my macbook

Posted on by

A few people have asked me how I like my MacBook Pro. Overall, I LOVE IT. Sure I’ve gotten tripped up by having to “quit” applications instead of simply clicking on the red “x” on the window. And yes, I made the novice mistake of not properly installing a new application by failing to “eject” the dmg file.

But those are little things…

I mean, who knew iTunes could load in a few seconds? I didn’t. And who knew I could have more than 2 programs running without slowing down the whole machine? NOT ME. So performance-wise, it’s been pretty freaking amazing. It’s also really really good-looking (is that a quote from Zoolander?) — the aluminum body is sleek yet sturdy and the 17 inch display is crisp and gorgeous.

The best thing is the fantastic deal I got on it since it’s an “old” model (as “old” as a MBP can be when it has a 2.5 GHz processor, 4GB RAM, and 320 gb hard drive). When I was at the Apple store in Costa Mesa last week, I had no idea that a new 17 inch model was going to hit the stores in another week. All they had on display were the old ones. After testing out the computer and pacing around the store for almost an hour, I finally decided to take the plunge. I located a sales associate only to be told that they didn’t have any in stock yet. *sad* I didn’t realize at the time that he thought I was asking about the to-be-released model.

I’m sure Rob detected my sad face because he asked if I wanted to check the Apple store at the Irvine Spectrum. Well, of course I did! Now I was on a mission. I called first so we wouldn’t waste our time and when I asked about the 17 inch MBP, the sales associate said they would be available at the end of the following week. But before I could thank him and hang up, he did the MOST AWESOME THING EVER and told me that the current 17 inch MBP’s they had in store were on promotion for $1599 ($900 off the regular price of $2499!). I asked what time they closed and we headed over there.

After an initial scare with a sales associate who didn’t know about the promotion, I finally found someone who knew what I was talking about and all of a sudden, I was forking over my credit card. All in all, I saved $1100 because I also used my company’s 8% corporate discount.

😀

Diesel would like to introduce you to his mommy’s new favorite toy…



SQUEE.

done!

Posted on by

I did it… I officially converted my blog over to WordPress. Phew. There’s still a lot for me to do “behind the scenes” (tag and reformat my old entries, work on the sidebar) but I’ve gotten the installation to a place I feel good about. I also don’t LOVE this theme but it’s not an eyesore or anything like that so it’s fine for now (at least I hope it’s not).

My other big news is that I got a MACBOOK PRO over the weekend! YAYAYAYAY.

I know I haven’t been blogging much but I’m planning a big “life” post soon. Stay tuned.

all for wordpress

Posted on by

Last Friday I had this BRIGHT idea to switch my current blogging platform from Movable Type to WordPress. I’ve wanted to do this for awhile now — I haven’t been very happy with MT (rebuilding the site after a layout change takes FOREVER) and wanted the functionality and ease of use that WP can offer.

So things started out well enough — I installed WordPress to a test site and I even managed to convert all my old entries. SCORE!

BUT THEN. This is when I could kick myself. I decided that none of the default WP themes would work for my site and I was too lazy to learn how to create a theme myself so I went tooling around the net for one that I liked. All of a sudden, pop-ups started coming out of nowhere and a freaking toolbar hijacked my browser. NOT COOL. I freaked out, screamed for Rob to help me, and he ran some anti-virus/spyware programs. ARGH. %$#@!*&%$

My laptop’s doing much better (thanks to the hubs) but this little episode has made me want a new laptop even more. Preferably a MacBook. Because it’s pretty (only kidding, kind of). I’ve had my Dell for 6 years now and it’s served me well but I think it’s about time… hmmm.

