Not too far into 2010 and there’s already been a slew of birthdays…

Regina, whom I’ve known for almost 20 years

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Highlights! And I’m not talking about the Scholastic magazine either…

* I enjoyed the splendor of breathtaking Big Sur with the San Hos earlier in the month for our annual local getaway. We had a spacious (though slightly creepy) cabin, in which we overdosed on junk food, magazines, and soulful conversation. Photos.

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if you get past my really nasaly voice and terrible chinglish, you might just enjoy this uber-adorable quick clip. and yes, my dad is singing “song sung blue” as he walks away

ps – i got those yanuk jeans from loehmans a million years ago (when i was “skinnier” but still love them even though they’re too tight). there was a huge hole in the crotch area but i continued to wear them. good thing i have a crafty nai nai

we’ve all been there.

this is my dear friend brigid (a san ho) with her gorgeous, adorable lil’ girl elliott skye. she was born on christmas eve! elliott is brimming with personality and is a real thing of marvel, already armed with a million different facial expressions. i look forward to my auntie training with my first “niece.” she is so amazing.

got the SFIAAFF program in the mail a coupla days ago, and i already got into my obsessive ritual of printing out a blank calendar, grabbing a pencil, and gettin cozy with the program to plot out a robust movie-watching schedule. srsly, there’s no way to plan for this unless you have a chart or calendar system to visualize how the days play out.

so i sent my mom and sister a tentative plan of what films we should watch when the fest has its share of screenings in san jose.

this is mom’s reply:

i called my dad twice last night, no answer. this morning, he calls at like, 630am. i’m too sleepy to pick up. i get to work, sit through meeting, do things, then check my phone. NINE MISSED CALLS FROM DAD. of course i panic, fearing something happened to my grandma. i call him immediately. the conversation goes something like this:

me: dad why did you call me 10 times today? is everything okay?!

D: i was worried about you! you called me twice last night and this morning i kept calling

me: what do you mean, why were you worried? it wasn’t a big deal i just called last night cuz i had a question to ask.

D: well, i thought something happen to you. i thought you died! you didn’t answer phone.

me: /breakout laughter/ why would you think i died?

D: allergies are very bad right now, your allergies are bad. and you have asthma, and sometimes…asthma…can make you go to heaven.

hahahahaha

and bonus, here’s a quaint txt msg from my mom (who is on the road):

we are in the middle no where thanks for you girls nice gift GPS we are feeling more secure and safe

followed by another text:

we safe arrive to desert spring now *:-D

an email from my mom, but first, some backstory. she wrote me something, and it smelled like typical guilt-inducing sarcastic fare, so i reacted snarkily. she responded that she was being sincerely nice and that i was overreacting. i explained that i my harsh reaction was due to experience. and then she wrote this hilarious gem:

Dear Jennifer: Don’t be so up tight. Mom’s happy to see you finally can relax.

For your information, lately mom’s conversation always like mini skit, short and get to the point.

Your information and experience is old and out dated.

Love always and forever,
Mom
(1/21/2009)

all my dad wanted for his birthday was taco bell. i shouldn’t confess this, but prior to taco bell i made them take me to the mcdonald’s drive in so i could finally indulge my french fries and quarter pounder craving that’s been haunting me for months.

oh but don’t worry, i ALSO ate taco bell on top of that.

yes, i know there’s a special place in hell for people like me.

during lunch, i remembered that my dad used to take us to taco bell a lot when we were kids. it’s the addictive crunch from the hard taco shells that he loves. i used to get the refried beans n cheese in a cup, and mexican pizzas.

afterwards, we went to go see my grandma who recently got out of the hospital. instead of going to the tidepools, we bought ice cream and rice balls, then proceeded to take a two hour nap at his house. when we woke, we ate again.

what a lazy sunday.

you know what gives me warm fuzzies? this.

(i wasn’t there; my sis took these photos)

he’s leaving a comment on a certain blog.

one of the nice things about falling asleep at a grandparent’s house is that the grandparent will inevitably go fetch a blanket or two to cover you up and keep you warm. you could be 45 and this would still be one of the most nourishing, wonderful feelings in the world. grandparents are cool in this way.