Hey! Guess what? I'm back from Europe!  Hey! Guess what?  I've been sick as a dog and I have NO VOICE at all.  I had a concert tonight with the Blackhawk Chorus and I had to concede my solo for "Someone to Watch Over Me" to someone else because I absolutely couldn't squeak out even one note.  I'm so frustrated.  I haven't had the energy to blog at all or even respond to some emails (sorry friends!), BUT I couldn't forget to do this month's 12 of 12.  I've gone through a box of tissues today but by God, I WILL post 12 of 12!  ( I did post some of my fav europe photos to my flickr site - SEE HERE - so check 'em out if you want)

Enjoy this month's photos and check out Chad's blog for the backstory and other twelvers. :-)



6:21am - my Europe backpack is finally empty, but there's still lots to put away and organize from my trip.  My room looks like it threw up souveniors.




6:51am:  Castro Valley Bart Station Platform heading towards San Francisco.  It's kinda a nice view and the weather has been sunny and mild but you can feel that the East Bay heat is coming...




8:18am:  My FIRST cup of tea for the day.  I think I had like 20.  Still no voice.  Boo.  But, GO BEARS!



10:30am:  Off on a work-related errand.  Waiting at the F-line stop on Market at Main Street.  I love how the Ferry Building sits at the end of Market Street.



11:17am:  It may be touristy, but Pier 39 really is quite pretty.  I love all the colors and the sailboats in the background.  I pretty much only come here when I'm on errands for work or have a craving for Bubba Gumps, but I remember how much I loved coming here with my family on day trips when I was growing up.  Maybe that's why I ended up going to college in the City.



11:20am:  Just missed the F-line back and I didn't feel like waiting so I decided to walk it and stop by Safeway on my way back to the office.  Of course there was a car going the OPPOSITE direction...



1:09pm: Ginger root.  Delena swore that hot water with pieces of ginger and lots of honey would miraculously bring my voice back.  I'm glad she reminded me to take off the peel/skin/whatever it's called.




1:09am:  D, did I put in enough ginger??  The tea looked odd but it tasted pretty good (could have been all the honey), but unfortunately my voice is still gone.




3:17pm:  Round two for work errands. This one took me to one of those souvenior t-shirt shops along the wharf.  I snagged this photo while waiting in line. It's a onesie that says, "I'm what happened in Vegas."  Classy.  :-)




3:42pm:  I needed to be back downtown by 4pm to catch BART home in time for my concert.  Luckily I got a street car right as it was taking off.  MUNI is mixing in a bunch of SUPER OLD trolley cars with the newer street cars on the F-line.  Here's a shot of the inside.  I didn't catch which country this one came from, but the one I took earlier in the day was from Melbourne, Australia.



9:32pm:  I didn't get any shots at the concert tonight - I thought it would be a bit tacky if one of the singers (even though I was lip synching the whole time) took out a camera and took some photos from the risers.  So I went home to eat soup and do what I do every Tuesday night after choir...



9:33pm:  ...watch Adam Lambert wipe the floor with the other American Idol contestants.  I mean, C'MON!  How awesome is he?!?!?  Looooooove.

If I promise myself that i'll be in bed by 11pm do you think my body will reward me with the return of my voice in the morning?  Well, it's worth trying I guess.  :-(   Night.

P.S. I promise...photos and stories from Europe coming shortly.  Stay tuned.

My roommies and I sing silly songs sometimes - that's where the subject heading comes from. Anyone know where it originated?? Take a guess - it's completely random, but one of those things that if you've heard it then you'll remember where it's from. (Hint - think TV shows)

I bought a queen-sized bed last week and it was delivered on Saturday. So far so good - except that it's so soft and comfy, and it's so nice that I can bury myself under all my blankets and pillows, that I refuse to get up in the morning. I just want to sleep. I've been craving my bed the last two days while I'm at work.
Now I just need to arrange my room to fit around the fastness of my bed - also, I should start putting things up on the walls. I may possibly make the space feel like my home before the end of my lease this time around.
I have a bunch of color panoramic photos of San Francisco that I've been thinking of framing and hanging around the room...but I'm having problems finding the right sized frames. Any suggestions on places to go would be helpful and appreciated. I looked at the frame store over on 21st Ave, and then peered around in Cheap Pete's with no luck. Right now the only things that I have up are my calendar and a great Hallmark card from my best friend, Boom (It reminds me that 1) I'm loved, and 2) that I have an awesome best friend who just "gets" me - hard to come by in this world)
anyhoo....totally time to leave work - days have just been flying by (knock on wood)

Complete Random Things on my Mind Today:
-The cable car line on my block has been stopped due to repairs. They have a small Muni bus/shuttle taking care of the people that use that line to go to work -- why, oh why, is that little shuttle even noisier than the cable car?? Will I ever be able to sleep without thinking I'm sleeping under a roller coaster?
-DeLaSalle has lost twice and tied once this season after being unbeatable since 1991. This could be Pitt's year if they can control Liberty on Oct. 22nd (You better believe that I'm going to be there). Why do I prefer high school football to any other sport?? I'm not stuck in high school (although I know some types like that) but I find the game and the community involvement so exciting.
-The weird Fed-ex guy that unwelcomingly hits on me everyday has not been around this week - he's been replaced with a short guy with a major 'tude. Why can't anything ever be easy? *sigh*

It's 6:59pm. I'm supposed to leave work at 5:30pm. I have choir rehearsal at 7pm across town. What's wrong with this picture?
OH YEAH, my job keeps me waiting ALL the time. I most often come into work and have various administrative things to do...fax documents, distribute mail, make copies, etc, but a majority of the time and for a majority of the days I've worked here, I am beyond bored. I can't check email because Yahoo, Aol and the such are blocked by a firewall. I'm able to log onto some cool stuff like LJ, Friendster and Craigslist, but other than that, I just sit here...waiting. That is, until (usually) about 30 minutes before I'm supposed to leave they come in with a project that will inevitably take me until after 7 to complete. Grrr. Sometimes I know they can't help it if they get a phone call or a request from the NY or LA offices, but sometimes I feel like it's all just due to poor time management and preparation.
Unfortuanately, I've done all that I can do and I'm just waiting... again.

At least now that it's 7:02pm, I will be able to take a cab home at the company's expense, and I can pick up dinner and bill them as well. Coolio. But that doesn't help the boredom and the fact that I should be singing right now instead of desperately hoping that my boss will come out of his office and tell me to go home.

I brought an apple today (hey, I'm TRYING to be healthy, even though I grabbed a Big Mac for lunch) :-\ but the apple was mushy. I can't believe I ate most of it...it was pretty disgusting, but I'm pretty hungry and I just kept telling myself that it's just like applesauce, which I don't like either. I just bought those stupid apples, and I'm determined to eat them before they go bad...I hope that was the only one of its kind and that the others are juicy and wonderful.

I'm so glad I don't have to concern myself with MUNI for the rest of the day. I'm getting into one of those funks where I just want to run screaming from all the stupid people in San Francisco, mainly because they're always on MY bus or walking down the same street downtown as me. I guess I could be more patient, but sometimes I just can't handle oblivious people/inconsiderate people. One day I think I will write the Muni Users Guide. It will detail all Muni etiquette. For example, if there are no seats on the bus, MOVE TO THE BACK* to stand, that way others can also enter the bus. (* actually, moving to the back will most likely, with a 90-95% rate, gaurantee you a seat. When you enter a crowded bus, the people stupidly standing in the front are blocking the view and concealing empty seats)

ooo...got stuff to do now...I'll return shortly.