Anyway, I’m not sure when I’m going to officially switch my blog over to WP. I still haven’t found a theme I like… and I’m not about to go looking for one again. *sigh*

excuses excuses

Posted on by

My friend Ricardo reminded me that it’s been almost a week since my last post. Here are my excuses…

1. I’m still unpacking. Yes, STILL! The kitchen and office are pretty well organized but there are still boxes and piles all over the floor in the living room and the bedroom. It’s taken so long because we’ve been waiting on a few large pieces of furniture (TV stand, bookcase, bed frame/mattress) and didn’t have anywhere else to store our stuff. We have everything now except for our bed frame (it’s coming next Tuesday) so YAY.

2. I’m too busy living at Target. HEH. I’ve been to Target 4 TIMES in the past week. And I’ve purchased many, many items during each trip. Moving is not cheap.

3. I haven’t watched TV regularly in over a month so have nothing to blog about. I know, right? What is wrong with me?!? One of our Tivos broke during the holidays and OF COURSE, it was the one that I used to record my shows (aka the shows that Rob refuses to watch like Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy, etc). Shows were on hiatus around that time so it wasn’t a big deal but then in January, I got caught up with packing and planning for the move that I let weeks and weeks go by… now I am so behind. 🙁 The good thing is that we now have a DVR to replace the broken Tivo. SCORE.

4. I’m lazy. HEE! This really sums it up. Case in point, take a look at the navigation on the left. It badly needs some TLC. For one, I am now 29 not 28. For another, all the site links no longer work (I took the pages down awhile back). I really need to a huge site overhaul. But again. I’m lazy.

In other Kelly news, I have a 3-day weekend coming up (thank you US Presidents) and Rob has agreed to go to Disneyland on Valentine’s Day. I have THE BEST hubby in the world. We actually bought each other annual passes for Christmas so we’re going to activate them on Saturday. I hope it doesn’t rain. I’m so excited to wear my Mickey gear again. 😀

Random picture of Rob today during office hours. Isn’t he such a hard-working employee?



Finally, WTF Chris Brown. WTF. You are dead to me.

welcome to the oc

Posted on by

Rob and I are now officially Orange County residents! Crazy. 😀

The move went pretty well — the movers arrived on time last Wednesday and man, they were FAST. We had about 30 moving boxes and 13 large pieces of furniture and they hauled everything out in a few hours. SO WORTH IT. All our stuff arrived intact on Super Bowl Sunday. Well, ok, one of my decorative Halloween plates broke in transit but whatever… at least they didn’t lose a box of my clothes or something. CAN YOU IMAGINE?!? I would have died. Anyway, we’ve been organizing and putting things away since Sunday but there’s still tons of boxes everywhere. All I can say is that we have WAY too much stuff.

I finished my third day of working from home and… I like it! I was a little worried that I’d be too tempted not to work and watch TV all day. Hee. Not the case, though. Who knew I could be such a disciplined person! 😀 Since Rob and I are both working from home now, we have our second bedroom set up as an office with our individual workstations. So even though we’re at home, we’ve tried to make a real distinction between the “office” and the “living” spaces. And it works!

I’m hoping we can get the apartment in some kind of working order by the weekend so we can go out and explore “The OC!” YES.

moving update

Posted on by

Moving day is coming up so FAST! We still have so much packing to do! ACK. The movers are set to pick up our stuff on Wednesday and we’re going to drive down to Orange County on Thursday morning. CRAZY. I really can’t believe it’s almost here. It doesn’t seem real somehow. A lot of people are asking if I’m more excited or sad. Definitely both. In equal amounts. I’ve lived in the Bay Area for almost 12 years — since I was 17. So my “adult” life is rooted here but Southern CA will always be “home.”

So I haven’t mentioned it here because I was waiting for official confirmation and I got it on Friday… my company is letting me keep my job and work remotely from home! YAY. When I gave notice back in December, I mentioned to my boss that I would be interested in working from home if she was willing to try it out. She sent a recommendation to corporate weeks ago and they finally approved it. 😀 Right in the nick of time since my last day in the office is tomorrow (Tuesday). I’m so relieved I don’t have to look for a job! Phew. Plus, I can wear jeans every day. WOOT. It’s always the little things that make me so happy.

