Got my drink on

I haven't been in the best of moods. My boyfriend has been really great. He has made weekends a time to hang out with our pups. Piko and Pili make me laugh so much. The three of them, along with my family and friends, have been my saving grace. I don't like to talk much about faith, just because people seem so touchy and judgmental about it, but I've been praying regularly, too. It's nothing severe, just needing a little guidance! Anyway, enough about that ... I bet you want to know the juice so that's what I'll give you:)
I knew it was going to be a good night when the bus drove up with the logo, "USASIA" was on the side. (Keep in mind the crowd I was with was predominately Caucasian.) I had jello shots and a little bit of rum & diet coke. But earlier that evening I had very good Mexican food with The Man so barely any of the alcohol affected me. I had a nice buzz, though, which is much needed when dusting off some old ho clothes and going to three clubs when I haven't even been to one in almost a year.
As far as any scandals, there really weren't any. My dear friend, the main reason why I went on this party bus bonanza, said "cooter" repeatedly to the big boss who just smiled uncomfortably. (We love saying different vagina words - it's a healthy outlet. I just don't share it with anyone at work.)
Oh yes! At our third and final club, we saw three fights, one being a girlfight and one with a tazer. We wanted to board our safe bus but guess what? It. Wasn't. There. I was truly scared for our white folk. We hid them around the corner. I kid you not! OK, it's funny now. Of course, our bus finally came and I have never been so happy to board a friggin' bus.
The cops came after all the fights were over and actually came onto our bus (which couldn't have more suburban people than if it were from the Midwest) to see if anyone had blood on them. You know, in case anyone participated in the three fights. I guess they overlooked the guys that were running away from the club. Good times. Really. But I'm happy to be back in my home with my frou-frou dogs and my tough looking boyfriend.

Sorry it's been a while

I'm tired. I'm a little depressed. Maybe it's because I'm so tired.
But The Man and the puppies are great. I love them so much. Even though Piko is unlearning her bathroom manners and is now 70% potty trained. But the three of them make me laugh. So that's good.
Tonight I'm going on a party bus that will stop at three bars in San Francisco. Do you know how long it's been since I've worn hoochie-going-out clothes?? I don't even think I fit them anymore (one of the reasons I'm depressed - Mama Lu's gained some weight.) Anyhow, I'm going out and staying out until 2:00am. 2:00am!!!! I can't recall the last time I've done that.
The Man has opted out. I don't blame him. I'm going because one of my best friends is going and she would kick my ass if I flaked. Plus it's mainly with work people (as opposed to non-work people aka friends) so it is going to be very interesting. Very interesting. I know I am going to try my hardest not to heave so I'm pretty sure I'll be on my best party behavior. That means a three drink max. But I'm sure I'm going to witness a lot of sinful behavior.
Heads up - that means I'll have some great blogging material.

The kids are going to school!

The Man and I have enrolled our babies. Piko and Pili start their puppy training class next month!

It's going to be interesting. Our pups have such distinct personalities and we wonder how they will do not only in a social setting but with the training itself.

Piko is the quiet one. She is also very sensitive. Even if we're disciplining Pili, Piko becomes frightened while Pili just wags her tail. Piko is also very fussy about food, can out run The Man (really, it's kind of funny considering she's just a tiny bit bigger than his foot) and is 98% potty trained.

Pili is the feisty one. She thinks she is way bigger than her 4 lbs self. She's as agile as a cat, forgets just about anything in two minutes, eats anything, sleeps a lot, yaps too much is messy, sturdy, clumsy and 50% potty trained.

They are both very cuddly and cute. Most of the time.

They do have a dark side, though. So we have to tame those wild beasts!

I was mad but now I'm OK.

I love my computer! I just had to say it again. Told you I'd write more if I had my baby back!

