Saturday, December 31, 2011

DISASTER!

OK, maybe I'm being a little overly dramatic, but not everyone thinks so. Without going into a huge drawn-out story, just see for yourself.

My BABY!
Amazingly enough, it still works perfectly…but then it is an Apple product. I would expect nothing less. Folks I know who own an iPhone have been as horrified as I am, it's the folks who don't that just don't get it. They're like, "Gee, cracked your screen". Um YEAH!

So now I am at a crossroads. Do I repair the screen? Do I replace the phone? Do I upgrade the phone? I haven't decided yet. Since it still works, I am in no rush. I am off to work The Consumer Electronics Show next week and chances are there is a vendor there that handles just this sort of repair. So I may just go by their booth and say, "Hi, how bout a demo?"

If that doesn't work there is also an Apple Store in Las Vegas that I am fond of visiting. So I will just make an appointment at their Genius Bar and see what they tell me. I am due for an upgrade from AT&T, so the cost of replacing the screen works out to be the same as the cost of an upgrade to a new iPhone 4S. I was really hoping to wait to upgrade until the iPhone 5 came out…but all kinds of things could happen between now and then.

Heck, there could be a Zombie Apocalypse between now and then!

Friday, December 30, 2011

Christmas Eve

It's been a tradition for a few years now that Scott and Tod (my 2 BFF's) rotate hosting our Christmas Eve gathering at each of our houses. This year was my turn!

Just waiting for that tree to fall & crush the table
Here are a few shots from the evening. These are of the table-scape that I created for the evening. Nutcrackers, alcohol, and fire, what could possibly go wrong?

It really is all about the lighting. Never overpower the surroundings
Don't worry. I'll get to the food in a minute. I'm still looking at the table!

Bubbly glamour shot!
Ok, now food! After discussing it with Tod, I decided on Lasagna. Why? I've never made Lasagna in my entire life!!!!! I can't take credit for the recipe. I searched online for weeks till I finally decided on this one from one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Click over and check out her site once you are done here…it's amazing. My Lasagna may have been a half hour late, but it was really, really good! Look!

Bubbly, cheesy, meaty goodness!
Yum! Scott was in charge of providing the salad. Sorry Scotty, I didn't take any pictures of the salad. We were so ready to eat that it was gone before I thought to grab the camera. It was great tho, field greens, croutons, golden raisins, etc and 2 wonderful dressings to try. Tod was in charge of dessert. I asked him not to do anything too chocolatey cause I'm just not a fan of that. So instead…

Tart Heaven!
He found, or possibly made (I'll never tell which), these amazing fruit tarts. I would love to think he spent a day slicing fruit and assembling these. They were yummy and not too sweet or filling. He also brought some Baklava that was quite good, but I didn't sample that until the next day.

It was a lovely evening and such a delight to spend it with The Hubby and 2 such incredibly wonderful friends. It really is what the Holiday season is all about for me.

Deep Inside...

…I'm just a 6 year old kid on a bright sunny day with a large magnifying glass in my hand. Be it ants, Legos, or my Star Wars action figures…I loved blowing things up as a child. Once while filming an explosion for my student film, I used a little too much gasoline and upon striking the match next found myself flat on my back staring up at the sky watching plumes of smoke and flame rise above. Luckily the camera didn't fall over so there didn't need to be a retake. But, the resulting shockwave brought my mother running out of the house wondering why all her windows just rattled.

To my delight, there is now "an App for that". Action Movie FX, lets me blow up whatever I want without the need for gasoline and matches. It also means I don't have to wait for my eyebrows to grow back! So, I took aim at Christmas…


Take that you evil little trees! Muah Ha Ha Ha Ha <evil hand wringing>

It's pretty fun. The app come with 2 free effects, the missiles above and one that drops a rolling mini-van into the scene. I haven't played too much with that one yet, you need to be outside and it's too cold for that! You can also purchase other FX "in App" which will let you play with tornadoes, machine guns and mortar shells. Every 6 year olds dream!

I could do this all day!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Santa's Little Helper

No, I don't mean the dog on The Simpsons. This is my dog! She was gracious enough to allow me to wrangle her into her Christmas collar and have a little photo session on Christmas Eve.

