Come 'awn!

Our friend "Father" Creswell came across some tickets for the 49ers game vs Arizona, so it was of to my first NFL game. Iain and Pat came along and we all had a great time laughing at the male cheerleaders and the two useless teams. The 49ers are having a terrible time of it again this year and the Cardinals aren't much better. We were two rows from the front in the end zone so as close to the action as you can get. Unfortunatly the 49ers lost 17-10.



A lumberjack sandwich



No it's not a touchdown, Creston gets incredibly excited by his chocolate covered apricots



A whole lot of nothing



She's moving faster than the players!



Jumbo belly on Jumbotron



Obviously not Cardinals fans


Battle of the cheerleaders, these two......................



..........or this guy who spent the whole game shouting "COME 'AWN"

Happy Tuckey Day!

Was Thanksgiving weekend really only last week? Seems like months ago already.
Rob, I-boy and I drove to LA for the weekend and had a great time with him. It was a very relaxed weekend. We went shopping, went for a hike, watched some videos and just hung out a lot. Thanksgiving day, however, was somewhat unusual. We went out for a really great breakfast (at noon) and then went for a hike. After, we hung out with Carl's neighbors for a while. Around 8:00, I finally asked Carl if we could find a place to eat dinner. As you'll see in some follow up postings, Carl's apartment is not really set up for cooking. We headed off to Chinatown which, as a vegetarian, is one of the worst choices possible. We ate what may have been the worst chinese food I've ever tasted. But it was great to be with family--as you can see from the all the photos.

New bathroom

Work has finally started on our bathroom, our downstairs neighbour was getting his worked on and Ted, who is doing the work, noticed that our floor looked pretty bad after getting rid of the downstairs ceiling, our shower was leaking so we we're asked to use the shower in the studio across the "courtyard" (sounds like Melrose place).
Ted is a great worker and a really nice person but seems to take forever to finish the job, he has taken 6 weeks to finish the downstairs bathroom so we're expecting ours to take the same amount if not more.
We're just hoping that the rain will stay away for a bit longer as I think we're losing our toilet on Friday.
Anyway if you want to keep up with this exciting time in our lives go to our new bathroom blog at www.bogtothefuture.blogspot.com

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices

Our friend hosted a living room screening of this new documentary on Friday and it was really interesting. I won't go into all the details but I will say that it was thought provoking, surprising and really kind of sad. If you get a chance to see it, I would encourage you. You should at least check out the facts they present in the movie, many of which will make your jaw drop. What you can't get from the website though are the personal stories that unfold in the film and the ways family and individual lives are impacted from Wal-Mart coming to town.

If you can't say no to chocolate.......

....then what do you do to not turn into a chocolate moose? You up the exercise, right? That's what I decided to try last May. On a whim, at a party, I made plans to run with Agna on a Monday morning since it was a holiday from work. We made our way around Lake Merritt and deciding it really wasn't so horrible, made plans to do it again. Twice a week. Rob just laughed, and I can't say I blame him. I don't really consider myself a runner, or someone who is good at getting up early, so committing to meeting Agna twice a week at 7:00 am to go running sounded like a bit of a joke.
The next week I found out that several of the women on my soccer team were signing up for the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco in October--and since I didn't trust in my own motivation, I decided to create some by signing myself up. Agna also signed up as did my friend Kristy.
And I'll tell you what, it was no joke! We actually trained ourselves pretty well and on Friday, October 21, Agna and I went to Union Square and picked up our race packets.



Then we met up with Kristy on Sunday morning at 6:15 to line up for the race and it was fantastic. It was still dark as 15,000 runners, mostly women, were pinning on their bibs and lining up for the start. As you looked up at the hotels, you could see guests peering out their windows watching all the commotion beneath them. At 7:00 we started to move and within 10 minutes we had reached the starting line to begin the race. What an unusual way to see the place you live in a whole new light. Carving our way around runners and through the buildings and streets all the way to the Embarcadero before the sun rises, is mysterious and exhilerating. All along the route, people were clapping and cheering on the runners as we passed.

This particular race benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and lots of racers were wearing their purple "Team In Training" tops, many of them with photographs or ribbons in memory of someone they had lost to cancer. It was sobering to see how many actually.

At Mile 10, as I was approaching the Cliff House, there were Rob and Peter, Agna's husband, along with Agna's kids Luc and Esme, cheering us on with homemade signs:

Sign 1:
Kristy, Agna and Kari
ROCKSTARS!!!

Sign 2:
But it ain't pretty

These signs are only hilarious if, like us, you were watching Rockstar: INXS. Otherwise, it just seems insulting. Please, don't judge our husbands too harshly!

13.1 miles and 2hrs 26min 23sec later I came running through the finish line, greeted by smiling men in tuxedos congratulating me with a Tiffany pendant. Top quality!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone,
We've been lazy this past month with our postings, we'll have to fill you in with things later, but todays post is all about Halloween and a letter that a parent sent in with one of the kids that I work with.



