Power of two...

Isn't it amazing what two people can accomplish?

Some things you'd never be bold enough to do alone, all of a sudden becomes fun....an exciting challenge...something do-able?


Scott and I put in a garden. It's something I wanted to do this summer, but figured I wouldn't get to. Could not...would not have ever attempted it without him. The amount of weeds and crap (pardon my french...is crap really a french word? I don't think so...) back there was pretty overwhelming. I think we both got each other excited about the idea, and before you knew it...there was this cute little garden. There are 4 3'x3' (is that right sweetie?) beds. In one bed, we put in 7 different types of tomatoes, some the funky heirlooms I love! Accompanying the tomatoes are some leeks (never tried to grow these before), and a couple of flowers....one is this trailing pink thing...don't remember the name, and the other is a California poppy...although it is a much deeper orange that the typical poppy (so perhaps it isn't considered a California poppy then? Hey...can I pick them if they're in my own garden? Don't want to get busted :)

In another bed we put in 2 cucumbers that the rollie pollies find just delightful and delicious...we'll see how they do. :) The two zucchini are getting huge already, and will probably crowd out the cukes and the two flowering plants we put in. Both are yellow...one is like a pretty yellow daisy with a purple center...very happy!

The other is this unusually shaped dark yellow flower. In the third bed are lavender, red dianthus (carnation), bush beans, basil, dill, cilantro, and Italian parsley. In the last bed we got in two pumpkin plants, which are also going to get huge. Scott said we'll see if they turn out "great". Get it? hehe...I know....corny, but cute! :) There's also a trailing flower that's white, and this mixed flower that looks like someone ate a rainbow and threw it up. Tmi? Anyway...it's very colorful!

Oh yeah! And here's the best part! Scott designed a drip system for them. It is awesome! So I think the plants are going to be very happy.

Having someone to do this with has been such fun! The power of two...

Fun day in the city

Hello again reading audience--(all two of you ;)

Had a great day in the city (San Francisco) on Monday. I monkeyed around with the GPS and plugged in a bunch of Guy Fieri's recommendations for future restaurants to try in the Bay Area. We tried to go to one of them for breakfast.....http://www.bubbas-diner.net/ in San Anselmo, but unfortunately, they appear to be closed on Mondays. Bummer! So, we picked another place on the the GPS, and it turned out great. Easy Street Cafe in San Anselmo. I remembered that I'd been there a few times before when I was living in San Rafael. It was very good, although a touch pricey. They opened up one of the walls, so it was like dining outside. We overheard the waitress say there was only about two weeks in the year that they could do that because of the weather and temperature. It was so nice!

Stop #2 was the Anchor Steam Brewery. We thought it would be fun to get a tour. We pulled up and were amazed at the overwhelming yeasty smell hanging heavy in the air. We climbed a couple flights of stairs and it spit us out into this office. I was thinking to myself that this didn't seem right, but one of the ladies asked us if she could help us. Scott said we wanted to get a tour and she asked us our names. Apparently, you can't just drop in...you have to get a reservation. They're booked until July. Too bad they don't make that more apparent on their website! Bummer #2. That's ok...we'll be back.

Next, we headed to Chinatown. I was excited to do this with Scott! He's so much fun to explore with, and he helps me be bold about trying new things. We seemed to go down the street that is mostly grocery and dim sum...bakeries. Pretty cool stuff....some pretty gnarly looking things too. Are there really people out there who pay $800+ for a lb of dried seafood? Have you smelled dried seafood? Yuckatoowie :P This one alley-like place was filled with these huge tanks of various fish, turtles, frogs...and cages and cages of birds piled up on top of each other. Smelly...blucko! PETA would not have been happy! Bought some rice crackers just because the packaging said "want want rice crackers" ( I love engrish, so I HAD to...it was necessary!). We also bought some goofy trinkets for Heather and Chris. Next time, we're going to eat there because the dim sum looked great...but our tummys were still full of breakfast. Oh...and we both towered over the locals...lol...

We found a Starbucks to rest in for a bit in Union Square, then went to Japantown. We went into a section Scott had not shown me before. Had some great shops in there. One was called Daiso. Apparently, this is like a Japanese version of a dollar store. I went nuts in there! And again...had to buy everything that was misspelled or goofy because I love random, and that's how I roll. They had installed these nice fountains and filled them with Koi fish, so we got a couple peach crepes and sat and watched the fishies. Scott kept swirling the water with his finger, so I reminded him that they pee in that water...then he had to go and say that all the water we drink was once someone's pee...serves me right! :P but dude....tmi...

On the way out of the city, we stopped by the Palace of Fine Arts and walked around a bit. Watched this mean swan chase the little baby ducks. Must have cheesed it off or something...? Then we went to Fort Point, which was closed, but we got some great shots of the setting sun streaming through the Golden Gate Bridge. We watched the sun set at the Marin Headlands, which was beautiful...

We were wiped, but it was a really great day!

