Monday, March 31, 2008
East.
Oh my freaking word, it's this week. In 4 short days, I will be on a plane and on my trek across this country. I'm giddy, I'm scared, I'm...being me. I get up in the morning and I watch the New York morning shows and I watch raw footage of the cherry blossoms and the expected million people walking below them. DC will be beyond crowded, and unlikely not the best time to visit for a girl who hates crowds, but you know, I don't care, the blossoms are in peak bloom and I can't believe how lucky I am. My dad says he is jealous and my grandmother too. This morning someone called me inspiring and I think I needed it a lot because I'm starting to get nervous. Me...in New York? In Philly? In DC? I am not sure how I am going to see everything I want to see in the short time, but I have a feeling I will be back very soon. I know I am going to fall in love with these cities, the girl who used to think that she would work on that hill one day. I can't believe it's almost here, I can't believe I have to wait 4 more days.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Project 30: Changes and Updates to East Coast
I canceled my stay at the Hotel Chelsea for Monday night since it's edgier than I want in that your stuff is likely to get jacked when you aren't there, which is bad. I am now at the Best Western in a different part of town, which will be nice since I will have my own bathroom and it's in a different part of town closer to Times Square and more happening things. I also called the hostel and she seemed nice and I'm less nervous about my stuff or getting there late and getting up early.
I have printed maps out the wazoo to draw on tonight and start to spec firmer tentative plans, especially for Philly and DC which I have barely thought about.
Storming the east in 8 days...
I have printed maps out the wazoo to draw on tonight and start to spec firmer tentative plans, especially for Philly and DC which I have barely thought about.
Storming the east in 8 days...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Project 30: East Coast Update
I now have:
A luggage and laptop lock
A ticket to tour the inside of the Statue of Liberty at 9am on Saturday, April 5th
A ticket to tour the inside of Independence Hall at 10 or 11 am on Wednesday, April 9th.
My actual physical tickets to Gypsy and Mary Poppins from the mail.
All the spending cash I could stash away these last few months so that I should be ok.
I need:
A lower cost parking / shuttle solution than $85.
(It's looking like my insane travel times and lack of friends has left me driving myself and using a coupon, but grr that I am flushing that money down the toilet.)
Airport transport from Long Island to Manhattan (LIRR here I come!)
Airport transport from DC to Baltimore (Oh DC Metro...)
All I have left is cleaning, laundry and packing. Really, can it be that simple? Can I really be ready 1 week before? I have everything bought, and all my things ready, so now all there is to do is wait and worry. Damn you anxiety! But I'm also thrilled and excited and can't quit looking at maps of New York.
A luggage and laptop lock
A ticket to tour the inside of the Statue of Liberty at 9am on Saturday, April 5th
A ticket to tour the inside of Independence Hall at 10 or 11 am on Wednesday, April 9th.
My actual physical tickets to Gypsy and Mary Poppins from the mail.
All the spending cash I could stash away these last few months so that I should be ok.
I need:
A lower cost parking / shuttle solution than $85.
(It's looking like my insane travel times and lack of friends has left me driving myself and using a coupon, but grr that I am flushing that money down the toilet.)
Airport transport from Long Island to Manhattan (LIRR here I come!)
Airport transport from DC to Baltimore (Oh DC Metro...)
All I have left is cleaning, laundry and packing. Really, can it be that simple? Can I really be ready 1 week before? I have everything bought, and all my things ready, so now all there is to do is wait and worry. Damn you anxiety! But I'm also thrilled and excited and can't quit looking at maps of New York.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Updated List - March Down, April Plans
Project 30 Official List -
Updated March 24, 2008, 3.5 Months After Kickoff
December:
Purchase an Ipod - Complete
Visit Vegas & See a show (Spice Girls) - Complete
Whale Watching on Monterey Bay - Complete
January:
Tour St. George's Spirits, Makers of Hangar One Vodka - Complete
February:
See 'Wicked', the Broadway Musical - Complete
Ride a Mechanical Bull for Valentines Day - Complete
Multi-Course Dinner - AsiaSF - Complete
Winchester Mystery House - Wild Card - Complete
Kooza, Cirque Du Soleil Show - Wild Card - Complete
March:
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Hockey Game - Complete
Elephant Seals during Mating Season at Ano Nuevo - Complete
Dance Lessons - Friday Night Waltz - Complete
April:
Broadway Show in NYC - April 5 & 6th
Baseball Game #1 - See Yankees (Last Year in Stadium) - April 7th
Tour Museums in DC - April 11 & 12
Baseball Game #2 - See Mets (Last Year in Stadium) - April 17th
May:
Berry Picking
Birthday Party Bar Crawl
Secret Stencil Mission
June:
Train Ride Weekend to San Diego
Horseback Riding in Half Moon Bay
July:
Limo in Napa/Sonoma for Winetasting
August:
Monterey Bay Aquarium
September:
Disneyland
Football Game
October & November:
Spa Day
Art Show at my House
& Any unfinished Business
Unscheduled:
Gun Shooting
B&W Nude Pictures
Other:
1 WILDCARD
For use at my choosing at anytime I remember "Oh yeah, I wanted to do that" and want to count it towards the project. (I have removed the vodka cabinet & frames, since those are larger than the scope of the project and not as fitting, but have replaced them with wildcard and bday party.)