The Man is the best. He is a best friend, a girlfriend (he hates that but it's true! I sometimes catch myself treating him like one. I even said, "Girrrrrlll!" once - he was not amused) a handyman, and a great boyfriend. Can you tell a big fat complaint is going to come up??
He presses snooze. A lot. Just keep that in mind while I tell my story . Also keep in mind that we have been very lucky. Piko and Pili now sleep through the night. We figured out that they were waking up in the middle of the night because they were too hot so we placed them in the coldest part of the bedroom (I guess their shared bodyheat is good enough.)
Anyway, The Man's alarm went off this morning. Bam, he hits the snooze. OK. It goes off again. Bam, he hits snooze. All right, it must be about 5:00am because I've learned from living this every work day that a couple minutes after he hits it for the second time, my alarm goes off and it's time to get up.
I go to the pups' crate and start to take them out to take them to the pee pads. The Man asks, "What are you doing?"
What am I doing? I'm being nice. I'm taking the freakin' dogs to the pee pad. But I say, "I'm getting them up."
He says, "Look what time it is."
People. It is 3:30am.
3:30AM!
"What?!" I reply. Then I remember. He has to be at work by 5:00am today. Maybe I'm being irrational because I'm tired. But I. Am. Pissed.
I take them to the pee pads because OF COURSE they have to pee now that I've woken them up.
I bring them back to the bedroom, but them back in the crate and crawl into bed. The Man puts his arm around me and I'm so heated that I'm actually HEATED and tell him to please remove his arm because I'm hot. And I basically toss and turn for another hour and a half.
Now, and I mean at 6:20am now, I am not pissed. We make booboos and he didn't mean to wake me up. But by golly -
I'M GOING TO BREAK THAT DAMN SNOOZE BUTTON IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN.

---------------------------------------------

Later that same day: Guess what The Man done did?! He send me a dozen roses at work just to thank me and let me know he appreciated me. (It's been kind of rough week, in general, for both of us with work and the pups.)

Awww ...I'm still keeping this post :)

But they are beautiful. What a great guy.

These are what he actually sent me.

Hallelujah!!!

The Man carefully unscrewed a gabillion tiny screws on my laptop, removed the broken part and carefully placed the above object inside. Then he put everything back together. The best part? It works. It REALLY works!

I HAVE MY COMPUTER BACK!!!!!!

It's a Sony Vaio from 2003 (practically an ancient relic) but I love it so so much.
So big thanks to The Man!!!!!

My life has gone to the dogs

To be fair, so has The Man's.

A lot of people have told us that Piko and Pili are good practice for having a kid. And we know that it's not the same - you can't put your child in a baby-gated kitchen when you need a moment's peace. Well, you could, but it wouldn't be well received. Anyway, these people are right - puppies are good practice. We wake up in the middle of the night if we hear our dogs because they have to a deed. Or two.

And so much more.

Just today The Man commented how our lives have really changed. We gave up our partying ways a long time ago (2001 was a good year. And for those that partied right along side me/us, you know what I'm talking about.) But we used to do a few things that I miss -
I miss sleeping in.
I miss being able to go on a day outing on a whim - we used to go to Monterey, Capitola or Santa Cruz.
I miss leaving for an errand and not worrying if I did a few things and came home several hours later.
I miss having a kitchen with no baby gates.
I miss going out at night and not worrying that there will be poo or shredded peepee pads when we return.
I miss being able to work out in the morning.
I miss a full night sleep. And naps on the weekends.

Well, we knew what we were getting into when we got a dog (not so much when we got the second but that's OK - it's pretty much the same.) And we wouldn't trade our little puff balls for anything in the world (Well, The Man might - he really had his heart set on a doberman but it's doubtful only because he really has fallen in love with Piko and Pili.) So while I do miss all these things, I adore our puppies. But I cannot wait until they are housetrained!!!!Little brats. And I mean that affectionately.

I LOVE a four day work week

I've had two in a row and am LOVING them! I can't believe tomorrow is already Thursday. That's my kind of work week.
A coworker and I were talking about how painful next week is going to be because it's a full work week. Worse, this weekend is only TWO DAYS. Oh lawdee. People are going to be moo-dy next week. And when I write "people," I mean "me." I will try to contain my hostility and keep it to a minimum. No, really.
Now cross your fingers that my computer part comes soon!