Anyway, Rob and I have been plugging away at our “To Do” list and as expected, we have hit all the foodie items. 😀 OINK OINK. Here’s what we managed to do:

1. Have the BEST RAMEN EVER at Santa Ramen. CHECK!
2. Have 1 really nice (but not necessarily expensive) dinner in San Francisco. CHECK!
We went to Michael Mina this past Saturday night and it was amazing. I was too chicken to take pictures (hee!) so here’s a rundown of our meal (we both got the 3 course dinner):
Appetizers – Ahi Tuna Tartare (mmm, melt in your mouth good) and the Trio of Dungeness Crab
Entrees – Maine Lobster Pot Pie (this was mine and it was so good I wanted to lick the plate) and the Trio of Brandt Farm Beef
Desserts – I opted for the Trio of Chocolate (the white chocolate panna cotta was the only memorable item) and Rob picked the Root Beer Float (awww)
3. Have ice cream at Sketch. CHECK!
4. Walk around 4th Street in Berkeley. CHECK!
5. Have the most AMAZING chicken and waffles breakfast at 900 Grayson. CHECK!
6. Visit the UC Berkeley campus, look at the view of the Bay from the top of the Campanile, and purchase as much school paraphernalia as possible. CHECK! And I have pictures too!


The Campanile!

It was pretty hazy so we couldn’t really see across the Bay but we could see the “Big C!”

US. 😀

Finally, last weekend Rob and I were treated to our very own farewell BBQ. Thanks to Jimmy, Eleen (happy anniversary to you two!), Victor and Susie for organizing and hosting! We will miss all of you very much! *sniff*

first family

Posted on by

I felt a little disconnected from the world today. While my whole office was watching the inauguration from the TVs in the lobby and the conference rooms, I was stuck at my cube. Doing work. Nope, I’m not bitter.

Ok, fine. I TOTALLY AM.

So I’m watching the highlights now on CNN. My computer must suck because the videos keep stalling and the images don’t always correspond with the sound but that doesn’t stop the overwhelming feeling of emotion from welling up inside me. The hope and optimism of everyone involved and everyone in attendance jumps right through the screen. It’s a good day for America. *sniff*

In shallow news, I just love the Obama girls (Michelle, Malia, and Sasha)!



Photo courtesy of Daylife

And I especially love this cute video of Sasha after President Obama’s inaugural address. CUTE!

Moving Update: 8 DAYS! Holy moly. Gotta get moving on the packing…

things to do

Posted on by

KATE WINSLET. I’m so happy with her wins(!) at the Golden Globes. I just love her. And with LEO?!? *swoon*



…From the Revolutionary Road premiere a few weeks back.

Seeing them takes me back to my freshman year in college when Titanic took my little world by storm. I watched the movie in the theatres 10+ times. It’s ridiculous how happy they make me. 😀

So Rob and I are down to about 2.5 weeks left here in the Bay Area and I’m making a list of things that I want to do/see/eat before the big move…

1. Spend as much time as possible with friends! 🙁
2. Go ice skating in Union Square.
3. Walk over the Golden Gate Bridge.
4. Have the BEST RAMEN EVER at Santa Ramen.
5. Take the Scharffenberger chocolate factory tour.
6. Have 1 really nice (but not necessarily expensive) dinner in San Francisco.
7. Go to Tahoe (this is a blatant example of something we won’t get the chance to do because we just don’t have enough time).
8. Have ice cream at both Sketch and Ici.
9. Walk around 4th Street in Berkeley.
10. Visit the UC Berkeley campus, look at the view of the Bay from the top of the Campanile, and purchase as much school paraphernalia as possible.
11. Have the most AMAZING chicken and waffles breakfast at 900 Grayson.
I love that most of these have to do with EATING. 😀 I highly doubt I’ll get the chance to cross everything off the list but we’ll see!

happy 2009

Posted on by

So it’s the last day of my holiday vacation. 🙁 So sad. But before real life begins again, I have to share some vacation highlights!

