Birthday Weekend!!!

So, my official Birthday was February 17, 2008, and this was a big one according to most, 3-0. Yes, tis true, I am no longer a youthful sprite in her 20s, but am now a responsible adult in her 30s... at least that is what "they" say, but I say shit balls to that! I feel absolutely no different today than I did a few weeks ago, and I have come to question whether we humans ever truly feel like "adults," whatever that is supposed to mean. So far in a limited poll I have secretly been conducting, NO ONE ever feels their age or sees themselves as "grown-up." I think this lends support to the age old cliche's of "age is just a number," and "your mind is always more youthful than your body." Just my humble opinion and take on entering a new decade of my life.

However, the purpose of this post is not some soul-searching pursuit into the deeper meaning of my life as a 30-year old, but is instead about what I did for my Birthday weekend!! Woo Hoo! On Friday, February 15, Denise and I once again traveled the familiar I-5 to Sacramento, stopping at our usual haunts and eating a lovely dinner at "My-Way."

We arrived at Katy and Becky's around 10PM, and we all geared up for our trip the next morning to TAHOE! I had never been to Lake Tahoe, but Denise is always professing its' beauty and insisting that we must go. The moment had finally arrived. Becky had found a cabin for us all online that accepted pets (yes, we had 3 dogs with us), was large enough for 4, and most importantly, had wifi. :) After a slow start Saturday, we made it to our cabin in the mid afternoon. It was SO nice. Two levels with a master bedroom and bath. Katy and Becky were gracious enough to allow Denise and I the pleasure of sleeping in the master bedroom since it was my Birthday. There wasn't much time for snow play, so instead we went out to dinner at a local sushi restaurant. Things started out splendidly, but progressively went down hill ending in bad service and REALLY bad sushi. In repayment for our wasted time and damage done to our stomachs, Katy took 2 cute wasabi/soy sauce bowls from our table. It was justifiable and I will say that in a court of law, under oath, but will not reveal my current profession.

That night we sipped on some wine and sneaky peaks while playing poker, which I won!! Yea! There is some sort of magic that happens with me and poker up north.... Denise, another argument to add to your list of reasons we should move. ;)

Sunday it was my day of birth, and SLEDDING!!! We bought some cheapy 5 dollar pieces of plastic, and took them to a nice hill we discovered, which we had all to ourselves. Now, the snow at that point in Tahoe was probably 2-3 feet deep... maybe more. So, as you would walk over hardened snow, there would be weak points where your whole leg would just fall right through. It was hilarious watching each one of us try to climb up the hill, while constantly falling into the snow. The day was filled with plenty of sledding, exploration, and a near death encounter with the waters of Tahoe, all of which is caught on tape.

After a bit more sight-seeing, we went back to the cabin to make ourselves presentable for dinner. Becky had read a really good review for this local Thai restaurant, so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived at the place, there was a 40 minute wait, so we decided to pass that time at a bar next door. All I can say is, the food was totally worth the wait...mmmmmmm. I ate every last bit which is rare for me, and I was totally paying for it later.. and so was everyone around me. ;) That night we played Cranium back at the cabin, again with wine and sneaky peaks. I really just felt like staying in for my Birthday and hanging out with my lovely peeps (also members of the peeps club I might add). It was a wonderful Birthday and a great way to celebrate 30.

Monday it was time to pack it up. After lunch at the marina and some running/play time for the dogs, we made our way back to Sacramento. We kept the rest of the day pretty chill, since we were all exhausted from our snow play from the day before exacerbated by too many sneaky peaks. ;) Tuesday we stayed for lunch and thrift store shopping, and resigned ourselves to the fact that we needed to get on the road back to LA.

I had such a wonderful Birthday month. So many great surprises and happy times with my friends/people I love in my life. It was the perfect way to celebrate another Birthday and my entrance into my 30s. Can't WAIT to see what 40 brings.... but I guess I'm getting a tad ahead of myself. Ta ta!

Birthday Surprises and More!!

So, last weekend I was given a Birthday surprise like no other. In reality, my Birthday is February 17, but we will be sitting by a fire in Lake Tahoe at the cabin we have reserved with Katy and Becky on that day. woo hoo! Anyway, I had been struggling with when exactly to do my Birthday celebration in Los Angeles. I finally decided I would have it the weekend we returned, that way it could be a sort of combo Birthday/Vince and Justin house warming event. I had told Denise last Friday, and she said, "Sure, tell Vince and Justin."

On Saturday morning I had to arise at 7:30 AM (ugh) to go to a CLE class to keep my license current. It was an interesting topic, but I was way to sleepy of all this law jargon so early in the morning. After that, I met up with my friend Jess for lunch and pedicures. She had also requested that I PLEASE go with her and some friends to pick out bridesmaids dresses for an upcoming wedding. I actually could not imagine a more miserable activity, but I agreed since she is my friend. :) After two bridal shops, an annoying sales woman with an unattractive habit of agreeing with EVERYTHING anyone says, another with an attitude, and 5 hours of sleep, I was useless and wanted to go home.