Updated March 24, 2008, 3.5 Months After Kickoff
December:
Purchase an Ipod - Complete
Visit Vegas & See a show (Spice Girls) - Complete
Whale Watching on Monterey Bay - Complete
January:
Tour St. George's Spirits, Makers of Hangar One Vodka - Complete
February:
See 'Wicked', the Broadway Musical - Complete
Ride a Mechanical Bull for Valentines Day - Complete
Multi-Course Dinner - AsiaSF - Complete
Winchester Mystery House - Wild Card - Complete
Kooza, Cirque Du Soleil Show - Wild Card - Complete
March:
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Hockey Game - Complete
Elephant Seals during Mating Season at Ano Nuevo - Complete
Dance Lessons - Friday Night Waltz - Complete
April:
Broadway Show in NYC - April 5 & 6th
Baseball Game #1 - See Yankees (Last Year in Stadium) - April 7th
Tour Museums in DC - April 11 & 12
Baseball Game #2 - See Mets (Last Year in Stadium) - April 17th
May:
Berry Picking
Birthday Party Bar Crawl
Secret Stencil Mission
June:
Train Ride Weekend to San Diego
Horseback Riding in Half Moon Bay
July:
Limo in Napa/Sonoma for Winetasting
August:
Monterey Bay Aquarium
September:
Disneyland
Football Game
October & November:
Spa Day
Art Show at my House
& Any unfinished Business
Unscheduled:
Gun Shooting
B&W Nude Pictures
Other:
1 WILDCARD
For use at my choosing at anytime I remember "Oh yeah, I wanted to do that" and want to count it towards the project. (I have removed the vodka cabinet & frames, since those are larger than the scope of the project and not as fitting, but have replaced them with wildcard and bday party.)
Project 30: Nature is so bitchin'!
Task 12/30: Tour Ano Nuevo During Elephant Seal Mating Season
Complete: March 16, 2008
Ano Nuevo Island sits off Ano Nuevo State Reserve and is home to over 5 types of Pinnipeds, but I was only interested in one this time - The Elephant Seals.
Planning too late, tours booked for months in advance, I managed to get a single ticket to a tour very late in the season to travel up to the coast to the Ano Nuevo State Reserve to view supposedly thousands of elephant seals in their natural cycles. To my unfortunate disappointment, my tour came a little too late to see any real action, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy and respect how very awesome it was to be near these creatures. The tour guide noted several times that at this point in the season, they haven't eaten or drank any water in months, are emaciated and movement for us burns more calories than they have available. There would be no tussling males over females, no scampering little ones, only lazy, tired, underfed "weaners" and "flat" males. But those were enough to make it worth it.
Down paths and over sand dunes, we hiked behind the guide in a pack of about 15, careful to where she was routing and rerouting us, expertly spotting a calf in the grass where we would have all missed it laying in the "heat". The wind blew quickly and it amazed me that the guide kept commenting on how torrid it was for the seals. They must really like it cold.
They were everywhere, and even inactive, they were impressive to just stare at, and imagine the life they lead.
The tour was a hefty few mile walk over a couple hours, exacerbated by fighting the wind, and turned in to a good sunny Sunday workout. I will definitely plan ahead in the future to go back in early January when the males are more active, and may even try and go back this summer when the little ones are there running around more and you don't have to be on a tour. I was happy that I finally made the 45 minute drive up the coast to this awesome nature that was so available to me, all these years ignored.
Mission Complete!
See all my Ano Nuevo Pictures Here.
Complete: March 16, 2008
Ano Nuevo Island sits off Ano Nuevo State Reserve and is home to over 5 types of Pinnipeds, but I was only interested in one this time - The Elephant Seals.
