walked in, A actually said, "Hi, we're here for the old people special."
What a restaurant looks like at 5:30 pm - empty.
I'm glad we went to Baraka rather than Cafe Couleur, though... Pirates was sold out, so we ended up having wine on my porch afterwards.
What a restaurant looks like at 5:30 pm - empty.
I'm glad we went to Baraka rather than Cafe Couleur, though... Pirates was sold out, so we ended up having wine on my porch afterwards.
7.19.2006
my, what a big zucchini you have!
Some mysterious person brought in 3 HUGE zucchinis to work, and left them in the 2nd floor kitchen. And I'm not kidding when I say HUGE... they were literally the size of a large baby.
Neandy didn't believe me when I claimed they were ginormous. "Your zucchini obsession fascinates and frightens me," he said. So I brought one to his office and plopped it on his desk, and it continued to be the topic of discussion for the next couple of days.
Finally, he stormed up here yesterday and slammed it on the kitchen table. The timing was perfect - I happened to be heating up the remainder of my soup, and I just could not stop laughing at the disgruntled look on his face. "I was going to put a note on it saying: 'Is this your zuccini? Contact Serena.' But I figured I'd get fired for sexual harassment," he claimed.
"Was it getting too much for you?" I replied.
"Well, when my boss' boss stops by to talk about my phallic zucchini, yes, its time for it to go," he grimaced.
Excellent.
Neandy didn't believe me when I claimed they were ginormous. "Your zucchini obsession fascinates and frightens me," he said. So I brought one to his office and plopped it on his desk, and it continued to be the topic of discussion for the next couple of days.
Finally, he stormed up here yesterday and slammed it on the kitchen table. The timing was perfect - I happened to be heating up the remainder of my soup, and I just could not stop laughing at the disgruntled look on his face. "I was going to put a note on it saying: 'Is this your zuccini? Contact Serena.' But I figured I'd get fired for sexual harassment," he claimed.
"Was it getting too much for you?" I replied.
"Well, when my boss' boss stops by to talk about my phallic zucchini, yes, its time for it to go," he grimaced.
Excellent.
vive la italian food
Last Friday, Carol invited me to Bastille Day festivities at Belden Place. We weren't able to book a table at either Plouf or Cafe Claude, so we went to Cafe Tiramisu. Which was good, because we just happened to be talking about Italian reds earlier that day, and I had my heart set on a nice glass.
I met some of Carol's friends that night: Brad, Lucas and his girlfriend, and Cayce, who is interning for the summer here (she's an MBA student at Wharton). Cayce is super cool. We bonded over the mozarella, and agreed to hit up some good restaurants before she leaves in mid-August. Brad and the other guy, who looks like Will Ferrell and whose name escapes me, were also very nice.
Me and Carol
Cayce and Brad
Food wasn't extraordinary (see my Yelp review), but it was pretty good. I had a whole bass, which was light and delish. Of course, I took a picture of it :-)
We had planned to go to Irish Bank afterwards, to continue the tradition of celebrating French independence at a pub, but after we say the ridiculous line, we headed for Medjool instead. I've actually never hung out indoors there, with the exception of the Aperol party, so I have to say that I like Medjool more now that its more than a roof deck with hairy Eastern Europeans groping me. Overall, it was a nice, wine-filled evening.
"Will" and Caitlin
I met some of Carol's friends that night: Brad, Lucas and his girlfriend, and Cayce, who is interning for the summer here (she's an MBA student at Wharton). Cayce is super cool. We bonded over the mozarella, and agreed to hit up some good restaurants before she leaves in mid-August. Brad and the other guy, who looks like Will Ferrell and whose name escapes me, were also very nice.
Me and Carol
Cayce and Brad
Food wasn't extraordinary (see my Yelp review), but it was pretty good. I had a whole bass, which was light and delish. Of course, I took a picture of it :-)
We had planned to go to Irish Bank afterwards, to continue the tradition of celebrating French independence at a pub, but after we say the ridiculous line, we headed for Medjool instead. I've actually never hung out indoors there, with the exception of the Aperol party, so I have to say that I like Medjool more now that its more than a roof deck with hairy Eastern Europeans groping me. Overall, it was a nice, wine-filled evening.