It reads:

Rosie--Please keep blank back from all Halloween festivities. He doesn't need the candy etc. Plus, we celebrate the harvest of the saints. Halloween happens to be the biggest holiday on the satanic calendar when they sacrifice animals and sometimes children. It actually happens here in various parts of Calif., etc. So, we'd rather not take part.

Take me back to the ballgame

Just like trying to catch a bus in England, I waited for ever to go to a Giants game this season then another free ticket came my way straight afterwards. This time it was for their game against the LA Dodgers.
Gary's manager at work has season tickets and obviously Gazza has been a good boy this month, he managed to get 4 tickets so who else would you invite to watch "America's favo(u)rite pastime" ?
Two English people and an American who lives and breathes football (The one where the ball actually comes into contact with your foot) for those of you who don't know, Gary is English too so that made 3 of us.
Again we had great seats and again I searched for a long time looking for the veggie hot dogs, we're off to a game next month too, we'll let you know how we do then, I know the tension is unbearable but you're going to have to wait I'm afraid.
Anyway, back to the game, the Giants won in extra innings, not quite as exciting as the incredible victory of the England cricket team against Australia in the Ashes series the other week, but enjoyable all the same.




The real fun started after the game though as we all tried to reenact the coke bottle pose from earlier in the blog. Iain balanced the bottle on his head.







Then Gazza heard that the first 20,000 people entering the stadium received Giants hats and although we had arrived too late, decided to use his English accent to our advantage, he headed straight for Guest services and told them we we're visiting from England and taking in our first ever baseball game (Creston was keeping very quiet), 5 minutes later we we're all proud owners of Giants baseball hats, nice one Gazza!




After that we headed off to the Billy Graham convention.

Yer jist not right fir ahr beeand--INXS

I really feel sorry for those of you who missed out on the best reality show of the summer--"Rockstar: INXS"--because it was top quality! In a nutshell, the band INXS was trying out new singers and they aired it on CBS this summer. I know, it sounds lame, but honestly it was really good. Unlike most reality tv, it didn't focus on the drama of the group but more on the rock 'n roll. Every week, INXS would give the "rockstars" a list of songs to choose from and one night a week they'd show a whole hour of people rocking out for the band. The music was fantastic, the band seemed really cool and the program was what American Idol could be if they sang cool music and didn't have half-brained judges.
We've been watching it with Peter and Agna for the past few weeks so went to their house Tuesday for the finale. Rob and I dressed as the two finalists--JD and Marty. If Peter and Agna email me the photo of the two of us, I'll post it. Until then, you can enjoy looking at Rob dressed as the ultimate winner--JD. I think the style is really working for him.

Fancy Feet and Parking Sweet

Rob and I gave Tugso a spa pedicure for her birthday so, naturally, I had to go with to make it a complete girly day. It's her first pedicure in America so she was long overdue. I only wish we had gotten our fingernails done as well because the time went by too quickly.

Any of you who have seen my toes will be pleased to know I branched out in my color choice and went with ORANGE in honor of the first day of Autumn which is this week.

After the pedicure, Greg met us at the house for tea and bickies and then off to Cactus for a burrito--but not before they had fun posing for the camera.




Finally, Rob and I had to go to Trader Joe's for cereal, rice milk and laundry quarters. One day, we will learn that by Sunday night, most of the things we want are not in stock any more requiring us to go to Trader Joe's again a couple days later. Tonight, it was the big rice milk and the Airborne. I could have used the Airborne too as I've been fighting off a cold. Have you used that stuff? It's a miracle pill.
At any rate, the trip was well worthwhile in the end, as I got to listen to Rob slag off the driver "who parked the car like an idiot." That driver carelessly parked slightly over the line dividing the spaces making for a tight squeeze in the space next to it. Not wanting to risk scratching our newly cleaned car, Rob chose to park in a different spot. When we came out, I was able to get a quick photo of what a parking job looks like by someone who is highly experienced. You may not even beleive this, but I promise you, this is exactly where he parked the car. Genius.

Top of the Table

We've only played two of ten games, so there's a lot left to go, but I thought I would celebrate Mna being top of the table for once! It's due, in large part, to the fact that many of us on my women's soccer team have signed up for the Nike Half Marathon in October and have been running through the summer. It makes a big difference to have the team show up for the season with some fitness and it's proving to be a winning formula for us. Two games and we won both 3-0. The real test is yet to come but there's no harm in acknowledging our success so far.
Here's a group shot of some of us at Fudrucker's following our game--If you go to the Fudrucker's in Daly City, you can view a similar photo posted on the wall. This will serve as proof that
1) Kari DOES hang out with the team (thank you very much, Sylvia) and
2) Sylvia wouldn't realize it because SHE'S NOT THERE (Syl, you really should try and show more commitment to hanging out with the team. We are a social club, after all.)


Would the sir in the back please move forward?

