President Obama Speaks at USC

I got to hear President Obama speak at USC on Friday.  Unfortunately I didn't get to see him because of the way the stage was set up and the size of the crowd.

I really hoped he would have a very inspirational, motivating speech, but it was just a pro-Democratic stump speech.  I thought he sounded a bit desperate. I was really sad and disappointed as President Obama is known for his uplifting and inspirational speeches and I hoped I could hear something I could take away from the experience.

I've been trying to find a place to upload his speech (around 20 min, 521 MB).  If anyone knows of a good free video hosting site, please let me know so I can get the video out.

And hey Trojans. . . . .Fight On!

What Else He Shaves

I'm starting to think I must *really* suck at relationships.  They fail when I feed them with much love and affection, they fail when I feed less love and affection.  They fail when I try too hard.  They fail when I give up trying.  What?  What is it?  Why can I get it to work?

I'm a bit lost that people say women have so much power in relationships, because I just am not seeing that at all.  I don't think I'm ever going to get married to that guy who's the perfect teammate for me and have little fat babies.  I'll have fat Shiba Inus instead.  Because the people love just isn't working for me.  It's tragic and I'm frustrated and I honestly cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong.  I can suspect, and change the gameplan a little each time I go out with someone new, but it's always, without fail, an epic failure every time.

How is it that I can be so damn smart and yet so dumb with this relationship bullshit?  I mean, the player I knew in college got married, and the jerk who used me to move to South Bay before dumping me has been married for a year and a half already.

Maybe I'm just un-marriable.

Strangely enough I think I'm picking better guys with each iteration, although the last guy (not the current guy) is a bit of an outlier.  Weirdo.

Anyway.  We had this "State of the Relationship" talk the other night. One of the the things that came up was jealousy and opposite-sex friendships.  I thought we had already talked about it, but apparently we didn't really see eye-to-eye on things.  I certainly did not see that I was here and he was way the fuck over there (on that topic, the relationship, etc. etc.).  How'd I miss that?  To tease me at the end of the conversation, he said,

"So who's this guy you went to dinner with the other night?"

"He's a friend from cycling.  He's nice; I got the impression that he wanted it to be a date but I told him beforehand that I had a boyfriend.  He seemed disappointed, poor guy."

"You're not attracted to him?"

"No, not really."

"Why not?"

"Uh (I don't need to look when I'm *with* someone already!  Gee, one guy is hard enough for me to figure out!  What am I gonna do with two!?), I don't know.  He's a cyclist.  He shaves his legs.  That's weird."  (Sorry Don! I had to say something!)

"He shaves his legs huh?  I wonder what else he shaves?!"

"Eew!"

So There I Was . . . . .

Standing in Victoria's Secret, a bit vexed they didn't have the pretty lacy "lilac frost" panties to match the bra I found, and perturbed that their selection of pretty white delicates were lacking.  I have the free cotton panties in my hand, along with the white delicates I decided to settle for.

A fellow who was there with his wife and small daughter looked at me, and said, "You work at The Company, right?"

I honestly never saw this fellow before in my life.  How the hell did he know?  "Uh, yeah.  I work at The Company." 

"I knew I recognized you!  I see you all the time walking by my building!  You're always going somewhere!" 

"Yeah, I'm on my way to Coffee Bean."  I'm standing there with panties in my hand talking to some married guy I've never seen before who's apparently been spying on me at work long enough to notice that I frequent the nearby cafe.  This seems ripe for comedy.

"That's right!  You're always walking back with coffee!"

He's got me like a deer in headlights now, because I'm not walking to Coffee Bean all that much these days.  Not only that, but how can someone notice me for so long and yet not eventually say hello and introduce himself?  Preferably in the context where he's been noticing me, and not in a lingerie store?

I'm not sure whether to be slightly disturbed that this guy recognized me without my Company Badge (which, if you don't socialize with coworkers, ensures your anonymity at The Company.  At least, I have a hard time remembering names of people I rarely interact with when I don't see their badges), or to be perplexed that I was having a random conversation I did not initiate with a married man at Victoria's Secret.

