How a Girl Should Comeback

Yay! No Doubt is embarking on a reunion tour.

It seems so long ago that I attended my first No Doubt "performance" (if you can call it that) at CSU Fullerton in a little sunken stage area near the dance studios. I stumbled upon them by accident, yet I remember that day pretty vividly.

It was one of the most amazing music experiences I've ever had (live horns, and no sound system!). All my wife beater and Dickies punk-ska days followed, and much later my slow and incomplete adoption of the Harajuku girl/L.A.M.B. ploy. Though, the latter may be considered Gwen's schtick (rather than No Doubt) and my non-compliance shouldn't be counted against me.

One of my most memorable No Doubt shows was the Bradley Nowell (of Sublime) benefit show at the Palladium. This is probably because I LOVED the tracks that Brad and Gwen sang on over the years...they were just varying degrees of raw talent and complimented each other well.

So here we are in 2009, Gwen and the boys offered a little No Doubt reunion sneak peek on the Today Show (a show worth little else): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNNFqYnu5AE.

No Doubt are so cool, they are actually offering a free download of their entire music collection to each ticket holder. This is a genius marketing tactic, as it will get concert-goers even more pumped for the show. And anyone who follows (worships really!) Gwen knows how in to the audience she is, always prompting a girly sing-along. How can people join in if they have to dust off their No Doubt CDs to "practice" in advance? Not needed, get your files downloaded ASAP to your iPod, iPhone, or whatnot and start re-learning those lyrics today! I wonder if it truly is their entire No Doubt discography? I haven't had a chance to download yet...

Anyhow, guess I better get some cool gear at H&M or somewhere else really one-time wear-ish...I don't know where the doc martens, white tanks, etc are anymore and they probably wouldn't fit anyhow! But I sure am looking forward to July 25th at Shoreline. http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/404693/

How to move on

Last Friday I was afforded the opportunity to attend Madame Speaker Nancy Pelosi's press conference at my son's preschool, Holy Family Day Home http://www.holyfamilydayhome.org/ in San Francisco (yep, that is ME with the curly hair and red glasses next to her!). HFDH was chosen in part due to its century long history of supporting low income families in our city. In addition to enrolling private pay students, HFDH secures government subsidies for over 85% of their students who come from low income homes. It is alarming how many families are considered "homeless" that attend the program (somewhere around 20%).

Speaker Pelosi shared with us that over $2 billion will go towards child care from the recently approved economic stimulus package. California will receive about 10% of these funds, or $200 million...which we really need. Hopefully these funds will start flowing around April, and will prevent a hike in child care tuition for the families that need it most. Really all families would benefit from keeping tuition hikes at bay, with unemployment STILL on the rise, not just subsidized families. Click this link for the SF Chronicle story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/28/BAKF166L71.DTL&hw=nancy+pelosi&sn=010&sc=295

Other approvals affecting San Francisco:

$100 million to rebuild Doyle Drive (the rest of the $1 billion needed was previously secured)

$10 million for MUNI 3rd Street Light Rail

$8 million regional water recycling program

$1.9 million for Transbay Terminal

$1.75 million for Presidio Heritage Center

$951,000 SF biofuels program

$950,000 for GG Bridge movable median barrier

$476,000 for upgrade to Chinese Hospital

$333,000 for SFSU training programs for health professionals

$238,000 for the Glide Foundation

I understand that Speaker Pelosi and President Obama are under pressure and scrutiny for these earmarks, but they account for about 2% of the total spending bill. They will create jobs, and allow projects like Doyle Drive to finally be completed. It seems pretty ridiculous that the $1 billion project has been on hold all this time waiting for $2 million. And quite frankly, I am sick of watching the horrifying commercial on what will happen to Doyle if we have an earthquake.

The jury is still out on this stimulus package, and I think the amount of money this recovery will demand is nothing short of monstrous and threatening. However, as we have learned in the State of California...doing nothing can be just as costly. I have my fingers crossed...

How to ruin a good thing

Last time I checked 1) San Francisco has effortlessly lived up to our "Only in San Francisco" tagline and 2) we are in a down economy and really need some "cheap thrills." Well, don't count on Bay to Breakers for that in 2009. The editor (aka "fearless leader") of GGMG newsletter (which I write features for) just informed me at tonight's meeting of Bay to Breakers "new improvements and policies." Their language is pretty strong considering "improvements" are based on interpretation and are therefore largely subjective. Thoughts?
http://www.ingbaytobreakers.com/main_home.html

I can't even fathom that the Castro Halloween event has been cancelled two years in a row (http://www.halloweeninthecastro.com/). They say it is gone for good, but I am in denial. I only went once (and I was preggers, so no drinky poos), but I have never laughed so hard in my life. Pure shock value. And...that event was just one of those San Francisco happenings that make this city so unique and raw. I have always been proud that SF is diverse and that you can go do your professional duties by day, you know...your "real job"...yet dip in to the craziness that is SF at night. Of course, this doesn't occur much for me now that I have two little ones under the age of three. My life is much more linear. But I like the option to get crazy if need be!

