I'm Gumby, dammit!

I haven’t blogged in awhile and it wasn’t because I was ill or on vacation. I’ve been operating from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. non-stop this week. Monday – laundry night. Tuesday and Wednesday - gym night. Tonight – condo meeting. Tomorrow – haircut and color.

I know I could have made this less stressful by skipping a gym night, or not insisting on cooking a dish last night for our potluck lunch today. But when the CFO said my Pad Thai tastes great, then I'll cook all the time. This only has meaning for people like me who enjoy cooking. I only wish I had more time to do it.

Then tonight’s condo meeting went on about an hour too long. The problem is that we had 2 parties on conference call. Neither had the agenda Pam sent to our condo group website, and there was a tendency to ramble. It looks like the closing date will be mid-July. Our move out date is July 31. We’re cutting it close, but I’m fairly certain we’ll make it.

Work continues to keep me busy and I prefer it that way, but it can be too much. For the past 3 years, I haven’t been able to take more than a week’s vacation. If I take any time off, my work will sit there because I really don’t have a backup person. The longer I’m gone, the more work I have to do when I get back. My vacation hours will stop accruing if I keep going at this pace. I try to prevent this by taking off a Friday here and there.

My next Friday off is the end of this month. Can't wait.

photo courtesy of presentationresources.net

Oh. I see it now.

Take it from Josh to tell me why he likes my phone so much. He commented on yesterday’s entry about my inability to transfer pictures from my phone using Bluetooth. Well, I found it a few minutes ago. It was very simple.

From the “My Stuff” menu, I go to: Pictures>Cameraphone>Send>Bluetooth. I didn’t bother to go there. I attribute this oversight to the same fatigue I’ve been suffering for the past week. Tell me anyone is going to read an 87-page manual before turning on the phone and not want to play with it.

I also read the battery could have reduced capacity the first few weeks the phone is in operation. Let’s wait and see.

I should shutup and go to bed now. Before other brain functions begin to suffer needlessly.

Bitch and moan

I told myself this evening I’d do a blog entry, only to find I’ve bitched and moaned with nothing written worthwhile. It’s been the same at work. Fatigue kills creativity.

Kevin called today and confirmed what I already figured out, 5 of the units in our building are now under contract. It’s good news, but all I want to know is (and have been for over a month), when the hell do we get to move?

The Slanted Screen

Today we headed to the Roxie Film Center on 16th and Valencia in the Inner Mission district to catch the documentary, “The Slanted Screen”. Written, produced and directed by Jeff Adachi (current SF Public Defender), it addresses and examines the stereotypes of Asian-American males in film.

I only found out about the film on Friday at work. I was in the lunchroom grabbing a yogurt out of the fridge and decided to browse through the Datebook (entertainment) section of the San Francisco Chronicle. When I checked the screen times, only evening times were listed. I didn’t want to be in the Inner Mission during evening hours, so I checked SFGate.com to see if they listed daytime hours. No luck there either.

I really wanted to see this film. Especially since I read that veteran actors Mako and James Shigeta were interviewed for the documentary. So I went to Google, entered “Slanted Screen” and found the website. I already prepared myself to wait for the DVD release. I e-mailed the address listed at the website to let them know to contact me once the DVD became available.

Within 2 minutes of my e-mail, I got a response back. It was from the writer and director himself, Jeff Adachi. WOW. I was talking to a celebrity. He said there were 5 screen times on Saturday and Sunday, which I replied back and asked when they were because we’d make time to go. I also wished him luck on his Q&A Friday night at the Roxie. Jeff replied back again very quickly, and said thanks for the support.

As a film lover, it was great to see so many movie clips during the documentary. Actors such as Sandra Oh, Ming-Na, Tzi Ma, Daniel Dae Kim, and Lucy Liu wouldn’t have the roles they have now if Nancy Kwan, Bruce Lee, Mako and James Shigeta didn’t pave the way for them.

image courtesy of “The Slanted Screen”

Frito bandito

Yesterday I went to Costco to pickup a bag of Tostitos and guacamole for today's Finance department potluck at work. I didn't want to take the bag home and so I left it on the kitchen counter by the toaster and microwave ovens. I kept thinking I should leave the bag in my cubicle. I rationalized that because it wasn't an open bag left on the center table, it wouldn't be considered food for everyone else.

As an "asset protection professional", I should have known better. This morning the bag was gone. I checked the cabinets, hoping someone would have put it away for safekeeping. It only cost me $4 for the chips, but the hassle to drive out to the market and buy another bag is what I was hoping to avoid. Luckily, Cynthia, the Accounts Payable manager, was going to Safeway to buy lettuce and tomatoes and offered to pick up chips for me.

If I find out who you are, I want my $4.