Planning too late, tours booked for months in advance, I managed to get a single ticket to a tour very late in the season to travel up to the coast to the Ano Nuevo State Reserve to view supposedly thousands of elephant seals in their natural cycles. To my unfortunate disappointment, my tour came a little too late to see any real action, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy and respect how very awesome it was to be near these creatures. The tour guide noted several times that at this point in the season, they haven't eaten or drank any water in months, are emaciated and movement for us burns more calories than they have available. There would be no tussling males over females, no scampering little ones, only lazy, tired, underfed "weaners" and "flat" males. But those were enough to make it worth it.
Down paths and over sand dunes, we hiked behind the guide in a pack of about 15, careful to where she was routing and rerouting us, expertly spotting a calf in the grass where we would have all missed it laying in the "heat". The wind blew quickly and it amazed me that the guide kept commenting on how torrid it was for the seals. They must really like it cold.
They were everywhere, and even inactive, they were impressive to just stare at, and imagine the life they lead.
The tour was a hefty few mile walk over a couple hours, exacerbated by fighting the wind, and turned in to a good sunny Sunday workout. I will definitely plan ahead in the future to go back in early January when the males are more active, and may even try and go back this summer when the little ones are there running around more and you don't have to be on a tour. I was happy that I finally made the 45 minute drive up the coast to this awesome nature that was so available to me, all these years ignored.
Mission Complete!
See all my Ano Nuevo Pictures Here.
Project 30: The Friday Night Waltz
Task 11/30: Take a Ballroom dance Lesson
Complete: March 21, 2008
I waltzed. No, really, the girl that can't put one foot in front of the other and walk without running into something, tripping or bruising herself went to a social dancing event, and danced. It was freaking awesome.
I was terribly tentative, and even grumbly about how much I didn't want to do this, how stupid I thought it all was, how did I get tricked into this, why was I doing this, it was dumb. (I've had a long week at work, I was tired and wanted to spend my Friday night in front of the tv, so I was unnecessarily negative.) I was asked by a friend of mine who goes a lot, and who is wonderfully graceful, taking multiple other dance classes every week. I told her I was afraid I would embarass her, but slapped on my skirt and my jazz shoes that hadn't been on my feet in 10 years and sucked it up and went, as four of us ladies packed into a car and headed to Palo Alto for the Friday Night Waltz.
Last night was in a different location than normal, so there was only a 1 hour beginning class followed by a 1 hour intermediate class. I guess normally, they separate the beginners and intermediate people and they each get a 2 hour lesson and then they dance. Later we discussed that method probably works better, since you go straight to practicing what you learned rather than moving on to learning something else like we did. It's the fairly normal approach to social dancing, where you pair up leads and follows in a big giant circle, learn and practice a few steps and then rotate around the circle. I've always really appreciated this aspect of social dance training, because not only is there the obvious benefits of being able to go without a partner, but you don't get stuck with a bad partner and get lots of lessons from different good partners. I was very thankful for all of my partners last night, there wasn't one person I danced with that I didn't walk away a better dancer.
Everyone was really, really nice and smiley and fun. For all the reasons I fell in love with the cowboy bar, I fell in love with the Friday Night Waltz. Every type of person you can imagine is in that room. It's the most amazing cross-section of society that you could imagine and probably couldn't come up with if you hand picked them. It's beautiful in a way that words can't even describe and as the night went on, I started thriving on it. I ended up thinking later about how I am socially and how this really works for me. I get to force myself to interact with lots of strangers, but it's on a very temporary basis. Someone asks you to dance, or simply walks up to you with their hand extended, you take it, you dance, and if they are a gentleman, they escort you back off the floor and then you part ways. The flow of it all becomes a dance in itself.
The beginning lesson flew by, and I felt like I managed to learn the steps and not step on anyone's feet too majorly and quickly realized that, out of the 40 people in the room, I wasn't the worst dancer. I do have some solo dance training and performance experience, so I know form and function in dance fairly well, it's making my feet go where my brain wants them to that is hard on a normal day. I was feeling like I had been too hard on myself but when the intermediate lesson came, I started to falter and panicking that the growing class was being offset by me being 4 steps behind. In fact, I even thought a few times about how I could dash off the floor and stop embarassing myself, but started faking it until I made it. Turns, promenading, picking up where my feet were supposed to land each time...damn, that was definitely harder, but seemingly, I hung in there and the lessons came to an end.