While I refuse to say goodbye to the Halloween festivities that are SF history, I can let go of B2B. As a matter of fact, I am already embracing my change of heart. This year, I won't stand on my balcony watching the passersby and thinking to myself "next year I MUST sign up, and run with the kids, and a keg too!" Really, without the nudity and alcohol, Bay to Breakers is just another opportunity to get or stay fit. And let's face it, the booze and lack of clothing were the only reasons I ever entertained the idea to begin with! Now, I just need to figure out where I can be that day instead, don't want my car to get blocked in the garage.

How to go quickly and quietly

I hope I don't have any babystyle gift certificates lying around anywhere...just heard news on GGMG that http://www.babystyle.com/ swiftly went under. No public announcement, no viral heads up, just gone. I called their Burlingame store, and the phone number was disconnected "ring, ding, ding, we're sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service." And No, I don't feel I have reached this recording in error.

Their website is even less detailed http://www.babystyle.com/: "We're sorry but we have suspended operation of our site." We're sorry too, and where the hell have I been? I will say that there were whisperings of trouble a year ago, but nothing hinting at the website and Bay Area store closings http://venturebeat.com/2008/03/24/babystyle-the-baby-retailer-files-for-bankruptcy-victim-of-misguided-investors/.

Rats! I really liked babystyle and would have loved to take advantage of any liquidation sale offered. I always said they had the best and softest layette and basic cotton for kids (I like This Little Piggy Wears Cotton too http://www.littlepiggy.com/).

For me, this really is a sign of the times. I thought babies were "big business" and the obsession with baby gadgets and gizmos, better known as keeping up with the Jones', was unwavering...guess everyone is pinching pennies now. Yikes!

Hang on to your hats everyone...remember Mr. Toad's Wild Ride @ Disneyland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Toad? Yes, he was replaced by Winnie the Pooh, but his spirit lives on. And unlike most major airlines Mr. Toad isn't hurtin' for passengers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j86Eb3toGIM

**Update: Turns out Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Disneyland is alive and kicking (or "rollering" to be exact). Only the Floridian version of it was turned in to the Original Poo others refer to as Winnie. Another reason why Cali rocks over Fl...no offense!
http://www.ocweekly.com/bestof/2008/award/best-ride-at-disneyland-258477/

How to say "Goodbye" when you really mean "Good Riddance"

I feel for Cindy Sheehan, I really do. I appreciate her stance on the war, and try to be empathetic to her losing her son. I will (hopefully) never understand what she feels. I will say, however, that more often than not she is far too progressive for my tastes. But this is AMAZING, and if I had $100 laying around and a closet that wasn't already full of my husband's old trusties, I would be ALL OVER THIS. Later...George Bush...we couldn't have survived another day!

https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1590/t/4043/shop/shop.jsp?storefront_KEY=141

Learn to be Eco Friendly

Of course, there are many ways to be more environmentally friendly. It seems like a daunting task, and often times making the changes require a considerable price hike up front for savings of resources AND personal savings in the future. Most people would agree, that it is best to stop stressing about making EVERY single change, and to do what you can.

For my part, this holiday season, I plan on shopping homemade and vintage. Check out http://www.etsy.com/buy.php for tons of homemade goods. I have been on the prowl for customized mommy jewelry (I have a gift card that is burning a hole in my pocket, and may start incurring fees if I don't use it soon) AND homemade Christmas decorations (I really need a new tree skirt).

Happy shopping, and remember (contrary to Kermit the Frog) "It's Easy Being Green"

Learn from the Non-Mommy

Before I react to something that has been done or said to offend me, I always pause to consider why someone would do or say such a thing. It is very helpful to forgive, if you can try to understand why something has occurred. Of course, being an eternal optimist, I usually give everyone way too much slack.

So last night, my family and I were out to dinner. A quick meal at the gourmet food court in Westfield San Francisco Centre http://westfield.com/sanfrancisco/. I ran off to get my choice in cuisine as Aaron and Adam decided on Japanese food. I got beef and noodles at Out The Door (new website coming: http://www.outthedoors.com/) and a very strong Vietnamese coffee, YUM!

It was at Out the Door where I was verbally abused by the "non-mommy." It started when I was ordering and her rather attractive hubby walked over and admired Jamison in the ERGO baby carrier. Jamison couldn't have cared less, as she was nodding off. The husband went on and on about what a beautiful baby she was. After a few minutes, his wife who was quite attractive came over. He continued to gush, and she was not as interested at all. He said "Honey, isn't she adorable" and she hesitated with a non-enthusiastic "Yeah, she is cute." I had to say something now, it was getting awkward. I asked "Oh, do you have any children?" She said "No" and I said "Oh, well that means you have some time to enjoy yourself still."

I was trying to highlight the positives of being childless, since her husband was still admiring Jamison and I was still feeling weird. And then, she said it...and I struggle to understand why any woman would say something like this. She piped in (even when I was ALREADY trying to make her feel good about herself) "Oh yes, I have plenty of time." And as she looked up at me with a menacing smile, she continued "I can even put on make-up and blow dry my hair." Ew...how hateful!

As I headed back to my family, I struggled to walk for a moment in her shoes. Maybe she really wants kids, and can't. Maybe she doesn't want kids, and can't stand them. Then Jamison woke up and stared in to my eyes, and simultaneously Aaron and Adam came in to view. They were smiling and enjoying Japanese food together...I thought "You know, I don't care why she would say such a thing. I would rather be make-up free with my naturally curly, air-dried hair any day, if I can continue to have moments like this with my family." It is so worth it...