Hot damn, it's 2007!

It's so cliche but, really, where did the time go??
I noticed that around this time, people get this itch for change. Maybe it's because it's ingrained in us to have resolutions at the beginning of each year, to change something about us for the better. Or for what we perceive to be for the better.

Hey, I'm not knocking it - I feel it, too.
Of course, there are the norms like weight, exercising more, so on and so forth. I won't bore you with those because OF COURSE I would like to lose 15 lbs, of course I would like to dedicate more time to yoga or exercise. But here are the things that I really want to take care of during my 28th year:

1. Buy a home

2. Find my professional home and excel

3. Be more patient and understanding with those I love most

4. Rise above the pettiness and gossip (excluding celebrity)

I could go on and on if I tried but those are the big ones.

On something completely unrelated, Sister has inspired me to want to decorate my home with Christmas cheer. Of course, I know it's too late but I'm seizing the opportunity to get as much 50% off Christmas Cheer I can get my mitts on! Hurray for Michael's, Cost Plus World Market and Longs Drugs. I have two wreaths, a bunch of ornaments and stockings for everyone in the house, even the puff balls! The Man thinks I'm a wee bit nuts but doesn't try to stop me (which is good because I've picked up a bad biting habit from Piko and Pili.) Speaking of which ...

I hope that you have a fantastic start to 2007 and you didn't wake up looking like this -

Can you believe they sleep like this? They look like they've had a rough night.

Mama Lu misses her computer!

Admittedly, my pups have more quality time with me but dammit. I have no idea if Britney showing off her hoo-hah again. Or all other other important local, national and international news :)

Cross your fingers that The Man has time to go to Best Buy tomorrow. Oh please oh please!

Lulu Check-In

1. My computer is still kaput (waiting until I have enough sanity built up to deal with the cost and the crowds.) I think I'm going to wait until after Christmas and maybe even New Year's. When I have time to think about it, I miss my laptop.

2. Pups are keeping everyone busy. Piko and Pili keep me, The Man, AL and my Dad constantly on our toes. There appears to be a mysterious pooper (Pili) and, unfortunately, that means both have to be kept on lockdown. Piko is about 99% housebroken (she pops-a-squat in inappropriate places every so often but we're still proud of her) but Pili wants to go wherever Piko goes so they don't cover much territory around the house. I am NOT a fan of mystery poo.

3. The J-O-B is keeping me busy. I work anywhere from 9 to 11 hours a day. But recently, I was recognized for hitting a goal from the time I started working for the company until now and was invited to a special training that only 15 people are attending. (I think nearly 200 people are eligible because of their start date but must meet a goal and be nominated by their managers.) Anyhow, it's a privilege but also means when we are done with our training, we are expected to do much better. Ooo-weee.

4. The Man and I are just dandy. It's nice, especially since I know he's very stressed out at work, I've got a lot on my plate, we both work long hours and we got a mystery poo-er. That can make any couple have some problems. But, thankfully, we're good.

5. My folks and I are going to be visiting my sister tomorrow. I. Have. Not. Packed. But if you've read any past entries, that shouldn't be a shocker :) I'm excited to be seeing Sister, WGD and The Boy but wish I could stay a little longer. Four days is not enough for any vacation. But considering I am in the negative for paid time off, I really shouldn't be complaining. Yes, I owe my company my time off. Well, not really but that's what my pay check says.

6. I sent out over 250 holidays cards. Didn't get one? Are you pissed? They were all for work. I sent out personalized cards to a buttload of people, all work-related. I didn't send out diddly to my loved ones or friends. Believe me, I know it's not right. I'm the type of gal that likes to send out cards. But it just wasn't going to happen after I realized how many I had to send out for work. Next year, I will be sure to have my personal holiday cards prepared by August.