By the time the dance started, there was easily 100 people in there, and apparently, that was 1/2 the size of a normal night. They run the evening in sets of 12 dances, combining different waltzes with mixes of latin and other genres to mix it up and then starting again with a new set of 12. I danced a few songs in the first set, warning each partner that asked that I was bad, new, tentative and going to likely crush their feet. They all laughed, said it was nothing, and had their own encouragement usually ending in a statement about just following them. I was asked for a cross-step waltz for my second dance, one I had not learned in the lessons before. I did my hesistation, but he insisted, and learned very quickly a good partner can make you feel like Ginger Rogers. He flew me around for those few minutes and I felt as graceful as I have ever been in my whole life. I don't think I will ever forget that moment, as he turned, and led me around that floor with strength like I was a pro. His leading was phenomenal and gave me increased confidence to dance more that evening, paying attention to the lessons each partner was trying to teach me, everyone super patient and helpful. Just as I found myself learning from people who were a bit behind me, I guess they probably learn from teaching me as well, and they get to dance at the same time.
I danced a swing and got it down pretty well, even though it was a really simple one, but again, I had a good lead who insisted I just keep my feet below my shoulders and put my shoulders where my frame sent them, and he would guide my frame. It worked and when the music started again he kept me on the floor and I was happy. My favorite dance my next. It was one like you see in old movies with royalty where they are all dancing in a circle and changing partners, almost like a greeting dance. You did you 8 measures with one partner then nodded as you then turned to your new partner, making your way slowly through every partner and back to your own. It was a great dance to practice a simple turn, promenade, waltz step transition over, and over and over, until it was hard to not have it down perfectly by the end. I loved it. It was the thing I think that clinched my future attendance at the dances. I had already fantasized about learning to be as graceful as the woman following the teacher in the class, but now I knew I wanted to learn more. It was so polite and proper and sweet. I could not wipe the smile off my face, as I quickly found myself dancing with another partner, unable to shake the momentum from the last dance and finally starting to get the beat. But alas, that clinched it for my feet and I was starting to feel much more exhausted than I expected. It's a definite workout for sure, especially some of the dances where you are spinning nonstop. I struggled with that one, never sure when to put my feet down, feeling like I was going to hurl and unsure where I was supposed to spot or was going next, from left to right, I got lost and by the end was sweaty and dizzy.
I'm really pleased with last night, and for all the lessons I learned about not just dancing but myself. We all piled back in the car at the end of the second set and headed home all talking about next time and other lessons we can go to. It was an event definitely project worthy and something we call...
MISSION COMPLETE!
Complete: March 21, 2008
I waltzed. No, really, the girl that can't put one foot in front of the other and walk without running into something, tripping or bruising herself went to a social dancing event, and danced. It was freaking awesome.
I was terribly tentative, and even grumbly about how much I didn't want to do this, how stupid I thought it all was, how did I get tricked into this, why was I doing this, it was dumb. (I've had a long week at work, I was tired and wanted to spend my Friday night in front of the tv, so I was unnecessarily negative.) I was asked by a friend of mine who goes a lot, and who is wonderfully graceful, taking multiple other dance classes every week. I told her I was afraid I would embarass her, but slapped on my skirt and my jazz shoes that hadn't been on my feet in 10 years and sucked it up and went, as four of us ladies packed into a car and headed to Palo Alto for the Friday Night Waltz.
Last night was in a different location than normal, so there was only a 1 hour beginning class followed by a 1 hour intermediate class. I guess normally, they separate the beginners and intermediate people and they each get a 2 hour lesson and then they dance. Later we discussed that method probably works better, since you go straight to practicing what you learned rather than moving on to learning something else like we did. It's the fairly normal approach to social dancing, where you pair up leads and follows in a big giant circle, learn and practice a few steps and then rotate around the circle. I've always really appreciated this aspect of social dance training, because not only is there the obvious benefits of being able to go without a partner, but you don't get stuck with a bad partner and get lots of lessons from different good partners. I was very thankful for all of my partners last night, there wasn't one person I danced with that I didn't walk away a better dancer.
Everyone was really, really nice and smiley and fun. For all the reasons I fell in love with the cowboy bar, I fell in love with the Friday Night Waltz. Every type of person you can imagine is in that room. It's the most amazing cross-section of society that you could imagine and probably couldn't come up with if you hand picked them. It's beautiful in a way that words can't even describe and as the night went on, I started thriving on it. I ended up thinking later about how I am socially and how this really works for me. I get to force myself to interact with lots of strangers, but it's on a very temporary basis. Someone asks you to dance, or simply walks up to you with their hand extended, you take it, you dance, and if they are a gentleman, they escort you back off the floor and then you part ways. The flow of it all becomes a dance in itself.