"Will" and Caitlin
7.14.2006
resolutions and evolution
Its been awhile since I blogged - partially b/c my computer had to be reimaged this week, partially b/c I have been so busy and stressed that all I can do when I get home is watch Nip/Tuck in marathon-like quantities and sleep. Yes, kiddies - I managed to finish off both seasons 1 and 2 in the last week and a half. And its a damn good show.
Resolutions, resolutions. I've been working semi-hard on my resolution to meet more people and actually be social again. Frankly, its been so long that (a) my friends don't even expect me to show up anymore, and (b) I get disorientated when I don't have "home time" on a regular basis. The downside to more socializing is that I've not only fallen off the wagon when it comes to food, alcohol and money, but I'm not even on the same damn road. Ah well. So my resolution to resolve my resolution is that I'm detoxing for the next couple of weeks. First week: No meat, no fried foods, no alcohol. Second week: No red meat, no red wine, no mass quantity of carbs.
The exception to this rule will be tonight, when I go out with Carol and friends for Bastille Day.
I also seem to be exhausted all the time. Some of it is emotional exhaustion from a fight that I had with the cousin, the drama that people around me are experiencing, and issues between people I work with that I've had to step in the middle of. Some of it is sheer mental exhaustion - I love being challenged at work, but I've become more and more of a vegetable in my off-hours. My motivation to work out has been almost nil, but its a chicken and egg thing: I don't want to work out b/c I'm tired, I'm tired b/c I don't work out. So starting this weekend, I'm pushing myself to work out and rewarding myself with, oh, I don't know - either a Coach bag or an iPod Nano if I get to a certain number of APs.
The Evolution. At the same time, the evolution of Serena has been interesting. One thing that has become clear through all this drama that I'm resolving, comforting, or walking away from is that I've grown up. That's a bold statement to make; and by no means am I forsaking Hello Kitty or pink strappy sandals. But the fact that the drama is around me and not because of me is a pretty big damn step. I've also thanked the heavens more than once this that I've been working with my manager or my therapist on some of these issues, because its allowed me to be a surprisingly objective rock in the midst of some pretty stormy weather.
This evolution opened the path for a surprising development in my life: A and I have decided to start dating again. I thought about whether or not I wanted to post it so publicly, but keeping it under wraps seems to give the situation an element of drama that I want to avoid. Now, to be clear: we're not back together. We've decided to start dating, and to take things reeeeeeal slow. After all, both of us have learned from the mistakes we made the last time around. We're dating other people (although I guess I need to actually find someone to date - haha!), keeping expectations both realistic and upfront, and, best of all, starting out with a basis of friendship. I actually had a minor freak-out the other day when I thought that our friendship might give way to the unhealthy dynamics of our previous relationship - but I won't let that happen as far as I can control it. We'll see where things go, I guess. Right now, it'll just be a movie and dinner.
Resolutions, resolutions. I've been working semi-hard on my resolution to meet more people and actually be social again. Frankly, its been so long that (a) my friends don't even expect me to show up anymore, and (b) I get disorientated when I don't have "home time" on a regular basis. The downside to more socializing is that I've not only fallen off the wagon when it comes to food, alcohol and money, but I'm not even on the same damn road. Ah well. So my resolution to resolve my resolution is that I'm detoxing for the next couple of weeks. First week: No meat, no fried foods, no alcohol. Second week: No red meat, no red wine, no mass quantity of carbs.
The exception to this rule will be tonight, when I go out with Carol and friends for Bastille Day.
I also seem to be exhausted all the time. Some of it is emotional exhaustion from a fight that I had with the cousin, the drama that people around me are experiencing, and issues between people I work with that I've had to step in the middle of. Some of it is sheer mental exhaustion - I love being challenged at work, but I've become more and more of a vegetable in my off-hours. My motivation to work out has been almost nil, but its a chicken and egg thing: I don't want to work out b/c I'm tired, I'm tired b/c I don't work out. So starting this weekend, I'm pushing myself to work out and rewarding myself with, oh, I don't know - either a Coach bag or an iPod Nano if I get to a certain number of APs.