She loves the camera, such a Fashionista!
That's our little Molly. Isn't she adorable? Such a sweetie too.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

And It's Decorated

Three days after the "lighting" the tree is complete. The Hubby did a wonderful job and I helped by buying a lot more ornaments for him to hang. Ain't I a sweetie???

Yep, 15 feet of Christmas brick-a-brac
And here are some detail shots.

Ya gotta have heart!
Yes, there it is, "The Heart of the Tree". Call me sentimental, and not many people would, but I bought that ornament for The Hubby the first year we had Christmas together. I know, get out the hanky! <sniff sniff> If it ever were to break, I can't help but think that mine would too.

From below
It's a little daunting crawling under 15 feet of tree to get a shot like this. All I could imagine were the sheer number of glass shards I would be picking out of myself if something were to fall. 

Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 19, 2011

And Now Ladies & Gentlemen...

…I present to you, Abigail Church!

You might remember a few months back when I was talking about having to fit into something very tight? Well here she is!


My friend Tod and I performed at an AIDS Benefit in Altoona, PA. It was Abigail's first time ever on stage. She was supposed to preform a couple of years ago at a benefit at The Lodge, but the "Blood Clot" Incident prevented that. So Abigail finally go her chance to shine in PA.

Tod, and his alter ego, Jillian Howard then joined Abigail to perform a duet.



And then it was Abigail onstage again to round out the night.


Hopefully she will get a chance to perform locally and you all can come out to see her…and tip her profusely.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

We Have Tree!

I thought for a moment it wasn't gonna happen this year, but it did. Christmas came to Sanctuary! It's not done yet, but it's lit.

and it's LARGE!
Yep, 15 feet of Christmas Tree, right here in our living room. I gotta hand it to The Hubby on this one. He found it, he cut it down and he lit it. I placed the star on top, but only because I'm the tall one.

Big thanks to Emily and her truck!!! Without her we never would have gotten this thing to the house.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Lime…Sublime!

Here is my second favorite restaurant in San Francisco…Lime! It's very loungey in it's atmosphere and the menu is comprised of small plates. All the better to sample many things!


I know, it looks rather empty, but this was a Wednesday night. Not a big night out for San Fran folks. My coworkers and I traveled out to The Castro are to enjoy this place. It was festively decorated for the Holiday's.



I don't have pictures of the food…sorry. But I was so excited to eat it that I didn't take the time to photograph it. Firstly I ordered us a plate of their Deviled Eggs for the table. They are not to be missed and rival the ones that my mother makes. I then ordered the Gnocchi, which comes out a lot like tater tots on a bed of peas and onions…DELISH! I then ordered the tiny grilled cheese sandwiches which come with a Tomato Soup dipping sauce. It's comfort food on a tiny plate. Both of my coworkers ordered the mini cheeseburgers and one also sampled the Chicken Satay.

Honestly, I haven't encountered a bad dish on the menu here. Not something that can be said of many restaurants.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Stinking Rose


Here it is, my #1 Favorite Restaurant in San Francisco. The Stinking Rose.


Here,  it's all about Garlic! I can't even begin to imagine the sheer amount of garlic this restaurant uses on a daily basis. All I know if that for 3 days after eating a meal here, you reek of it! To help with that, they bring a sinful appetizer to the table. It is made of slow-roasted garlic, olive oil, spices and a tiny bit of anchovy.


This concoction spreads onto the bread like soft butter. It's so yummy, that you almost want to spoil your dinner just to eat a pan full of this. They also provide a delicious Pesto on the table.


Mix that with the roasted garlic and it is pure heaven! My favorite dish here is the ravioli.


It is stuffed with garlic and served with a cream sauce and cilantro. I love how colorful it is. So, if you ever find yourself in San Francisco, be sure to check this place out.  You won't be sorry…but the stray Vampire might be.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Attack of the Killer Mantis!

Ok, so it's not a movie on SyFy…it was on my back door!

KILLER!

See it staring me down? I swear the thing was easily 10 inches long.


Scarey! I'm surprised I escaped with my life!!!