7. I finished (OK, and started) my Christmas shopping last Saturday. I nearly cried when the cashiers would tell me my totals. That alone has made me realize that I need to space out my shopping. Considerably. Sister, I called you because I have no idea what to get The Boy. I am hoping we can purchase something when I get there so that I remain a rockin' Auntie.

8. Despite the fact that the holidays snuck up behind me and beat me with a stick, I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!! And, for the first time in my life, I will actually have a White Christmas! I am pysched.

Ohhh heeeeyyyyyll nah!

Congratulations! You are 0% ghetto

It looks like you keep yourself out of the ghetto and are living ghetto free. Also, you may be white.

How Ghetto Are You
Create Your Own Quiz

WTF? It's because I work for the man now, huh?

Sweet mary, mother of pearl

I'm back y'all! My computer went kaput so The Man is letting me use his old a$s work laptop. But I'm back!
A lot has happened since last week. Yes, we got the puppy (I. Don't. Want. To. Hear. It.)
Her name is Pili (Pee-Lee) as in "Pili Nut", from the Bicol region of the Philippines. I was quite impressed that it was The Man who thought of that one. Sort of a shout-out to my side of the family (they are the ones from Bicol,) if you will.

"But how do they keep Piko and Pili straight when they sound so much alike?" you ask. We don't. We get it right 50% of the time. Luckily, they just come running no matter who is calling them because they always compete for attention.
I introduce to you - PILI!

Cute lil' bugger, ain't she?? She is 3.8 lbs, pees and poos wherever she pleases and screams (seriously, screams) like a monkey when she is crated at night. Pili also comes when you call her like she knew exactly what her name was the minute we gave it to her. She also makes Piko very happy. For the most part.
It has been a loooong week. Pili was carrying some sort of virus which got Piko sick. My parents, The Man and I have been to the vet three times this week (thank goodness for my folks, they took them while I was at work!) I never thought I'd be so concerned about the texture of my puppies' poo. The Man and I are like feces scientists. NOT something either of us desire to be.

But when we see them nap together, we know we made a good decision. Piko has actually gotten the housetraining down since Pili moved in. Yes, we got a dog for our dog but they are both happy, recovering-from-a-stomach-virus puppies. And because we want to win the "SO FREAKIN' CUTE IT'S SICKENING" award, here is a picture they took with Santa at the pet store yesterday:

L-R: My cousin's dog, Daisy, Piko and Pili

Daisy and Piko were pulling down Santa's beard and Piko was hiding until the photographer pulled out an obnoxious squeak toy which startled ALL of them and that's how we got all of them to look at the camera at the same time.

Other than that, same ol' same ol'. Missed me? I missed you guys.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR DADDY

Our (Demondoll and my) Dad is 72 years old today. He gave us quite a scare yesterday when he passed out at a party my parents were attending. Without going into details, an ambulance came because he bashed his head, causing some major bleeding from the crown of his head. We weren't sure if he had a heart attack because he had chest pains. According to the doctors, he didn't have one because his EKG results weren't abnormal. But they're still not quite sure what happened so he has to go to his regular doctor this week.
I was so scared. I know my mom was frightened (she's the one, along with her friends, who discovered him in such terrible shape) and so was my sister. My dad was sad to know he would be in the hospital the day of his birthday. But, as I mentioned, they don't think he had a heart attack so he was released today and able to spend at least half of his birthday at home.
Our Dad is pretty outstanding. I know, everyone thinks their dad is Superman but our Dad is a wonderful man. He loves his family so much and always puts us first, in everything he does. He is also a spectacular grandfather and is extremely loving to his daughter's puppies, too! And, at 72 years of age, he is STILL a Superman who just goes at a little slower pace. He still wants to build us things (he's a very handy man), cook, and provide for us, even though we are grown.
We love him so very much, wish him a speedy recovery and many, many, many, many, many, more birthdays.