California Academy of Sciences

I'm a bit late with this post. Scott and I checked out the revamped California Academy of Sciences. We headed there on a Monday, thinking the crowds might be smaller. It was pretty packed, as it was. No school buses full of kiddies, but lots of parents with their tots in tow. Absolutely loved the aquarium stuff. The planetarium was cool, but if you're prone to motion sickness, perhaps this isn't the place for you. Of course it was full of the usual big bang stuff, and these astronomical dates I have no idea how they arrive at...but hey, it was narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, so that was cool. :D

The Amazon jungle was an interesting idea, but it wasn't as impressive as I'd hope it would be, especially after seeing the long lines to get into it. Kind of a letdown...no snakes hanging from trees (ok, ok...that's probably best), no sexy man in a loincloth swinging from above...what the??

The roof was really cool though. It was covered with vegetation, and looked like the set of Tellitubbies. Tinkiewinkie was a no-show though. :) It looked like plants native to the California landscape. Neat to see the bees buzzing around too!

We had lunch their at their cafe. Wow...it was huge! Great big cafeteria-style place with a little of every thing you could think of. Scott got pork tacos, and Vietnamese spring rolls. I got steamed pork buns, and chicken tamales. We shared. It was all yummy! :)

I'd go again just for the aquarium stuff though...Very cool things to see there!

I want to go somewhere....!

What a nice weekend. Spent Saturday with Chris. We went to "the mall". I put it this way, because if you know me at all, you know I hate malls...especially The Plaza here in Santa Rosa. Not sure why exactly. Is it the crowds? Is it the teenagers that are only there to check each other out? Is it the fact that I rarely have any money to spend? Probably a combination of all three. Chris needed a birthday present for his dad though, so I suggested some old school rock t-shirts, since Tim loves music so much. This meant Hot Topic. They had some good ones. Unfortunately, someone set off a stink bomb in there. We went from Macy's perfume department, which smelled lovely, to Hot Topic, which smelled like a...well...you get the idea. I'll wait for you outside, buddy....

The next morning, after a nice breakfast at Star, Scott and I headed out to the coast for the day. It was about a year ago that we went to Bodega Head on a whim, and were amazed that we could see whales passing our coast. Couldn't have timed it better if we tried. In fact, this time we did try, and nothing. It was very nice out there though. We spent a couple hours (just long enough for me to get a tiny burn on my face...ouch) just relaxing on a blanket there. When the wind kicked up, and cooled things down, we went over to The Tides and got a picnic table so we could have our lunch. Afterwards, we just drove, winding up in Tomales. We went into The William Tell House (I think that was the name), which claims to be Marin's oldest saloon. Felt like walking into a Stephen King movie to me, but it was cool. Tried Scott's Guinness. That was a first. Kind of like drinking liquid smoke...but you get a fun foam mustache. :D Actually, being in a bar like that...that was a first too. I'm such an innocent...amazing he puts up with me. I told him to surprise me with what I drank. He ordered an IPA. I was really surprised that this seemed stronger than his Guinness. It wasn't bad, but I think I like something a bit sweeter, or more mild at least. I'm getting an education, that's for sure.

Oh yeah, and on the way out to the coast, we stopped by this little nursery on the outskirts of Sebastopol....Rose and Thorns, Crown of Thorns? or something like that. They have pygmy goats, and very bizarre chickens. Loved watching patient Scott have a conversation with a goat, as it head-butted the fence in front of him repeatedly. Scott is so incredible with animals. What a gentle spirit this man has. He always amazes me.

It was a really nice day, and hopefully, a good omen (no, I'm not superstitious) of how this week off from school will be.

Spring Break 2010

Wow...does that sound like a big event....Spring Breakapooluza? I have a week off. Although I'm appreciative of the time away from classes (although I should use it to get up to speed in Chemistry!), I usually find myself being bored as most of the people in my life continue with their day jobs, and lives. I'm hoping for a road trip somewhere in there, but we will see if that materializes. I'm thinking Tahoe...perhaps Monterey? Actually, San Francisco might be fun too. We'll see...

So this last week was midterms. Chemistry was tough. I think I did better than the first exam. Haven't received it back though, so we'll see. Algebra was also a difficult one. I wasn't too confident with that one either, although when I brought it up to Allyson (teacher), she looked it over and said I did really good. Do you think that is really good meaning a B...or really good meaning an A?

Have made some personal changes, so hopefully we'll all be seeing a healthier, happier Kate. Man, my butt and legs are sore!

I saved a worm's life today. He was inching his little way across the driveway. I just couldn't run over the poor little guy. Life is precious. Have a good one!

Help!

So here's the situation, because I'm sure you want to know. I'm sitting in one of the study rooms in the library at SRJC. My friend Jana and I decided that even though we don't have a class together this semester, we are still going to meet up here every week to study. So she studies physio and I study chemistry. Problem is, Jana overslept and she lives in Cloverdale. I'm in a study room that's supposed to be for two or more people, and I have to go potty! Is it gross that i just told you that? If I leave, the vultures lurking outside will swoop in and take my room. What to do, what to do?