The beginning lesson flew by, and I felt like I managed to learn the steps and not step on anyone's feet too majorly and quickly realized that, out of the 40 people in the room, I wasn't the worst dancer. I do have some solo dance training and performance experience, so I know form and function in dance fairly well, it's making my feet go where my brain wants them to that is hard on a normal day. I was feeling like I had been too hard on myself but when the intermediate lesson came, I started to falter and panicking that the growing class was being offset by me being 4 steps behind. In fact, I even thought a few times about how I could dash off the floor and stop embarassing myself, but started faking it until I made it. Turns, promenading, picking up where my feet were supposed to land each time...damn, that was definitely harder, but seemingly, I hung in there and the lessons came to an end.
By the time the dance started, there was easily 100 people in there, and apparently, that was 1/2 the size of a normal night. They run the evening in sets of 12 dances, combining different waltzes with mixes of latin and other genres to mix it up and then starting again with a new set of 12. I danced a few songs in the first set, warning each partner that asked that I was bad, new, tentative and going to likely crush their feet. They all laughed, said it was nothing, and had their own encouragement usually ending in a statement about just following them. I was asked for a cross-step waltz for my second dance, one I had not learned in the lessons before. I did my hesistation, but he insisted, and learned very quickly a good partner can make you feel like Ginger Rogers. He flew me around for those few minutes and I felt as graceful as I have ever been in my whole life. I don't think I will ever forget that moment, as he turned, and led me around that floor with strength like I was a pro. His leading was phenomenal and gave me increased confidence to dance more that evening, paying attention to the lessons each partner was trying to teach me, everyone super patient and helpful. Just as I found myself learning from people who were a bit behind me, I guess they probably learn from teaching me as well, and they get to dance at the same time.
I danced a swing and got it down pretty well, even though it was a really simple one, but again, I had a good lead who insisted I just keep my feet below my shoulders and put my shoulders where my frame sent them, and he would guide my frame. It worked and when the music started again he kept me on the floor and I was happy. My favorite dance my next. It was one like you see in old movies with royalty where they are all dancing in a circle and changing partners, almost like a greeting dance. You did you 8 measures with one partner then nodded as you then turned to your new partner, making your way slowly through every partner and back to your own. It was a great dance to practice a simple turn, promenade, waltz step transition over, and over and over, until it was hard to not have it down perfectly by the end. I loved it. It was the thing I think that clinched my future attendance at the dances. I had already fantasized about learning to be as graceful as the woman following the teacher in the class, but now I knew I wanted to learn more. It was so polite and proper and sweet. I could not wipe the smile off my face, as I quickly found myself dancing with another partner, unable to shake the momentum from the last dance and finally starting to get the beat. But alas, that clinched it for my feet and I was starting to feel much more exhausted than I expected. It's a definite workout for sure, especially some of the dances where you are spinning nonstop. I struggled with that one, never sure when to put my feet down, feeling like I was going to hurl and unsure where I was supposed to spot or was going next, from left to right, I got lost and by the end was sweaty and dizzy.
I'm really pleased with last night, and for all the lessons I learned about not just dancing but myself. We all piled back in the car at the end of the second set and headed home all talking about next time and other lessons we can go to. It was an event definitely project worthy and something we call...
MISSION COMPLETE!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Project 30: East Coast Update
I now have:
A train ticket from NYC to Philly
A train ticket from Philly to DC
A ticket to see Gypsy at the St. James Theater in NY on Saturday, April 5th at 8pm
A ticket to see Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater in NY on Sunday, April 6th at 6:30pm.
A ticket to see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. the Yankees on Monday, April 7th at 7pm.
A train ticket from NYC to Philly
A train ticket from Philly to DC
A ticket to see Gypsy at the St. James Theater in NY on Saturday, April 5th at 8pm
A ticket to see Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater in NY on Sunday, April 6th at 6:30pm.
A ticket to see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. the Yankees on Monday, April 7th at 7pm.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Project 30: San Jose Sharks Vs. St. Louis Blues
Task 10/30: My First NHL Hockey Game
Complete: March 14, 2008
Goal!!
Fight!!
Action!!
Goalies are funny.
This was on the side of a Zamboni, it was cute.
Sharks Win! They extended their winning streak to 11 games!
I had a really great time! I'm very glad I got to go, and we had amazing seats. I'm really thankful for the whole experience and I had great company. I could definitely get into hockey and get season tickets. It's a fun sport and the fans in San Jose were great. It was fun, even if my team didn't win. How rare is it that you see 5 goals in a game and a record breaking game to boot? Just awesome.
MISSION COMPLETE!
See all my pictures from the game here.
PS- Project is 1/3 complete! Woohoo!
Complete: March 14, 2008
Goal!!
Fight!!
Action!!
Goalies are funny.
This was on the side of a Zamboni, it was cute.