Gently down the stream

Tonight was gym night. Visits to the gym at first were exclusively the treadmill and elliptical. So that I could get some variety in my workouts, I tried out other equipment such as the stationary bicycle and stairmaster. Neither I liked very much.

I tried rowing about 4 months ago and find I really like it. It’s not stressful on the joints as running on the treadmill can be, and I get much more of an overall workout rather than just my lower body. I now find myself not working out so much on the elliptical. This helps avoid exercise burnout and helps me vary my workout routines.

Rowing gave me an excuse to watch on TV (at the gym) the Giants clobber the Astros 14-3. Barry Bonds is still stuck on career home run 713. He’ll break Babe Ruth’s record soon enough, but it’s not pretty. It’s painful to watch him run, especially with Steve Finley beside him in the outfield. Bonds and Finley are about the same age, but such a contrast in their physical conditioning.

Finley already has 7 triples this season. A triple requires someone to run full speed on the bases. Steve does it with ease. Home runs (except inside-the-park) only require a jog and to touch all bases. If you look at photos of Bonds and Finley 15 years ago, Finley looks the same. Bonds, considerably heavier.

Barry’s godfather Willie Mays has to be muttering, “Oh, Barry. Say it ain’t the steroids…”

image courtesy of topendsports.com

Microclimates

It is such a relief to find that we’re finally rid of the rain. Our regular spring/summer weather pattern has returned. Because the temperatures can vary 10 to 20 degrees, I am always clicking the thermometer in my car to check the outside temperature.

When I left the office today, it was 76°F. Driving north on Highway 101 to San Francisco International Airport, it went up to 82°F. I continue north to Highway 280, and this is where I always get the biggest temperature drop. At the Westborough exit in South San Francisco, it drops to 69°F. I drive another 7 miles or so and reach the 19th Avenue/Golden Gate Bridge exit.

It is now 63°F and the fog has come in full force. The temperature dropped a total of 19 degrees on a commute that is a bit over 22 miles. My sunglasses (always on retainers) and air conditioning are now off. The car windows are open. Another reason why I’m still a San Francisco resident. I love fog.

photo courtesy of travelblog.org

Waiting game

Yesterday I got a message on my voice mail at home from Mark, the loan consultant with Circle Bank in Novato (in Marin county), the lender chosen to finance our condo/TIC unit. He had a few questions about the loan application. Nothing earth shattering.

I called Mark back this morning. He thought it was great that my family is funding most of the down payment. I agreed. Without my family, none of this would be happening. He closed the call telling me that our chances are pretty good that we’ll be able to qualify for the best loan option available for the condo, a 5-year fixed rate with 30-year amortization.

We should have an answer in the next week or so. In the meantime, we still have to wait on when 2 more units will be sold.

Spring sale

I got in yesterday’s mail my REI catalog announcing their big spring sale (20% off most full priced items). Up until now, I have bought something from this sale for at least the past 6 years. I’ve browsed the website for the past hour, and found zilch, zip, nada. Oh, the tragedy of it all.

The closest to anything I want, but don’t need are the Keen Seattle Shoes, a Mary Jane style shoe with the famous Keen front toe bumper. I tried them on about a year ago and really, really liked them. I just forked out tonight a 6-month advance on my gym membership near work and saved myself $20/month.

My life as a mini-Imelda must end. Mortgage payments will soon begin.

image courtesy of REI.com

Reconnecting

Yesterday, Pauline and I attended a house warming hosted by a former co-worker, Christine Tapia. Chris and I used to work for Josh at Inktomi and e-centives. It had been 3 or 4 years since I last saw her. Things have changed.

The last time I saw Chris, she was living with her boyfriend Nick. Chris now lives with her partner Mandy and they have a son, Jacob. Another former co-worker, Charlotte, was also at the house warming with her husband Jeff and their daughter Isabella. When I last saw Charlotte, she was married to Larry.

After inhaling some yummy food, I popped into the nursery to say hello. Chris introduced me to Charlotte, forgetting that we all worked together. Josh and Amy arrived later. Pauline, Amy, Josh and I grabbed dinner in San Mateo afterwards. Overall, it was a fun evening.

I’ve worked 7 jobs in the 20-plus years I’ve lived in San Francisco (not including temporary assignments or jobs of less than a year). I’ve made numerous friends from these jobs and regretfully have lost touch with some of them. With e-mail now, it’s not as hard to stay in touch.

It’s always great to get together with someone you haven’t seen in awhile.

Words taste good!

As you probably guessed, we’re back in the hunt for a new home. Sherri found out from her accountant the issue that held me back from buying is a non-issue. Family funds are on the way.

