Rain, Rain...

Sometimes I want it to go away, and sometimes I don't. It is cool to look out the window and watch the rain come down while I am cozy in our little apartment. However, it wasn't so cool on Friday when I was working downtown and my umbrella broke by being flipped inside out one too many times. We have been quite lucky the past year and a half out here as far as the weather is concerned. I remember when we first moved here, Heather M. told me about the previous spring and how it rained for at least a month straight. So, I was pleasantly surprised last year when that never happened! Now, it is starting to make up for it. Thankfully, Alex doesn't mind at all, which I am so gratful for, since ultimately, I would still love to end up back in WA for good:)

What Was One Person's Junk...

Has become my treasure! I was given these magazines by someone who had posted on SF Freecycle. It's a great network to use to get rid of things/receive things with a bit more security. Craigslist also has a free section, but it seems a lot more sketchy to me. You can subscribe to Freecycle through Yahoo! Groups-people in the city go on there and post anything they want to give away for free, and you just email them and set up all the details. This is the first time I've actually taken something from the site, although I enjoy reading what people have frequently. If you go to www.freecycle.org, you can get more info and all the cities that they have this group.
I am very excited to add these to my magazine addiction and eventually start to experiment with the recipes!

Mt. Tam

Yesterday afternoon, we went with the Rogers' to Marin to hike Mt. Tamalpais. It was such a gorgeous day and I am glad we were able to get out and explore. Alex and Paul especially had fun making a Survivor Man-type movie with Eryn & Paul's new camera. It is quite funny, I wish I could post it. We didn't figure out how to get to the top and ended up spending most of the time going around the mountain, it was nice and relaxing. Maybe next time we'll get a map!

Crazy Kabuki

After Alex and I got back from our week in Federal Way, we went over to the new Kabuki Theater with some friends to see Juno. Last year sometime, Robert Redford bought this theater that is in Japantown and about 2 blocks from our apartment. We hadn't been there since the change and let me tell you, it was a change. First of all, the general admission of $10.50 (no student discount) is the most I've seen out here. And then, on top of that, there is an amenities fee between $1.50-$3.00 per person, depending on when you see the movie. This wonderful fee is to pay for the ability to reserve tickets online (we bought them at the theater), to choose your assigned seat, and that it is a "green" theater. Also, if you want to sit in any of the balcony seats, you have to be at least 21 now since they serve alcohol up there. We didn't even like the reserved seat thing, since our best choice was the 3rd row.

Needless to say, I won't be returning here for two reasons. One, obviously, the unnecessary price increase. And two, I really hope that this idea of a theater doesn't catch on to the rest of the cinemas out here! Thankfully, the movie was quite good so that helped some:)

Christmas with the Isom's

Here is a basic summary of some of the things we got around to doing during our quick Christmas trip to Alex's hometown. The first day we were there, we did some shopping, of course, since we had done none of it before we left. That night, we saw Mystere at the TI.
It was quite an interesting show. The only other Cirque show I had seen to compare it to was Love at the Mirage, which I do have to say, I liked more than this one. It was good, just a bit strange, but I guess that is part of the appeal.

Sunday night was the first big family dinner. Shannon cooked a yummy meal and we got to meet most of Alex's new stepfamily. They are all very nice and we hope to get to know them better someday.

This is just another shot of the group at dinner.

On Monday, after more last-minute Christmas Eve shopping, we headed over to Tasha (Alex's sister) and Kade's new house for another big delicious dinner. Alex's dad made tons of cornish hens and there were a lot of great pies, too! Alex's older sis, Kirsten, happened to break a bone in her foot, so we had to take her to the office and do an x-ray later that night. Above is a picture of Bernie's family that was visiting from Argentina. They were so gracious and Alex loved being around them since it helped him feel closer to his mama.

Also that night, Alex's cousin Damon stopped by for a quick dinner. He is an emt and was on duty and let us explore his neat ambulance. That was my first time (and hopefully last:) in one of those, it was neat to look around and take a few pics. However, I was too scared to touch anything and didn't really want to spend much time in there.

This was Christmas morning at the Isom's. It was fun to watch the nephews get so excited over everything! We had to leave that night to get back to SF for Alex to finish up his externship. Next time we go, I really want to see the Bellagio decor, see friends and take more pictures!!

An Unexpected Toy

Whilst in Las Vegas, Alex happened upon this hazmat mask in his stepmom Shannon's car. Apparently, his dad bought it for her in case of a dirty bomb and thus, she could drive home from work and make it safely. Well, we got quite a kick out of this mask and headed down to the gun range in the house to take some appropriate photos....

Regardless of the entertainment we created for ourselves, it would probably be a good idea to get this, especially living in such a populated and well-known city. Too bad they cost so much and are extremely uncomfortable.

Happy New Year!!

Well, I have been quite slow at the posting lately. We had a fun, but quick, trip to Las Vegas for Christmas-I have photos I need to put on here. Now we are in WA for the week and, other than our continuous colds, it has been quite enjoyable. We aren't going up to Seattle tonight for the celebration, but this is something of what we will be seeing tonight on the TV. That, and watching the sibs play Rock Band non-stop.