Sharks Win! They extended their winning streak to 11 games!
I had a really great time! I'm very glad I got to go, and we had amazing seats. I'm really thankful for the whole experience and I had great company. I could definitely get into hockey and get season tickets. It's a fun sport and the fans in San Jose were great. It was fun, even if my team didn't win. How rare is it that you see 5 goals in a game and a record breaking game to boot? Just awesome.
MISSION COMPLETE!
See all my pictures from the game here.
PS- Project is 1/3 complete! Woohoo!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Project 30: Cirque du Soleil
Task 9/30: Wildcard #2 - Kooza
Complete: February 28, 2008
I know it sounds weird that someone who is such a theater and dance and performance buff hasn't seen one of these shows. To be honest, I'm not really a circus fan, and have my own personal boycott of gymnasts (and ice skaters) and so they really never appealed to me much. But alas, I've never been and got a chance to get a decent priced ticket, had some cash and splurged on a night out by myself.
It was okay I guess. A lot of clowns. I'm not big on clowns. I'm pretty impatient with theater, I'm picky. There were some wow moments, and some not so wow ones. 2 big stunts that made me cheer loud. I mean, I guess short, limber strong guys need purpose in life, but really, the juggling guy was so not impressive, the guy in the park does better and he's free. The staging blew me away, coming from theater, and being a bit bored with the actual show, I spent a lot of time looking behind the scenes, watching the transitions, the light guys and even still being surprised when something appeared massively before me without noticing. They have distraction down to an art in itself, and you never question the pacing of the show, except possibly an intermission a twinge too long. While I had a decent seat and I'm not complaining about the half price for where I sat, I still was happier when I moved closer into the back of the front section after intermission, but was bummed when some other lady moved in front of me, so it was a compromise. All in all, I guess I'm glad I went, it was neat. The general comment is "Now go see O" so that's probably what I'll do next time I can drag someone to Vegas to splurge on shows. (Maria?) Anyway, the show was good, I was entertained and it was an easy evening of entertainment, with little parking hassle and a quick trip over the hill.
Mission Complete!
Complete: February 28, 2008
I know it sounds weird that someone who is such a theater and dance and performance buff hasn't seen one of these shows. To be honest, I'm not really a circus fan, and have my own personal boycott of gymnasts (and ice skaters) and so they really never appealed to me much. But alas, I've never been and got a chance to get a decent priced ticket, had some cash and splurged on a night out by myself.
It was okay I guess. A lot of clowns. I'm not big on clowns. I'm pretty impatient with theater, I'm picky. There were some wow moments, and some not so wow ones. 2 big stunts that made me cheer loud. I mean, I guess short, limber strong guys need purpose in life, but really, the juggling guy was so not impressive, the guy in the park does better and he's free. The staging blew me away, coming from theater, and being a bit bored with the actual show, I spent a lot of time looking behind the scenes, watching the transitions, the light guys and even still being surprised when something appeared massively before me without noticing. They have distraction down to an art in itself, and you never question the pacing of the show, except possibly an intermission a twinge too long. While I had a decent seat and I'm not complaining about the half price for where I sat, I still was happier when I moved closer into the back of the front section after intermission, but was bummed when some other lady moved in front of me, so it was a compromise. All in all, I guess I'm glad I went, it was neat. The general comment is "Now go see O" so that's probably what I'll do next time I can drag someone to Vegas to splurge on shows. (Maria?) Anyway, the show was good, I was entertained and it was an easy evening of entertainment, with little parking hassle and a quick trip over the hill.
Mission Complete!
Project 30: Asia SF
Task 8/30: Multi-course dinner
Complete: February 23, 2008
Home to "World Famous Gender Illusionists" and yummy food, AsiaSF sits in San Francisco night after night packed and pounding with performances for birthdays, bachelorettes and more. Getting a prime reservation after calling on a whim, our group descended into the best seats in the house due to a late party. As the host put it "You snooze, you lose" and well, we won, unfolding our menus to gaze at the menage a trois menu - 3 courses of rich selections paired with fun flare on the runway in front of us.
This isn't exactly what I had planned for the project, but I've never had a meal like this before and I've wanted to go to this particular restaurant since it opened 10 years ago and the opportunity fell into my lap. Especially since some things aren't shaping out exactly how they were originally imagined, and since I declared my rules flexible, I've decided that this qualifies and that later, if I want to do this or something else bigger or again, well then I can. But it took me this long to do even a meal with courses, and this had them, and it was cool, and my project, so it counts.