At any rate, I obviously need to find a better way to get to Coffee Bean.  Or do a better job at becoming a mistress of disguise.  Or figure out how to exploit this strange ability or quirk to profit and make my millions.

Brown People vs. Black People

You know how people are either brown people or black people?  Brown or black being the predominant "accessory" color.  Brown shoes, black shoes.  Brown belt, black belt.  Brown bag, black bag.

I've always thought I was a black person.  I have more black shoes than brown, I think black eyeliner looks better on me than brown eyeliner (when I actually manage to wear the stuff).

And then of course he has to say, "I think you're more of a brown person, with your skin tone and hair color."  Then again, he's biased, because he's most obviously a brown person.

So because I'm curious, here starts the great Brown Experiment of 2010.  I'm still skeptical.

Dinner For One - Meatball Sandwich

All right here we go.  Really unhealthy today.  You can see I'm trying to offset the meatballs by throwing in the carrots and broccoli, but then I lose points by adding the side of ranch dip.

I'm pretty sure this could be a dinner for two or three, but let's be lazy and say that I'm making a meatball sandwich for dinner and I'm gonna eat meatball sandwiches for lunch all week.

Meatball Sandwiches
1 bag of Trader Joe's frozen Meatballs
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
garlic (I used a spoonful of pureed garlic from Trader Joe's)
olive oil
basil
oregano
pepper
provolone cheese
whole wheat french rolls

OK.  Heat up a small saucepan, and pour in a little olive oil.  When it heats up put in the garlic and add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Stir in basil, oregano and pepper.  Wait for it to bubble and turn into a really good sauce.  Add the meatballs and disappear for half an hour.

Toast the french roll, add the cheese and some meatballs, and eat.  I recommend you be unhealthier than me and eat with potato chips.  :)

Race Report - Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon

Apparently this means I'm a 27-year-old Civilian.  Military types got a "M" on their right leg.  I've never been involved in a race where they mark your legs up, so this was new to me.

The Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon at Camp Pendleton was certainly more difficult for me than San Francisco.  It was hot, the dirt-packed trail was uneven and hilly, and my foot decided to act up on me too.  But finishing this race was certainly one of the most satisfying things I've done.

I really like being on Marine bases.  I don't know why.  It's just a nostalgic thing; I know what to expect from the experience and everyone is just there to have a good time.

There was a woman Marine who was carrying the flag that day; she was dressed in all black and on the flag were all the names of the people who died on 9/11.  I'm not particularly sentimental about 9/11, but I thought what she did was pretty cool and she's much tougher than me.  We passed each other up until just after the half-way mark, and then when we passed her up for the last time we chatted a bit.  We remarked on the super-fast man who practically finished just as we were passing the 3-mile mark, and the uneven terrain.  We were just past 9 miles when she said that they're going to send the snipers out in a couple miles.  "Let's hope they miss!"  I said.

I don't know if I'll do this race again; the shirts were pretty cool (although the fabric isn't the best technical t-shirt fabric) and it was really a nice experience to be on a base again and be around all that military spirit, but this was truly an energy-sapping race.  On the other hand, it was really cheap ($40) and it was very, very satisfying to finish.

I ran this with a friend who runs triathlons.  He is a much stronger runner than I am, even though he's been on the "cookie eating training plan".  He gave me a bunch of tips on motivation and breathing, and I was able to give him tips on running hills.  Even though he was stronger, I have a slightly better technique for charging up and down hills than he does.  So that was nice that we could share knowledge like that with each other.  Even though I kept pestering him to run on ahead of me, he insisted we stay together and cross the finish line together.  It was really nice of him and his encouragement certainly helped me finish faster than I otherwise would have.

I Feel Like I Must Be A Racist. . . .

Because I think the "good" dancer must be a black man. . . . and the "bad" dancer is a white engineer.