Kevin, our real estate agent, sent me 10 listings of interest that I viewed this morning. Five listings were of particular interest to me. Two in the Richmond district, one in the Inner Sunset, one in the Panhandle, and one in Noe Valley. I chose these listings because they meet our minimum requirements. I’m already anxious to see them.

I’ve lived in California for almost 23 years, (half my life) all of them in San Francisco. We know we could get more of a home in the Peninsula and it would decrease our current commute times at least in half. But the snobbery in me wants to retain a SF address and 415 area code.

Rent control has served us well, but I am eager to become a new and proud homeowner.

image courtesy of tilrc.org

Cranky pants

Today was a shitty day. I lost an hour of sleep due to daylight savings, it rained again for the umpteenth time, the weekend access to the office I was supposed to have last month wasn’t activated, and as it seems to happen at least every other month-end I come in, sales didn’t close.

Despite the workout I got in, I drove almost 50 miles round trip to get absolutely nothing done. I did go to Safeway before going home, only to be aggravated at the middle-aged, overweight blonde female in her big ass Chevy Suburban wait for a car to pull out even though there were at least 5 open parking spaces. This was so she could be 50 feet closer to the entrance.

No wonder Americans are perceived as dumb, fat and lazy.

Damage control at The Sharper Image

As mentioned previously in my blog entry of March 11, a major shareholder, Knightspointe Group, wants to replace the company’s current board of directors due to the huge loss my former employer, The Sharper Image ($22 million currently) incurred this fiscal year. In today’s edition of the Contra Costa Times, the company announced a few cost cutting measures.

Some of them include: eliminating sales commission, executive pay cuts (Richard Thalheimer, founder, chairman and CEO, 50%), and reducing the number of new store openings this year. While the latter two are steps in the right direction, I’m not sure it’s enough. Plus, I think eliminating sales commission won’t sit well among those who lose this incentive. Of course they will be told if you don’t like it, get out. This will also help reduce expenses, but create terrible morale.

My current employer is experiencing similar woes. About 20% of our home office personnel got laid off in January, and numerous others went on to other jobs because they weren’t comfortable with the changes. No wage increases this year. Retail is a very demanding and ever changing business.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

American Express One Card

I got in today’s mail my introduction materials for my new American Express One card. I got the actual card last weekend. It’s a brand new card which rebates 1% of all purchases toward an interest-bearing savings account American Express sets up for you (currently at 3.80% APY).

Unlike the Discover card, it isn’t a cash rebate back, but enables a person to save money every time the card is used. Personally, I have been looking for a card of this kind for the past few years. I’m tired of reward programs that only offer merchandise.

To me, a reward program only becomes worthwhile when the points (usually in the 100K + range) can be used toward airfare, vacations, and lodging. People that use their card for business can easily reach this level. Not me. I use the card primarily for personal expenses and usually redeem points at 20K for a cash rebate.

This card is perfect for me because I pay off my balances in full each month. Any unpaid balance is charged interest and can defeat any accumulation of savings. I’ve already used the card to buy gas, groceries and an online purchase. If I want, I can also direct deposit a portion of my paycheck to go into the account.

Annual fee for the One card is waived for the first year, then $35/year. This card isn’t for everyone. On the other hand, if you’d like to apply, go to americanexpress.com .

The cost of vanity

I read today in one of the celebrity/entertainment articles that Sarah Jessica Parker had to have her feet digitally enhanced for her role in her latest film, “Failure to Launch”. Apparently, the many years Ms. Parker wore designer stilettos for her role in “Sex in the City” took their toll.

Sorry, but this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. I was never a fan of narrow, tall heels. They’re not comfortable nor do they flatter my large, wide feet. I have no problem spending $150 dollars on a pair of Nike running shoes or Dansko clogs, but never on anything that requires me to walk tiptoed and risk an ankle sprain.

Like I should talk. My own vanity (believing I wore nothing but a women’s 7 ½) has paid its own price. The years I wore shoes that were actually too short created an ugly bunion on my right foot. The bunion doesn’t bother me as long as I wear shoes that fit correctly.

Duh.

photo courtesy of saksfifthavenue.com

World Baseball Classic

Yesterday, after an open house visit in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond, we had a late lunch/early dinner at Thai Café. Once home, changed into lounge attire and turned on the TV to ESPN2 to watch the World Baseball Classic.

If you’re a baseball fan and haven’t heard about the WBC, then you must be on another planet right now. It’s a round-robin tournament of teams from countries such as Puerto Rico, Australia, Mexico, Korea, Japan and of course, the United States. Surprisingly, there are also teams from the Netherlands and South Africa (who recently lost to the U.S. 17-0 and had the mercy rule invoked after 5 innings).