The Evolution. At the same time, the evolution of Serena has been interesting. One thing that has become clear through all this drama that I'm resolving, comforting, or walking away from is that I've grown up. That's a bold statement to make; and by no means am I forsaking Hello Kitty or pink strappy sandals. But the fact that the drama is around me and not because of me is a pretty big damn step. I've also thanked the heavens more than once this that I've been working with my manager or my therapist on some of these issues, because its allowed me to be a surprisingly objective rock in the midst of some pretty stormy weather.
This evolution opened the path for a surprising development in my life: A and I have decided to start dating again. I thought about whether or not I wanted to post it so publicly, but keeping it under wraps seems to give the situation an element of drama that I want to avoid. Now, to be clear: we're not back together. We've decided to start dating, and to take things reeeeeeal slow. After all, both of us have learned from the mistakes we made the last time around. We're dating other people (although I guess I need to actually find someone to date - haha!), keeping expectations both realistic and upfront, and, best of all, starting out with a basis of friendship. I actually had a minor freak-out the other day when I thought that our friendship might give way to the unhealthy dynamics of our previous relationship - but I won't let that happen as far as I can control it. We'll see where things go, I guess. Right now, it'll just be a movie and dinner.
7.07.2006
a killer show
Last night, Caro and I went and saw Killer Joe at the Magic Theatre, courtesy of Yelp Elite. It was, um, interesting. I'm not generally a big play fan - much prefer musical theatre, symphony or dance - but I have to admit, it didn't suck.The set and acting were both superb. However, the story was very dark... and there was quite a bit of gratuitous nudity. Overall, it was a decent show. But I still prefer musicals. I guess I'm just not terribly cultural.
More info and reviews here.
7.04.2006
a patriotic 4th
We spent the 4th of July in the most patriotic way possible... watching the World Cup, in Spanish, while munching on crepes.
I've never watched soccer before, but it was an exciting game. After playing 0-0 against Germany the whole game, Italy scored two kick-ass goals in the last 5 minutes of overtime to move onto the finals.
I wonder if anyone will actually be going to work tomorrow, given the France-Portugal game starts at 11.
Nicolas and May Li
Eric flexes his crêpe-making skills
The Tarte!
Jessica makes her lemon dessert crêpe
Enraptured watching
The Über Spatula
Spanking Fernando for naughtiness
Fernando and Volker on a conference call (!!!!)
Falling off the balcony
I've never watched soccer before, but it was an exciting game. After playing 0-0 against Germany the whole game, Italy scored two kick-ass goals in the last 5 minutes of overtime to move onto the finals.
I wonder if anyone will actually be going to work tomorrow, given the France-Portugal game starts at 11.
Nicolas and May Li
Eric flexes his crêpe-making skills
The Tarte!
Jessica makes her lemon dessert crêpe
Enraptured watching
The Über Spatula
Spanking Fernando for naughtiness
Fernando and Volker on a conference call (!!!!)
Falling off the balcony
mitm - more pictures!
More pictures from Mission in the Mix
On "Fire"
Sexy Group 2
Alex and me, trying to look... something
Swept off my one foot by Navin
Me, Sipei and Alice... falling
Me and Sipei, not falling
Group 1 practicing "Fire"
Sarah Bush and Courtney, comparing the size of their, er, ties
Micaya
Jammy Jam!
Me and Fern
Joy and Priyanka
Practicing Jammy Jam
Jake and his Teddy Bear
Kristin showing off her matching panties... worn on her bum, not her leg
SoulForce: All Things Love
Pictures courtesy of Volker
Lust: Matt
Lust: Amanda and Bernie
Betrayal: Kyrah, Sincerely, Amanda
Betrayal: Star, Kelly
Betrayal: Kyrah
Betrayal: Soul Force
Romance: Clyde and Byron
Sincerely taking her bows
On "Fire"
Sexy Group 2
Alex and me, trying to look... something
Swept off my one foot by Navin
Me, Sipei and Alice... falling
Me and Sipei, not falling
Group 1 practicing "Fire"
Sarah Bush and Courtney, comparing the size of their, er, ties
Micaya
Jammy Jam!