Psychologists Identify Killer Dance Moves For Men

Dinner For One - Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken

I'm threw this together tonight after I realized I had all the ingredients.

The Alfredo sauce is based on the one I've posted before (incidentally one of the most popular posts on this blog), and I marinated the chicken breast in lemon juice and olive oil.

Alfredo Sauce

• 2 TB Butter
• 2 TB Heavy Cream
• 1/4 c. Grated Parmesan (I honestly have no idea how much I used, I'm a bit of a mouse and love cheese), plus more to top
• Dash Nutmeg

OK, after marinating the chicken I sauteed it in some olive oil and garlic.  Seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika.  You can add some Italian herbs if you like as well.  While the first side was cooking I heated up my water for the pasta.

When the pasta was done I drained the pasta and put it somewhere else, somewhere not the pot.  Melt the butter and add the cream to the pot, put it back on the stove on low.  When the sauce gets warm and starts to thicken, add the cheese and noodles.  Toss.  Top with the nutmeg.

Why Do Free Upgraded Drinks Bother Me?

I ordered an Original-sized Pomegranate Paradise with soy protein.  Why did this dude just give me one that looks like the Original-sized cup took steroids?  Sure, he was being flirty and extra helpful when I ordered, but. . . . oh.  I get it now.  It's not that I don't appreciate the favor, it's that I asked for one thing at a beverage counter (in this case, Jamba Juice), and distinctly got something I did not want.  I'm pretty sure I eat enough sandwiches, so it can't be because they think I need to eat more.  In which case, I don't think all the frozen smoothies from Jamba Juice can help me.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened to me.  Go all the way back to 2006, Twin Falls, Idaho, at the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble.  There was this barista who had spent a lot of time in Lodi and in some weird way we got along and over time I realized he had taken a liking to me.  He started adding stuff to my coffee orders as "favors" that totally annoyed me and made me not want to go there.

"Do you like it?  I added an extra shot of espresso for you."  Thanks man, now the coffee-to-flavor-to-steamed-milk ratio is all fscked up.  If I drink the whole thing I am going to be extra-super wired for the rest of the day.  This is not what I wanted.  :(

I know I should just smile and roll with it, be grateful and thank the Beverage Gods that there are beverage service people who want to do favors for girls they think are cute.  One day I will not be cute anymore, and the baristas and juice guys are not going to surprise me with an upgraded drink for free.

But man, it bothers me.  It's not fair to all the other random strangers who wander into the cafe or juice joint and wander out with exactly whatever drink they ordered.  It bothers me because I don't want to turn into one of those snobby bitches who ask the barista to scoop off the foam (why would I do that?!?  The stuff tastes great!).  It bothers me that I can't be a random stranger whenever I go to whatever place.  I gotta be the odd person out.  I should take my free upgrade and run, but I wish I didn't feel so guilty about it.

I don't get this kind of treatment at my Coffee Bean near work.  They're all just nice to me because I go there a lot and we're all friendly.  They know what I like (it's Americanos with room now) and they've never tried to surprise me with some magical "favor".

Whitewater Kayaking

Last weekend I spent up at the Kern River whitewater kayaking.  I took a 101 course from Shannon at Sierra Sports, and she's an awesome instructor and guide.

I obviously don't have quite the upper body strength or endurance for two full days of kayaking, but I had a lot of fun and learned something new.  I didn't quite get to the point where I could perform rolls unassisted, but I'm sure with practice I'll get there.   I got banged up a bit on some Class II/III rapids that turned me over and forced me to bail out, but it was all in good fun.

One of the best parts about the weekend was the camping!  I haven't been camping in years and even though there were no showers and just a port-o-potty, I had a great time.  I saw the most magnificent sky of stars both Friday and Saturday nights.  We saw 5 meteors on Friday night and 3 on Saturday (probably part of the Perseid meteor shower), plus a couple spy satellites on Saturday night.

If you're ever up by Bakersfield and want something fun to do, go check out Sierra Sports and take a class from Shannon!