Motorcycle trip to San Fran

It's the time of the semester when paper deadlines are looming and I start to get my end-of-the-semester eye twitch. I've been working all week on a paper I have to present on Tuesday (the first of three I'll write in the next few weeks). I got a little over-stressed for so early in the process, so Keith and I decided to take advantage of the first sunny day in a month and take a motorcycle ride to San Francisco for dinner. It was a beautiful night, but much colder than I had expected. We decided to go to my favorite SF restaurant, The Cliff House. We got there at 6:30 and was told it would be a 45 minute wait. We took our restaurant pager and went out to the beach to take some pictures to pass the time...

It was really pretty but (obviously) pretty windy. I'm lovin' my hair in this pic. It's a throw back to my old '80s bangs. Anyway, after 20 minutes or so I'm frozen and am sure they're about ready to seat us, so we go back inside. And wait. And wait. So we take some more pictures.

This is the birds-eye-view of the restaurant from the waiting area. This is me trying to stay happy as our promised 45 minute wait became and hour and a half and then 2 hours. I would have just left, but I didn't want to go back in the cold, get on the motorcycle and try and find another restaurant and a parking spot. So we waited it out. It was ridiculous now that I look back on it. At 9:30 we finally sat down and ordered immediately. It was a good thing too, since were were then told that the kitchen was now closing. I was super mad, but even hungrier. So I ate my "usual" (shrimp louis salad) and Keith got adventurous and ordered a cioppino (seafood stew) that was fantastic. Luckily the ride home wasn't as cold as I'd thought it would be and the night turned out okay in the end. At least my eye stopped twitching. :)

Cashmere man

It's been cold enough this spring that Keith decided to break out his overcoat to wear with his suit to church today. We forgot that Keith even had this fantastic, cashmere coat he bought in Seattle before we moved. It is gorgeous, soft and very handsome. But the best part is the price.
Keith got this fantastic $1,000 coat for about $100! You've got to love that. Way to shop! :)

Presents present themselves

Presents arrived for Keith today!

Here, Keith is engrossed in an impromptu tennis racquet/air guitar jam session - inspired by both his brand new tennis racquet and two new Ray Davies CDs.

He ordered his tennis racquet and the CDs last week, and they both arrived on the same day, so he was giddy with glee. He thinks he could make it as a musician, or a professional tennis player, or possibly both. I told him not to quit his day job. His response: "What day job?" Touché, Keith. Touché.

So here you have photographic evidence of the extravagant lifestyle I am currently supporting. But in his defense, the CDs are cool, and a long time coming. Ray Davies's first solo album EVER?! Awesome. His Kinks Kollection wouldn't be complete without them.

And his tennis racquet... Well, let's just say his old racquet has "served" (haha) faithfully over the years.
How many years?

Spring Break 2006

This week I've come to realize that spring break is *not* the same for grad students as it is for under grads. Last Friday all the under grads came to class with their suitcases in tow ready to head to the airport straight from class. One girl was even wearing a giant straw sunhat and flip flops. I, on the other hand, had no plans to use my passport. My spring break plans included spending the first half of the break getting some writing done and the second half doing something fun. I didn't get the work done I'd hoped to the first half of break, but I decided to take the second half of the week off anyway. Keith and I talked about going down to LA or Monterey for a few days. At the last minute Keith's friend, Mike, was in town for business and came to stay with us for a few days. We were really looking forward to spending some time with him and having some fun in the city. Unfortunately, right after he arrived, Keith got really sick and spent the next 2 days throwing up. We had as much fun as we could sitting in our livingroom watching the rain fall and some daytime TV. Thankfully Keith is feeling better now, but spring break is over and I have to start on homework again. Oh well. Maybe next year I'll disguise myself as an under grad and head to Cancun.