1. Spending time with friends and family.
Christmas Eve is spent with my family — my cousin and his wife just bought a Wii so they asked us to bring our games so they could try them out. We brought Guitar Hero with us (with our one measly guitar) and my cousin pretty much spent the entire night playing it all by himself. Heh.

Christmas Day is spent with Rob’s family — his parents hosted lunch and there was a constant stream of relatives visiting all day. I was pretty much parked next to the food table. YUM. Rob watched the Lakers crush the Celtics. 😀

Rob and I also hung out with friends — my best friends and I had a yummy dinner and annual gift exchange (where I received the Gossip Girl s1 DVDs and a gorgeous Paris picture book among other FABULOUS presents). And our friends Daniel and Carolyn hosted a potluck where we dined on healthy foods such as fried chicken, spam musubi, and korean bbq and played Rock Band 2 all night. Well, the guys did. I sang “Hungry Like the Wolf” and that was it. I suck at Rock Band.

2. Looking for (and finding!) an apartment.
Rob and I spent all day on the 26th and 27th driving around Orange County visiting various apartment communities. OMG. They were built by the same developer so after seeing 2 places, they all started to look exactly the same. Except for the kitchens. We barely cook at all but for some reason, the look of the kitchens really made a huge difference in how we felt about the apartments. We really liked 2 communities — Option #1 is a new-ish community (6 years) on the border of Tustin and Irvine and very close to a major retail shopping center and lots of “hustle and bustle.” Option #2 is a brand new community a few miles south close to the Irvine Spectrum but in a more quiet, less developed area. After visiting both locations a second time we went with Option #2. The rent was over a $100 less per month and we couldn’t pass up having a brand new apartment with granite kitchen countertops (sooo pretty). We still feel like we’re central to lots of stuff in the OC (South Coast Plaza!) so that’s good. We anticipate moving in sometime the last week of January. CRAZY!

3. Seeing Jorge Garcia (Hurley from Lost!) at South Coast Plaza. Rob spotted him going up an escalator while we were looking around in Crate and Barrel. I didn’t believe it was him at first but it totally was! I wanted to follow him but chickened out. 😛

4. I had Pinkberry!
I snagged a Pinkberry gift card from work (for some reason, a vendor thought it was a good idea to give out gift cards even though there is not a single Pinkberry in the Bay Area) and treated myself to a large. Oink oink. SO GOOD.

5. Going to CA Adventure and Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve never been to DCA and it’s been about 5 years since my last trip to DL so I figured it was about time and I begged Rob to go with me. 😀 He agreed to 2 whole days! WOOT.

First day was spent at CA Adventure. A rundown of our day with some pics thrown in for good measure…

CLICK to see larger versions of the pics.

Grizzly River Run. Fun but I got SOAKED. ICK.



The Golden Gate Bridge!



Tower of Terror. OMG. I screamed and held on to Rob’s arm for dear life during the entire ride. Looking back the feeling of weightlessness is actually pretty cool.

Taking a quick shopping break and trying on the bride and groom Mickey ears!



Next up we went to the Animation Academy where we learned how to draw Donald Duck. This was definitely our favorite attraction of the trip! My drawing is on the left. 😀



Walking around the Wharf (does not beat the real thing right here in the Bay Area)…



Soarin’ Over California. A simulator ride that takes advantage of scent in addition to sight and sound.

California Screamin’. Awesome wooden roller coaster. Probably my favorite ride at DCA.

Mulholland Madness. Fun little mini-coaster.

At the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, I found the cutest fountain. So here I am with my Sorceror Mickey ears taking a picture with the Sorceror Mickey fountain! I have no idea why I am smiling like that. Dork.



Monsters Inc. Cute kiddie ride that takes you through the movie.