Take me out to the ball game

We headed off to SBC park on Friday thanks to a wedding present from Shelly and Aliyar,
the Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1.
We had great seats at the front row on the second level and really enjoyed ourselves, the stadium really is fantastic it's a great place to be on a Friday night, baseball is a strange game and during those no so exciting times, it's nice to look out over the bay and wait for a cheer from the crowd to get your attention again. One disappointment is having to walk around the stadium trying to find the one hot dog stand that sells veggie dogs, they seem to change the location every time we go.
We also forgot to charge our camera batteries so unfortunatly we only have 2 pictures, luckily Shelly and Al bought us tickets for another game in October so we'll make sure we've got plenty of juice for that one.






Kari looking for a foul ball










It's the real thing

Luxury Box

Rob and I have really elevated our status since we got married. We used to sit in the bleachers at football matches but not anymore--now we get the luxury box. Complete with grilled veggie burgers, fresh baked cookies and wine. Shame it's only for the University of San Francisco women's soccer team, isn't it?
Creston and Kristy have recently moved into a house that overlooks the USF soccer field and they had a few of us over to cheer on the team. Creston was decked out in his USF DONS shirt in spite of the freezing temperatures and though we all cheered the team on, Stanford still managed to win 2-0. Our new plan of action is to learn the player names so we can be a better cheering section. Meanwhile, Creston is trying to work out how to hang a hammock overlooking the pitch.


Here's the view from the back porch. Chad is trying to see if he can hear the ocean in a beer bottle.

Research the squad here

Mongolian Wannabes

Ah, the things you do for the ones you love~
Rob and I went over to Greg and Tugso's house for dinner but it nearly turned into a midnight snack. Kind of reminded me of when I used to have Andrea and Michael over for dinner and then wouldn't serve the food until well past their bedtime. Luckily I had brought cheese and crackers for myself so I was happy to wait for the meal.
Anyway, the true reason we went over was to look at all their pictures from their recent trip to Mongolia. Although they were officially married nearly two years ago, they've long dreamed of going to Tugso's homeland for a proper wedding ceremony with her family and friends and this summer it finally came to pass. Tugso was able to go home for three weeks this summer with Greg joining her for two of them and they had a beautiful wedding ceremony at the wedding palace in Ulan Bataar.

Rob and I weren't able to join them for their wedding, with our own following soon after, but when we joined them for dinner Tugso helped us reeanct the moment by dressing us in traditional mongolian dell's. Do we look smashing or what?

Hey! Ho! lets go!

We headed to the Edinburgh Castle on Saturday night to see the Shakespearos, our friend Mark (Our "MC" at the wedding) fronts the band. They're a post punk cover band and belt out hits from many different groups including Joy Division, The Ramones, The Clash, The Cure, The Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen.
After a few superb games of pinball (Road show) it was time to head upstairs to the sweat box where the Shakespearos were playing. They were really on form and I think it showed in the crowd, we were on our feet all night doing the "Pogo".
We bumped into 2 Johns, no not toilets, both of them are partners of Kari's team mates from her womens football team. We ended up hanging out with them the rest of the night.
As for the music, well they did a great "I fought the law" the Stranglers' "Nice n sleazy" was brilliant too, I think their "Blitzkreig bop" was the best of the night though, the crowd went nuts.
The band also picked up a new groupie, a 6 foot 4 "woman" who used to dance on stage for the Stranglers in their heyday.
I've got a feeling that she may have been a man at some point in her life. Anyway she seemed to be enjoying himself and even managed a shoutout from Mark.



Mark wooing the crowd



The Shakespearos and new groupie




Mark, us, and the 2 Johns

Frozen Desserts Tour of Oakland

For the month of August, Rob and I have had the rare pleasure of hosting Peter at our house two nights a week while he and Agna are temporarily living in Sunnyvale. As an added bonus, Agna has been able to join him for two of those nights giving her and I the chance to squeeze in a couple runs, which are well needed since the half marthon we signed up for is less than two months away. In order to show them our appreciation for their freindship, and as a reward for Agna's and my hard work running, we have been visiting frozen dessert establishments around Oakland.
When Peter was craving a vanilla milkshake, there was no question that we'd have to visit Fenton's, who makes the best milkshake this side of the Rockies (or Frappes, as we like to call them in New Hampshire.)



But here at the Frozen Yogurt shop, you can get your fat-free yogurt with lots of Reece's Peanut Butter cups sprinkled inside.........


..........and it comes with a free proverb.

11 Years

Last night, we helped Brian and Elisa celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary by eating a bunch of food and having a few drinks. It was a nice little gathering in their backyard and was just fun to get to see a couple people and integrate ourselves back into our "normal" lives. Elisa's cousin Fernando was there, who we travelled with in Portugal, and he's always a good laugh to be around.


And of course Elisa's father, Alberto, who we have a special fondness for, particularly because he complements us on our tea (which happens to be the exact same tea Brian serves at home without half the praise.)


We were, however, a little concerned that Alberto's extra tight socks might be cutting off the circulation to his feet so I (with a little help from some Portuguese Aquavit) saved him from possible amputation by pulling down his socks. Rob and I were well impressed with the indentation it left behind.


By the way, Brian, they say that women marry people who remind them of their father. Show us your socks!!

Congratulations you two and here's to many more happy years together!