Double the fun, double the poop

I'm hesitant to get another puppy. But The Man doesn't want Piko to be lonely when her grandparents leave for four months to the Philippines (they puppysit every weekday!) We like to peruse the petstore site where we found Piko just to see the newest puppies. We "oooh" and "ahh" but that's about it. I'm not ready for waking up every two hours and neither is The Man.
But last night, we saw that the store now has a Pekatese:
Oh me, oh my. I don't know if we're ready. But she's only a month and one week younger than Piko. And she looks just like her!
So we're going to the petstore this weekend to see if Piko and puppy-on-the-left will even like each other. And if The Man and I click with her. There is definitely no rush so if it's meant to be, great. If not, it's OK too.
But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking, "that's a lot of poop." *Sigh* But I want my girl to be happy so we'll see.

It's beginning to look a lot little like Christmas

Although I love Christmas, I haven't gotten into decorating my place. Last year was my first Christmas in my home and I didn't put up a thing.

This year, I fell in love with the teeny tiny Christmas trees that I saw at Target but held back. And then, whadya know?! Target also sells minature ornaments, mini lights and even a itty bitty glowing star! I love Target.

So here is the very first Christmas tree I've bought on my own-

Cute, isn't it?? And I bet you wondered where Piko's been. Or not.
Sister called me and told me she couldn't believe I let Piko on the table! But I couldn't help showing off my mini tree and mini puppy!
Excluding presents, this is the extent of my decorations. But I guarantee it even smells like Christmas in my house. The mini tree is mighty fragrant and I have an apple cinnamon plug-in ;)

Love, thanks, and a load of turkey

I adore the holidays. Specifically, Christmas. And Thanksgiving is a great kick off holiday to the big shin-dig that is Christmas!
What's great about Thanksgiving, though, is there are no strings attached. Giving and receiving is AWESOME but Thanksgiving is all about being with loved ones, eating a HUGE meal, watching the Macy's parade and then catching some football. Holy smokes, could you ask for anything else???

LULU GIVES THANKS

1. Parents: My family is the best. I love them to pieces. My parents are so generous and loving. They have a thankless job, being a parent and all, and they would give everything to make sure their kids are safe and happy. I love them soo much. Plus, they are so teeny tiny and cute!

2. Sister: She is my best friend. She was my third parent growing up - she was the hip one - but now I get a best friend out of the deal. What a steal!!! She is so kind and generous (she must have good parents) and funny. She is talented, stylish (did I ever tell you she made me a color chart when I was little because the outfit I put together hurt her eyes?) and just simply divine.

3. Brother: He is our earth angel. If anyone has a non-stop flight to Heaven, it's him. He teaches me patience and compassion.

4. The Man: My other best friend. He knows me so well. He is a dork trapped in the body of a hottie! How can I not love that he is beautiful inside and out yet is humble, bashful and shy? He is truly a good man who loves me. Plus, he be my puppy's daddy. Word.

5. My friends: I'm not very good at keeping friends. It's a lot of effort to stay in touch and before I know it, I haven't talked to a friend in almost a year! Plus, if I am wronged, it's very hard for me to let a person back into my life. So the friends I do have really are super stars. They are kind, funny, supportive, smart, generous and all-around wonderful.

6. Power Yoga: I haven't been to class since April because of my new job schedule. But I'm going to today!!!! I can't possibly convey how excited I am. Just know I am beside myself because I love my nazi yoga teacher (by that I mean like "soup nazi" and not "genocide leader") I am so happy today!

And I'm thankful for a lot more (like my wild Pekatese puppy) but that's the jist of it. So, because I am a pretty cool gal, and I mean, pret-ty cool, I am giving y'all a little gift:

Go to www.sephora.com and shop your little heart out. Buy about $100 worth of stuff. Then get 20% off your Sephora purchase when you enter promotional code "FF2006" at checkout. You should also have free shipping because you spend over $75. And you get the dope discount. Seriously.

Told you I was a pretty cool gal. Happy Thanksgiving!!!! xoxoxo

SF Hula Girl is BACK!

Me and my old hula sisters hammin' it up at a dance festival in 2003.