I arrived at home about 5:30, and needed to be in the shower by 7:00 to get ready for dinner at 8:00 with Laura, Noa, and Shannon. I used my hour or so of time to try to nap. At 7:00 Denise and I were rushing around to get ready, and as usual, I was ready first. So, Denise asked me to take the dog out to pee before we left. I begrudgingly agreed. Of course, Baron was awful on the walk! He was pulling, jumping at every person that walked by, would NOT go to the bathroom. I just kept pulling, yelling, and getting more frustrated by the minute because I knew it was after 8:00. Finally I took him in, and he was pulling me up the stairs like a madman. I was SO pissed. I opened our apartment door, and said, "Get in there!" At that exact moment the lights turned on and everyone yelled, SURPRISE!" I was completely shocked! I can't imagine the look of horror that was on my face. I had NO idea and was feeling schizophrenic due to my quick emotional switch from angry to flabbergasted to happy and releaved.

It was a wonderful surprise and very well coordinated by Denise. It was perfect that Vince and Justin live next door, so everyone could hide there until I walked Baron down and rush next door. I later saw the evite later and her orders for everyone to just indulge me if I mentioned any Birthday plans, just as she had done.

I had such a great time and realized once again how lucky I am to have all these wonderful friends in my life. I got so many great gifts, but the highlight was the 80 GB ipod people pitched in to get! I was SO shocked. My little ipod Nano barely turned on anymore, and I had been needing a new one, but 80 GB??!! I don't know if I will ever fill it up, but I will sure try. ;)

On Sunday, we decided to ignore the utter chaos that was our house, and go to the Gentle Barn!!! Shannon and Laura accompanied us, and it was such a great day. A young boy greated us to get our email addresses. When asked if we needed to make a donation, he said "You don't have to but it is very nice of you." haha! The animals were SO cute and friendly. There were only a couple of horses that seemed skittish, but all the other animals allowed you to pet and feed them. Above are a couple of pictures Denise took. The horse I am petting is in the Clydesdale family, and it was HUGE (although Shannon said they were actually small, but they were big to me!) They had shiny red hair and blond wavy manes. I read later that they use these horses to make a hormone supplement for women with menopause, and haven't stopped even though there are many synthetic types available. :(

I think it is amazing what these people are doing and deserve lots of money and support!

After we went to a famous local diner, and then made our way back to good ol Cahuenga to help Vince and Justin move a few large items. That night was all crashed on the couch with bloody marys, a wonderful dinner created by Denise, and watched Rock of Love 2. What a great way to end a great weekend. ta ta ya'll!!

My Down Stairs Mix-Up

So, first order of business...LOST!! We are two episodes in this season, and has already put our brains in tail spin (get it, tail spin, their tail section spun onto the island...whatever, it's clever. :). They have introduced 4 new characters who may or may not be good and who may or may not be there to rescue them. We found out last night that their real mission involves Ben, the malicious leader of the Others, and they don't seem to like him very much either. We have seen a flash forward for Hurley (but not as forward as the season finale last season), and learned that 6 people get off the island (they are calling them the Oceanic 6), 3 of whom are Jack, Kate, and Hurley. Hurley tells Jack that they need to go back to the island, and that they need to help the others who are still there, whoever that may be. Jack is still adamant they are not going back. What happens to make this Jack turn into the obsessed Jack (obsessed with getting back to the island) from the season finale is a HUGE mystery and I cannot WAIT to find out. Every Friday I look at LOST blogs to see what people are saying about the episode from the night before, and today they were all abuzz with some GREAT theories. If anyone has any ideas to share, please comment. What is probably so exciting about this show is it is full of mystery, and forces our brain the bend in ways that is rarely done with television. Although, my brain does bend to figure out why anyone would eat bull testiles just to go on a date with someone, but it's not quite the same.

Moving on, last weekend my friend Noa celebrated her Birthday with karaoke/bowling. Whoever decided to combine these two highly entertaining pastimes is a genius. We bowled for 2 games each team. The funniest moment for me was realizing the Phil has this cute gay swish when he bowls, which is a crack up because in other aspects of life Phil is one of the "least gay acting" of our gay friends. It's nice to know there's still a little flame in there somewhere.

After bowling, it was time to take karaoke by storm! Pretty much everyone went up to do a song, except Shannon and Denise (chickens!). Vince and Carmen were karaoke virgins, but they each surprised us with their performances. Vince did a rambunctious rendition of "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics, complete with ass slapping and scarf flailing. Carmen belted out "Love is a Battlefield" by Heart, which had all of us hopping and dancing around like the bunch of Lesbians that we are. The next day I was still signing "Love is a Battlefield" in my head, and Denise was suffering from the ailment known as "bowling arm."

Saturday we were in Santa Monica and had a great celeb sighting. Ellen Paige from "Juno" was at Wholefoods. She is SO cute and little. She is truly a "pee pee." She looked like a little lesbian too, but you didn't hear that from me cause I ain't one to gossip.

This weekend I think Denise and I are going to try to visit the Gentle Barn. It is a great organization that rescues Domestic and Farm animals, as well as helping abused and at-risk youth. Denise and I were reading some of the animals stories last weekend, and we were both sitting there with tears streaming down our faces. Here is the link to their website http://www.gentlebarn.org/ I'm ready to pet some animals and give them some money.

Have a GREAT weekend ya'll!!

VOTE!!

If you live in a state that is holding a Primary Election today, GO VOTE!!!! We have to become more active in our political process for things to ever change. Not only will you feel good about yourself for partaking in a right so many fought to gain, but you get a cool sticker as shown above! :) Thanks!