Good morning and happy Saturday :)

Once again, I'm sitting at my computer, with an incredible mess of chemistry books and papers spread out before me. Have to get through the end of the chapter examples. Have to...It's rainy today. I can see green buds on the tree outside my window, like a promise of Spring just around the corner. :) There's a break in the rain clouds, and sunshine is streaming in. Been trying to think of something fun to do with Chris today to balance my day of studying. A movie doesn't sound appealing. If I suggest shopping, this will mean the mall....yeah...THE MALL....(she says with more than just a hint of distain). Why do teenagers like places like Pacsun and Hot Topic anyway? Not my idea of fun. So, that makes me ask myself, what is your idea of fun Kate? Have I lost my ability to entertain myself? Hmm...and where do you suppose I might find it again?

It's thursday. About to leave for algebra class. How do I feel about that? Meh...(Shoulder shrug). On the upside, Clif mountain bars rock...just sayin..:)

What? Can it be??

Yeah...it's me...miss me? Didn't think so...lol... I think what I'm going to try to do is just give you snippets of what's going on with me when I can, instead of some long novel. I'll give it a try. Some days i may be feeling uber creative, and other days, well...you get my point.

So, currently, I'm taking a Chemistry 60 class, as well as Algebra 2. I did have a speech class, but I dropped it right away once I realized the load of the previous two classes. I think it was a smart move for me. I figured I could either do a crappy job in all three, or a semi-decent job in two of them.

Anyway...Algebra 2 is going very well. Although I hate the room we're in (cause it's quite...um..shall we say moist? primordial? health hazard?), I really like my teacher Allyson, even though she's a fast talker. Parking is back to it's usual hair-pulling craziness. I was 10 minutes late on my first day to class, and this was me being an hour early in the parking lot, doing the circling thing. People (me included) just hover at the end of the aisles like vultures, waiting for someone to pull out. So, I'm sitting there, growing older. There's an older gentleman waiting across the aisle from me in his truck. We see each other and nod. There's a code of conduct, don't you know... :) I'm first, and he knows it. Someone finally pulls their car out, and I have this rush of relief for a mere second as I watched in disbelief as this woman swoops in out of no where in her big old Cadillac and takes the spot I so desperately need. As I am a lady, I will refrain from using expletives here. Let's just say I was not a very happy woman at this point. The old guy in the truck got out and tore her a new one anyway. I just drove to a different lot, which made me walk across campus, causing me to be the 10 minutes late. I was in tears at that point, I must admit. Once I get to class, I stay toward the back, as it appears that all of the desks are taken. My teacher points to this old desk in the front of the room with a stool for a seat. So I sheepishly take my place, feeling on display, like I'm in the dunce chair. So lovely....and to cap it off, this loudmouth woman in my class says loudly enough for me to hear her as I pass by, "if you'd been here early enough, you could have found a better seat." If looks could kill, she'd have been lying on the floor. :P I'm doing pretty good in the class so far though. We took our first test last week and I got a 95%. She also allows us to correct our mistakes and turn them back in to re coop 25% of the points. Nice!

I really don't know what to think about Chemistry yet. It seems so much mellower than anatomy was. I'm hoping that's not lulling me into a false sense of comfort. I have very nice teachers. My lecture teacher Saif Hassam is this mild-mannered older woman. She's easy to take notes from, which is a first for me! My lab instructor should have been a comedian. I get so wrapped up in his shtick (I don't think I've ever written that word before :) that I forget to pay attention to what I'm doing. Probably not a good thing when you're dealing with chemicals and fire. No one was harmed in my first attempt to light my Bunsen burner. If you see me, and I've lost my eyebrows, you can put two-and-two together. Just smile at me, and move on. I'll try not to do this....
or this...


The text book is so incredibly dry. Every time I attempt to sit down and read a nice chunk of it, it ends in frustration. I either don't comprehend what I've read, so I do the read and reread thing, or I get sleepy. Not sure how to help myself here....Do they have to make textbooks so boring? Something very wrong with that. Or is it just my brain?

So, what else? Hmm...well...the holidays were pretty good this year, which is a nice change! Scott and I went and saw the comedian Brian Regan at the Wells Fargo Center for his birthday. He was funny, but I must admit, I wanted to hear his old stuff. This was mostly new material (at least new to us), which was funny, but not quite on the same level. The man could read a grocery list out loud and it would be funny though. His body movement and mannerisms are genius! His brother (forget his name, Scott thinks maybe Dennis, but he can't remember names to save his life, so i wouldn't put money on it! God bless him though! :) opened up for him. Runs in the family. He was good! Been so long since I've actually done something nice for myself like that. It was special to have Scott with me too! :)

Chris is good! He's enjoying his first year of high school at Maria Carrillo High School. Getting very tall and grown up...man, don't I sound like an old mom....jeez. Proud of my kid, what can I say. That's the news for now. Hmm....that was longer than I planned...lol....