The food was yummilicious and our waiters were the bartenders, as the tables all around us were filled with large parties celebrating their Saturday nights. It was neat being on the inside of the circle, often staring up, center stage at the girls. I did my research before, so I knew what to stear us towards and away from and I'd say we were spot on. The chicken satay was the serious mmm-y. For my main course I had the filet, which was delicious, though came right as the first show was on, so I was a bit distracted taking pictures and whispering with the guys I was with. We had some delicious sake and for dessert, I split a yummy banana split that had deep fried bananas on top. It was delish. I gorged, we had a late reservation and the food paced out a bit slow for our appetites and obviously designed to encourage more drinking, but I was happy anyway.
The show was awesome, and the ladies were drop dead gorgeous, all of us definitely surprised. There were some girls who did the show part better, some people who just seemed to not be so into the dancing and performing, but all still did an amazing job. There was the country, pop, hip hop and burlesque, something for everyone as 2 rounds of performances showcased multiple ladies of all different types. It was actually nice to see that they had really done such a great job of focusing on diversity in promoting their diversity. At the end, the emcee made sure to say that she was proud to share the stage with ladies who were standing up as themselves and living their lives, I think really to send home that this wasn't a freak show, this was living...and did it in a really empowering way.
To a great night full of fun, food and lots of laughter, I have to call this Mission COMPLETE.
Complete: February 23, 2008
Home to "World Famous Gender Illusionists" and yummy food, AsiaSF sits in San Francisco night after night packed and pounding with performances for birthdays, bachelorettes and more. Getting a prime reservation after calling on a whim, our group descended into the best seats in the house due to a late party. As the host put it "You snooze, you lose" and well, we won, unfolding our menus to gaze at the menage a trois menu - 3 courses of rich selections paired with fun flare on the runway in front of us.
This isn't exactly what I had planned for the project, but I've never had a meal like this before and I've wanted to go to this particular restaurant since it opened 10 years ago and the opportunity fell into my lap. Especially since some things aren't shaping out exactly how they were originally imagined, and since I declared my rules flexible, I've decided that this qualifies and that later, if I want to do this or something else bigger or again, well then I can. But it took me this long to do even a meal with courses, and this had them, and it was cool, and my project, so it counts.
The food was yummilicious and our waiters were the bartenders, as the tables all around us were filled with large parties celebrating their Saturday nights. It was neat being on the inside of the circle, often staring up, center stage at the girls. I did my research before, so I knew what to stear us towards and away from and I'd say we were spot on. The chicken satay was the serious mmm-y. For my main course I had the filet, which was delicious, though came right as the first show was on, so I was a bit distracted taking pictures and whispering with the guys I was with. We had some delicious sake and for dessert, I split a yummy banana split that had deep fried bananas on top. It was delish. I gorged, we had a late reservation and the food paced out a bit slow for our appetites and obviously designed to encourage more drinking, but I was happy anyway.
The show was awesome, and the ladies were drop dead gorgeous, all of us definitely surprised. There were some girls who did the show part better, some people who just seemed to not be so into the dancing and performing, but all still did an amazing job. There was the country, pop, hip hop and burlesque, something for everyone as 2 rounds of performances showcased multiple ladies of all different types. It was actually nice to see that they had really done such a great job of focusing on diversity in promoting their diversity. At the end, the emcee made sure to say that she was proud to share the stage with ladies who were standing up as themselves and living their lives, I think really to send home that this wasn't a freak show, this was living...and did it in a really empowering way.
To a great night full of fun, food and lots of laughter, I have to call this Mission COMPLETE.
Project 30: The Winchester Mystery House
Task 7/30: Wildcard #1 - Tour Winchester Mystery House
Complete: February 10, 2008
A local attraction I've been curious about for a while, after I toured the Egyptian Museum a few weeks ago on a whim, I found myself in the parking lot down the way and ready to go inside the famed Winchester Mystery House, a significant thing I find myself saying "I should do that" about a couple times a year.
The tour is costly ($25), and my first reaction was to leave, but I knew I wouldn't ever come back again, so I pulled out a "wild card" and made it part of the project to justify a random house tour. I could instantly tell from the lobby/gift shop that I wasn't going to get the intricate obsessive building I had imagined. In fact, anyone who hasn't gone who imagines something cool...just stick with your imagination.
This was likely one of the cooler things, and it's outside, so you don't even have to pay for the idiotic tour.
Don't get me wrong, our tour guide was great, feigning all the enthusiasm one can for a cuckoo rich chick. But it's not the massive construction black hole you'd think. There are some random staircases, and baby steps and pretty stained glass. It's definitely a giant, gorgeous house. But it's just an old victorian house. I took a lot of pictures, though they are really boring pictures of a house, so I'm going to spare you and just link to them.