One of the games I watched was Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic. On paper, the Dominican Republic has one of the strongest team rosters. Players include Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre, Moises Alou, and Miguel Tejada. The Puerto Rican team, while not having the same magnitude as DR, had a few of their own name players. Their roster includes: Bernie Williams, Javy Lopez, Carlos Beltran and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez.

Going into the game, I really didn’t think Puerto Rico had much of a chance. José Cruz Jr., a lifetime .250 hitter in the majors, had 2 critical hits to help Puerto Rico dominate Dominican Republic, 7-1. This is what makes the WBC special for veteran players and baseball fans. The players get in place of spring training a fun and competitive way to prepare for the season the fans can go out to see. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

With guys like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Roger Clemens playing for the U.S., how can a baseball fan not watch? I hope it becomes an annual ritual. Play ball!!!

image courtesy of shop.mlb.com

Sharper Image woes

Yesterday going into to work, part of my daily ritual is to read e-mail briefs issued by the National Retail Federation (NRF). The first article featured was the headline about my former employer, The Sharper Image. It’s quite big news as it was featured in the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

In the likely event you know nothing about the article, a major shareholder of Sharper, Knightspointe Group, wants to oust the company’s current board of directors. Understandable, considering Sharper has lost $22 million this current fiscal year.

While it has been almost 12 years since I last worked at Sharper, I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner. During my time there, something like this would have only helped. Even though I was woefully underpaid, the experience I gained there wouldn’t have gotten me to my other retail positions, where I am paid a decent salary.

I won’t say too much more. Josh and I know a lot of good people who still work there. If the proposed move does indeed happen, then they’re going to see many of the changes I’m currently seeing with ownership change at my job.

Good luck.

Snow in San Francisco?

It was a very cold and wet drive home today from work. The temperature gauge in my car read 46°F when I left Foster City. By the time I got home to San Francisco and pulled into my garage, the temperature was 41°F. I’ve been hearing news reports that we may actually get snow at Twin Peaks tonight or tomorrow.

For tomorrow’s commute, I need to be diligent. I’ve been so out of practice with winter driving since I left Ohio many years ago. With all of the rain we’ve had this past week, it’s likely there’ll be black ice out there. While this chilly weather wreaks havoc on this annoying cough & cold, I’ve had numerous opportunities to pull out sweaters I can only wear in this kind of weather.

Oh boy.

photo courtesy of gaborcselle.com

Doctor's office, part II

Today I took off early from work to visit my primary care physician. Last night was the 3rd night in a row of wheezing in bed. It got so bad the last 2 nights I ended up in the bathroom with the door shut hacking my lungs out at 3 a.m. I called the doctor’s office as soon as it opened this morning. She was able to squeeze me in just before lunch.

I’ve gone to the doctor’s at least 3 times in the past 5 years with these symptoms. I then get prescribed oral inhalers to last only for the duration of the illness. At least 2 times I remember she told me I had “bronchial spasms” but not asthma. The symptoms would end within 3-4 days.

Because I’ve been to the office 2 times in the past month, she now says I have asthma (like I didn’t already know?!?). It reared its ugly head when I caught the cold. Oh well. I suppose better now than showing up in the ER with an oxygen mask on my face later.

When I left the office, she prescribed me antibiotics (for the infection) and Advair, which is another oral inhaler to take regularly twice a day. I took puffs (sounds like smoking cigarettes) before I left the office and took one dose of the antibiotic when I got home. I check back in next month to see if she needs to adjust the dosage. I also got a peak flow meter to measure lung function to help me monitor my asthma.

Like my weight management, stay tuned.

photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

Credit report & FICO score

I came home from work yesterday and did my usual surfing on the internet. Catch up on news, check e-mail, and browse craigslist.org. I peruse the real estate ads daily with the hope someday that we will be able to afford a home in San Francisco. While we both make decent salaries, most housing in SF is well beyond our price range.

While on that train of thought, I decided to run another credit report on myself to see what my current FICO score is. I last ran it about a year and a half ago, which was then in the high 700’s. I was somewhat surprised, but pleased to find my most recent score increased by another 25 points.

I found it interesting that when I entered my social security number and birthdate, Equifax reports my credit history accurately, but lists my birthdate as December 6, 1959. I have somehow aged 6 months. This would be nearly impossible for me to have been born in December because my sister Cindy was born in July of that year. I would have to have been a “preemie” infant.

Being the stickler I am for accuracy, Equifax tells me I can submit a written letter with a copy of my driver’s license to correct the birthdate error. It’s not worth the bother right now. All I care about is that my credit history is correct. The owners of our building have plans to sell in a few months, which may mean we’ll have to move. Then I’ll strongly consider buying and have the mortgage company fix the error.

image courtesy of creditinstructor.com