Me and Fern
Joy and Priyanka
Practicing Jammy Jam
Jake and his Teddy Bear
Kristin showing off her matching panties... worn on her bum, not her leg
SoulForce: All Things Love
Pictures courtesy of Volker
Lust: Matt
Lust: Amanda and Bernie
Betrayal: Kyrah, Sincerely, Amanda
Betrayal: Star, Kelly
Betrayal: Kyrah
Betrayal: Soul Force
Romance: Clyde and Byron
Sincerely taking her bows
7.03.2006
mitm diaries, 2006
For the third year, I spent two straight weeks at Dance Mission Theatre, performing in the community hip hop show Mission in the Mix. I have to admit, I was less enthused going into it than I have been in previous years. Ironically, my laissez-faire attitude helped me mellow out - therefore, making me a better dancer :-)
This year, we were in two pieces: "Fire" and "Jammy Jam". Both were fun to the extreme. For "Fire", we had to dress in red and black flame themed clothes... and be HOT. I swear, I've shopped at more stores for strippers, prostitutes, bikers and punk-wannabees for this costume! I ended up making my own damn shirt - and I use the word "shirt" loosely - complete with red-tipped 'fro, black fishnets, red velvet hotpants, and legwarmers.
Me and Courtney, hot like fire ;-)
Jammy Jam was adorable. We dressed in PJ's (Hello Kitty for me, of course). Thank god, because if I had to run around for 2 costumes, I might have just quit! Fire was the more interesting dance piece, but I enjoyed Jammy Jam more, mostly because my costume was so comfy, and I didn't have to worry about taping my boobs in for fear of my shirt falling off.
Jake, me, Courtney, Joy, Alex, Sipei, Alice
Highlights:
*sniffle*
This year, we were in two pieces: "Fire" and "Jammy Jam". Both were fun to the extreme. For "Fire", we had to dress in red and black flame themed clothes... and be HOT. I swear, I've shopped at more stores for strippers, prostitutes, bikers and punk-wannabees for this costume! I ended up making my own damn shirt - and I use the word "shirt" loosely - complete with red-tipped 'fro, black fishnets, red velvet hotpants, and legwarmers.
Me and Courtney, hot like fire ;-)
Jammy Jam was adorable. We dressed in PJ's (Hello Kitty for me, of course). Thank god, because if I had to run around for 2 costumes, I might have just quit! Fire was the more interesting dance piece, but I enjoyed Jammy Jam more, mostly because my costume was so comfy, and I didn't have to worry about taping my boobs in for fear of my shirt falling off.
Jake, me, Courtney, Joy, Alex, Sipei, Alice
Highlights:
- Bert and his myriad of costumes, as usual. His opening with the stuffed lion was hilarious.
Bert and Simba - Courtney, our resident diva, dancing side-by-side with Navin, a tough guy if you ever saw one. Together, they were our superstars.
Courtney, Jake and Navin - Forgetting most of my costume on opening night. Had to run down to the corner store and buy the most passable blue shirt... I looked like I was super fresh off the boat!
- The flame decoration on Kristin's pants. Looks deceivably like glitter glue, but is actually a thong tied to her leg!
Kristin shows off her thong tha-thong thong thong - Tripping over Bert and landing on my face in the dark during tech. ("OWW!" "You okay?" "Yes - sorta." "Sorry!") We decided to stage our Jammy Jam entrance after that.
- Ass shaking girls. 'Nuff said.
[L-R] Priyanka, Avril, Sophia, Serena, Tara, Jesse - Coochie-touching girls. Too much said.
- Showing up on Friday with cupping bruises on my back. I'd forgotten all about the fact that I was wearing a tube top until about 5 mins after Michelle put the cups on me. Fernando attempted to cover it up with makeup, to no avail.
Fernando tried his best - Fernando and his duct-taped costume
- Matt's kick-ass choreography for that song by the Swollen Members. I kid you not.
The boys of Group 2 and their, um, Swollen Members - The Burrito Club of me, Alex and Tara
Alex and I looooove our burritos - Wyan looking like he's 4 years old in his Sponge Bob PJs
Wyan, SpongeBob and Avery - The 2 Serenas and our matching Hello Kitty costumes
*sniffle*
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