$25...really? Okay, fine, whatever...Project Complete!
Complete: February 10, 2008
A local attraction I've been curious about for a while, after I toured the Egyptian Museum a few weeks ago on a whim, I found myself in the parking lot down the way and ready to go inside the famed Winchester Mystery House, a significant thing I find myself saying "I should do that" about a couple times a year.
The tour is costly ($25), and my first reaction was to leave, but I knew I wouldn't ever come back again, so I pulled out a "wild card" and made it part of the project to justify a random house tour. I could instantly tell from the lobby/gift shop that I wasn't going to get the intricate obsessive building I had imagined. In fact, anyone who hasn't gone who imagines something cool...just stick with your imagination.
This was likely one of the cooler things, and it's outside, so you don't even have to pay for the idiotic tour.
Don't get me wrong, our tour guide was great, feigning all the enthusiasm one can for a cuckoo rich chick. But it's not the massive construction black hole you'd think. There are some random staircases, and baby steps and pretty stained glass. It's definitely a giant, gorgeous house. But it's just an old victorian house. I took a lot of pictures, though they are really boring pictures of a house, so I'm going to spare you and just link to them.
$25...really? Okay, fine, whatever...Project Complete!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Updated Project 30 List - 3 Month Check-in
Project 30 Official List -
Updated March 1, 2008, 3 Months After Kickoff
December:
Purchase an Ipod - Complete
Visit Vegas & See a show (Spice Girls) - Complete
Whale Watching on Monterey Bay - Complete
January:
Tour St. George's Spirits, Makers of Hangar One Vodka - Complete
February:
See 'Wicked', the Broadway Musical - Complete
Ride a Mechanical Bull for Valentines Day - Complete
Multi-Course Dinner - AsiaSF - Complete
Winchester Mystery House - Wild Card - Complete
Kooza, Cirque Du Soleil Show - Wild Card - Complete
March:
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Hockey Game - March 14
Elephant Seals during Mating Season at Ano Nuevo - March 16
Dance Lessons - Friday Night Waltz - March 21st
April:
Broadway Show in NYC - April 5, 6 & 7
Tour Museums in DC - April 11 & 12
May:
Berry Picking
Birthday Party Bar Crawl
Secret Stencil Mission
June:
Train Ride Weekend to San Diego
Horseback Riding in Half Moon Bay
July:
Baseball Game #1
Limo in Napa/Sonoma for Winetasting
August:
Baseball Game #2
Monterey Bay Aquarium
September:
Disneyland
Football Game
October & November:
Spa Day
Art Show at my House
& Any unfinished Business
Unscheduled:
Gun Shooting
B&W Nude Pictures
Other:
1 WILDCARD
For use at my choosing at anytime I remember "Oh yeah, I wanted to do that" and want to count it towards the project. (I have removed the vodka cabinet & frames, since those are larger than the scope of the project and not as fitting, but have replaced them with wildcard and bday party.)
Updated March 1, 2008, 3 Months After Kickoff
December:
Purchase an Ipod - Complete
Visit Vegas & See a show (Spice Girls) - Complete
Whale Watching on Monterey Bay - Complete
January:
Tour St. George's Spirits, Makers of Hangar One Vodka - Complete
February:
See 'Wicked', the Broadway Musical - Complete
Ride a Mechanical Bull for Valentines Day - Complete
Multi-Course Dinner - AsiaSF - Complete
Winchester Mystery House - Wild Card - Complete
Kooza, Cirque Du Soleil Show - Wild Card - Complete
March:
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Hockey Game - March 14
Elephant Seals during Mating Season at Ano Nuevo - March 16
Dance Lessons - Friday Night Waltz - March 21st
April:
Broadway Show in NYC - April 5, 6 & 7
Tour Museums in DC - April 11 & 12
May:
Berry Picking
Birthday Party Bar Crawl
Secret Stencil Mission
June:
Train Ride Weekend to San Diego
Horseback Riding in Half Moon Bay
July:
Baseball Game #1
Limo in Napa/Sonoma for Winetasting
August:
Baseball Game #2
Monterey Bay Aquarium
September:
Disneyland
Football Game
October & November:
Spa Day
Art Show at my House
& Any unfinished Business
Unscheduled:
Gun Shooting
B&W Nude Pictures
Other:
1 WILDCARD
For use at my choosing at anytime I remember "Oh yeah, I wanted to do that" and want to count it towards the project. (I have removed the vodka cabinet & frames, since those are larger than the scope of the project and not as fitting, but have replaced them with wildcard and bday party.)
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