images of Amsterdam

Mon, Tor and Dave in Holland

Look who I found in Amsterdam!

She didn't come here just to soak up some sun... she came here to visit ME!!! What a nice little treat to have on our Amsterdam journey, a few days with the MONster.

Sorry!

I apologize for the delay in uploading pictures of our European adventures! We've struggled to get solid, affordable internet. But, here I am! Pictures to come...

We made it to Amsterdam!

And, we're off!

Did YOU see a Llama today? Well, I did

Lucky for me there was a small petting zoo at the Spice of Life Festival in Berkeley. I had to resist screaming "Tina, eat your food" at the llama. :)

Friday night at the de Young

Are we so hip and urban, or what!? Tonight we went to the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park.




Yes, this map is made out of spam.

...and still, more kitties

Stuart makes for a good pillow, and little Emerson Grace does kitty yoga in her sleep.

He's sick, let him eat his toast and apple sauce in peace!

The baby kitty grooms the kitty Dad

Who loves Chocolate?

Today Dave, Laura, Anthony and I went on the Scharffenberger Chocolate Factory Tour! I was going to post photos of us wearing the required hairnets while we strolled around the chocolate making machines, but I think I'll spare you all.

Did you know that their logo is an Ibex?

Laura and Josh are here!

Owie owie owie

Awwwww man! I managed to give myself an RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury). My left wrist is killing me! What a drag.

Have you ever had to brush your cat's teeth?

Thank goodness for Seafood Flavor!

5 shoes! I mean... 4 shoes and a cat

Flowers!

I came home late last night to find a few little bunches of flowers placed strategically around our house (out of cat reach). One point for boyfriend!

Next stop please!

This article was published in April but I just discovered it recently. I bet Stuart would ride the bus all by himself if he lived in England!!! :)

World Vegetarian Day

Thanks to my friend Jenny, I learned that today is World Vegetarian Day! Woo hoo!

You guessed it... time for a "new month" post

October... ahhh... definitely my favorite month. It's officially Fall, leaves are changing (somewhere in this country) things are starting to cool down (isn't it always somewhat cool in Berkeley?), Halloween is super near (and you know what that means! candy candy candy!) just what I need. :p

How Berkeley Can YOU be!

New Years Resolution, achieved!

So, as all of you regular blog readers know, I make a New Years Resolution each year to cook a new dish... something that is one of my favorite things to eat in restaurants but something I could totally make at home.

In 2005 I wanted to learn how to make Vegetarian Chili. In 2006 I wanted to learn how to make Granola. And, for 2007 I took on the challenge of learning to make Ma Po Tofu. Typically I have achieved these goals with mere moments to spare in the year... however, this year, with the help of Jess, I tackled Ma Po Tofu in September! YUMMERS!

the SF Opera goes to AT&T Park

Last night we went to AT&T Park (home of the SF Giants) to see a live Simulcast from the SF Opera of Samson and Delilah. Other than the "take me out to the opera" song during the 7th inning stretch, we had a great time! Just kidding... we loved the altered american classic.

I'll admit, it was slightly distracting to try to watch an opera at the ballpark because people were running around on the field, but the distractions were worth it in the end because we got to run around the bases. :) Man, was it cold!

Can you find the kittens?

There are two of them in these pictures!



Yes, we badly need to do our laundry. Thanks for noticing. :)

5 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO

...or maybe you already did know, but...

Check out these things that you can do with your cell phone:

FIRST
Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobiles is 112.
If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your
mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112
and the mobile will search any existing network to
establish the emergency number for you, and
interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if
the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may
come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell
phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the
spare keys are at home, call someone at home on
their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your
cell phone about a foot from your car door and have
the person at your home press the unlock button,
holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your
car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive
your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could
be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach
someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you
can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

THIRD
Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate,
press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with
this reserve and the instrument will show a 50%
increase in battery. This reserve will get charged
when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in
the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15
digit code will appear on the screen. This number is
unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it
somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can
phone your service provider and give them this code.
They will then be able to block your handset so even
if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will
be totally useless. You probably won't get your
phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole
it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this,
there would be no point in people stealing mobile
phones.


And Finally....

FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75
or more for 411 information calls when they don't
have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone
directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation
even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411
information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or
(800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all.
Program this into your cell phone now.

Our new friend...

the green compost bucket!!! are we so berkeley now, or what?