Hula was something I wanted to learn back in 1996. It wasn't until my then-boyfriend and I broke up in 2000 that I really did something about it and joined a San Francisco halau. Five years later, I stopped dancing because I never made the time to practice and to do anything well, you've got to practice! I had also moved back to the East Bay and had to deal with a round-trip two hour commute just to go to class.

It's been nearly two years since I left. And lately I've been feeling like I need an outlet. Something to look forward to other than going home after work! I've been wanting to check out a local halau that my former teacher worked with for a performance. I attended my first class last night. So far so good - it is less than 1o minutes away from my house! The teacher seems cool, if not unorthodox (we were doing hula warm ups to an old Michael Jackson song. Never done that before.) Unlike my first halau where there were over 100 students learning in a school cafeteria, this class had less than 10 people in a dance studio. I like it, even though I feel like such a beginner! I may need to sign up for private lessons just so I can catch up.Wish me luck!

Here's to healthy outlets, *raising a glass* cheers!

I adore Tina Fey!

Tina Fey: Paris Hilton Is A “Piece of Sh-t”

Tina Fey, the former head writer of Saturday Night Live, and creator and star of the new NBC show, 30 Rock, dropped by Howard Stern’s Sirius Satellite radio show on Wednesday to share her thoughts on various past SNL guest hosts.
She revealed that Paris Hilton asked the writers to make a skit in which she could play Jessica Simpson "because I hate her…she's fat.” Fey also claims that Paris was so self-centered that staffers had a bet going on as to whether she would ask anyone something personal (like "How are you?") during her week on-set. They only lost when she asked, “Is Maya Rudolph Italian?" (she's half Black, half Jewish). In excerpts from the interview below, Tina dishes more on Paris, Matthew McConaughey (See: personal hygiene, lack thereof) and losing her own virginity. On her virginity:TF: I was 24 when I lost my virginity. I was still a virgin when I met my husband.
HS: Why do you think that is, you were the hot girl on SNL?
TF: I don't know, I was a drama major, so it was me and 100 gay guys, so maybe that was my problem.
On Paris Hilton:HS: What is Paris Hilton like?
TF: She's a piece of sh-t. The people at SNL were like maybe she'll be fun, maybe she won't take herself so seriously. She takes herself so seriously! She's unbelievably dumb and so proud of how dumb she is. She looks like a tranny up close.
HS: Was she bad on SNL, was she hard to deal with?
TF: She was awful. People never come in and say "I'm not doing that." So, this guy Jim Downey wrote a really really funny sketch, it was supposed to be Lorne Michaels just finding out that she had a sex tape and telling her she couldn't host the show because SNL has standards... So she was like "I'm not doing it!" and refused to come out of her dressing room. Also, you would walk down the hall and find what just looked like nasty wads of Barbie hair on the stairs... Her hair is like a Fraggle.
HS: Did she give you ideas for sketches?
TF: Yeah, she wanted to make fun of all the girls she hates. She was like "I want to play Jessica Simpson, I hate her." She would come in the room and say "you should do a show about Jessica Simpson because she's fat."
HS: What was the bet you guys had going about her?
TF: The cast had a bet if she would ask anyone on the cast anything about themselves, you know like how are you? where are you from? anything. I think Seth Meyers won because at one point, she asked him if Maya Rudolf was Italian.

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/node/3875

Umm, I HAD to share

These are comics that were forwarded to me.
Foul. But funny.
But oh so foul.

My favorite is the naked comic.

I need an outlet

That's what The Man tells me.
I've been frustrated with certain aspects of work and The Man says I'm working myself up even more because I don't have hula or yoga. He suggests I go back to hula.
It's a little tricky right now seeing that I need to persuade my parents to puppysit a while longer (to which they probably wouldn't say no, I just don't want them to feel like I'm taking advantage of their kindness.) But he's probably right. I feel like a blob because I am NOT active at all. I don't feel an ounce of attractiveness and I'm so tired that I can only mildly care.
I've been thinking about going back to hula for quite some time and now that I'm putting it out there ("there" being my blog) so I will have to have some accountability to go through with it.
Well, OK then!