And to close our day at DCA, we went back to the Animation Academy to draw Jack Skeleton. My drawing is on the right.



Last picture of the day – Mickey, the “C”, and me!



Some random comments:
— Wow, I am SO OLD. We were only at DCA from about 11am to 9pm but my feet were KILLING me. What happened?!?
— I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it but Rob smokes. And I honestly had no idea that there were smoking areas at DCA. So Rob would leave the park every once in awhile to handle his business. Then we happened upon a smoking area in the Condor Flats area across from Soarin’. Isn’t that crazy? The other one is in the Hollywood Pictures area near the Muppet Vision show. (At Disneyland, there’s a smoking area near Big Thunder Ranch and another at Fantasy Gardens, which I dubbed “Smokey Gardens.” :P)

Overall, I enjoyed DCA but I probably wouldn’t spend another whole day at this park alone… I’d definitely have to mix it up with some time at DL. Still tons of fun, though. I’m sure I’ll be back to draw some more characters at Animation Academy and ride Screamin’!

Our second day was spent at Disneyland. YAYAYAYAYAYAY. I seriously love this place. My face lights up and I get so happy here. *giddy* There was an INSANE amount of people at DL and we missed a lot of the “kiddie” rides due to long lines (and the fact that they don’t have Fast Passes) but we trudged through and still had a great time. 😀 Since it was DL day, I forced Rob out of bed at 6am(!) so we could be at the park by the 8am opening. That didn’t happen exactly as planned but we still arrived around 8:30am.

Matterhorn. Always a classic. One of my faves.

Splash Mountain. After agreeing not to ride any water rides (considering how wet we got after GRR the previous day), we still went on SM when we saw that the stand-by line was only 5 minutes. Well, we got UNBELIEVABLY DRENCHED. So soaked that I had to buy a t-shirt and sweatshirt to replace my dripping sweater. I wish I had a picture of us after the ride but I was preoccupied.



Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. Going on this ride totally made me want to see this movie.



After breakfast, we made our way over to DCA to go to the Animation Academy again! This time we drew Winnie the Pooh. My drawing is on the right.



Back at Disneyland sporting our Mickey tees!



Hanging out at the Star Trader store in Tomorrowland. One of my favorite stores because they have Star Wars themed merchandise. Heh.

Rob as Buzz Lightyear.



Me as Goofy.



Rob as Eeyore.



Me with an awesome R2D2 backpack I found. 😀



It may be unbelievably crowded during the holidays but I just LOVE seeing all the decorations. Look how gorgeous Sleeping Beauty’s castle is!



Eating a pineapple dole whip. A MUST HAVE.



Indiana Jones Adventure. Not as crazy and fast as I remember but still a goodie. Thank goodness for Fast Pass — the stand-by line for this ride got up to 2 hours!

Pirates of the Caribbean. A good time to rest our tired feet. Also got to see the holiday decorations in New Orleans Square.



Space Mountain. MY MOST FAVORITE RIDE EVER. The Fast Passes for this ride ran out quickly or I would have tried to get another one so we could ride it a second time. It’s the BEST.



Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. My first time on this ride! Rob’s score: 63,800. My score: 52,200.



The HUGE Disneyland Christmas tree in the middle of Main Street. We passed it because…



… we were on our way to DCA and the Animation Academy for a second time! This time we drew Minnie Mouse. My drawing is on the left.



Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Another oldie but goodie.

The castle all lit up!



And Small World too! I took this picture as we were waiting for the Fireworks Spectacular, which were pretty fantastic. I always love the music and the buildup to the Disney “snow” at the end.



Star Tours. Went on this ride because the line was only 10 minutes. It’s ok. I kinda think the video needs to be updated.

And finally, we end our day with another ride on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Rob’s score: 14,800. My score: 48,500. I WON!!!



And so ends a great day and a fantastic holiday vacation. 😀

Back to real life tomorrow.