My Cat is Cheating on Me

I know. .I know.. I haven't written to the blog in a MONTH and THIS is the post that brings me back? But I had to write about it because I find it utterly hilarious.

I live in a 15-unit condo building, and have no private outdoor space. Therefore, my cats have no yard to patrol. No deck to sun themselves on. Basically no freedom (although they are quite spoiled!) Their "outdoors" is the hallway outside of my unit. They sit in front of my condo door and meow until I let them roam the hallway, sitting on the neighbors doormats until they come home and give them love.

About a week ago, Stinkey came home reeking of patchouli. I knew he had been in the neighbors house. I knew he was looking for love outside the home. Then today, he came home smelling like... (can you guess??).. marijuana!! And he's acting as if nothing happened. He apparently doesn't know that his whole head, and a little bit under his chin, is sporting some pretty strong evidence. He has a wonderful home. Plenty of food. Treats. Toys. Affection. Space to roam. And yet he whores around the hallway looking for love and drugs. I'm just waiting for the day when he comes home with a crack pipe and a "I love Unit 302" tattoo.

Maybe it's time for tough love. Tsk tsk tsk.

Happy Birthday to Moose!

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday you poor poor man who HAS TO be in Mexico on his birthday touring tequilla distilleries
Happy Birthday to YOOOUUUUUU.

xoxoxo

Moose & Squirrel are Alive & Kicking

OH MY! Where has the time gone!? I'll try to go back and fill in the details later, but here's a little synopsis of how my August and September hours were passed:

6 weeks of intensive Real Estate training by Zephyr. In addition to working full time, I spent every day, Monday through.. well... Monday, packing my brain full of real estate laws, best practices, horror stories, tips & tricks and very important lessons from the fantastic brokers @ Zephyr. This training included more than 30 action packed training classes that covered such things as: contracts, open houses and floor calls, agency relationships, disclosures, the MLS, writing and presenting offers, financial planning, technology for real estate, forms, condo and TIC issues, listing presentations, property inspection , farming (moo!), marketing properties, marketing ourselves, negotiating, home warranties, taxes, escrow, title (I can finally explain the value of that title insurance!), time management, financing, rent control, probate, disclosures, competitive market analyses, disclosures, managing a customer base, disclosures. Did I mention disclosures?

Other happenings:

• A field trip to Probate Court to observe & learn
• A seminar on property co-ownership by non-married individuals
• A seminar on TIC ownership by one of SF's leading TIC specialists
• Toured over 300 properties in San Francisco. Single family homes, condos, TICs, multi-unit buildings. I aways jot down notes for each property with my nerdy little clipboard, and endure endless "comments" from other agents about how they've never seen anyone with a clipboard before. Really? It's that unusual?
• Hosted 6 Open Houses on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
• Toured the new high-rise developments in SOMA to learn about the neighborhood development and new luxury condos.
• Bought my first smartphone and bluetooth headset. (For a technology person, I am somehow a late adopter when it comes to gadgets! I was forced to abandon my old philosophy of leaving work at the office for a more appropriate one of working all day, every day, from the car, from the nail salon, from the.. well.. that wasn't a flush you heard, that was the...errr.. garbage disposal. Anyway, I'm now wired 24/7.)
• Set up my laptop so that I can write and submit offers from anywhere in the world as long as I have an Internet connection. Made A.T. promise that I would have high speed Internet and a fax before agreeing to go away for Thanksgiving. (WHAT is happening to me!!?)
• Finally sent out my announcement emails (If you didn't get one, please let me know and I'll send you one!)
• Worked on my business plan. Almost done!
• And the best part.. working with my awesome clients (and writing offers!). It's amazing, the wide variety of personalities, tastes, and levels tolerance for things like noise, people, remodeling, height, numbers.. you name it, every one's got an opinion about it. Everyone is indeed a unique and special individual and I love getting to know them. Some are forthcoming, some are not. Some trust you automatically and others instinctively distrust you. Some are organized and prepared, and some leave that part to me. :) Overall, it's a wonderful experience to get out and meet all kinds of people that I wasn't exposed to before when I was confined to the cube and interacted primarily with other techies and businesspeople. Nurses, police men, musicians, entrepreneurs, dog groomers, event planners, caterers. All kinds of fascinating people.

Strangely that doesn't seem to convey everything that I've been doing. I wish that there was a less graphic way to say "running around like a chicken with my head cut off". But really, that's it. Y'all know how anal I am about keeping my little to do list up to date. I have been enduring endless stress over not feeling like I'm doing enough, while actually moving at 160 mph. It's crazy. So much to learn. Always so much to learn. Even after 10 years in the business, there will be a lot to learn. But the good news is that I LOVE IT. Never a second thought. Never a doubt. This is what I am meant to do.

For fun?

• Hosted our annual Roof Deck Party
• Welcomed AT's dad to SF for his annual visit
• Our annual pilgrimage to central PA (Yeee-hawww! Ask A.T. how he liked being TAKEN for a ride on the 4-wheeler (ATV) by my 5-year old nephew.)
• Passed one divine Saturday tasting wine and dining at the French Laundry with our favorite L.A. friends Mitch, Cynthia and Heather (and two friends).
• Barely went to the gym or exercised
• Barely slept
• Hung out with Tania, my spectacular Little Sister
• Didn't cook a single meal at home. (Okay, cooked 2 meals in 2 months!)
• Enjoyed Lisa and Kris Bagchi's visit to SF
• Went to Melicob's fabulous Pig Roast and Western Bday Party
• Enjoyed a night of cocktails with Tod Stenger, visiting from Denver.
• Ate a delicious meal with Shelley "Boots" Sanner from DC, who I have not seen in YEARS. Found out at the end of dinner that the guy at the next table had been carefully listening to every single word of our very private conversation, when he asked if he could comment on our discussion. (!!!!)
• Joined the Commonwealth Club and attended several very interesting lectures.
• Kevin & Kristen's lovely SF wedding (Kevin is my next-door neighbor)
• Dinner with Nicole and Adam from Los Angeles (visiting SF with their fun friends Orion and Jamie)
• Keeping Stefan out of trouble during his visit from Boston to SF (okay, we failed at that mission)
• Laughing with Gabriel "I'm not fat, I'm fluffy" Iglesias with the BGI girls @ Cobbs Comedy club.
• Multiple crazy, fun NEFF happy hours
• Adam's going away party :-(
• Attended the NOPA neighborhood meeting with Andrea. She wanted to see Gavin Newsom and I wanted to find out what's going on in that neighborhood so that I can keep my clients updated. I felt like a complete impostor at this very neighborhoody meeting, but alas, we sat in the second row and both stared at Gavin like crazed little schoolgirls. He is mesmerizing. Truly mesmerizing. Although after we left, Andrea said that every time I pulled out my notepad to write something down, Gavin looked down at me with a quizzical look. You know the look because all of you have done it. You think I'm writing something about you, when really I'm writing exciting reminders to myself like "pay for health insurance" or "drop off skirt for alterations". Sheesh. I guess no-one is immune to the self-consciousness that my handy dandy notepad evokes!

Okay, I've wasted enough time on personal things. Time to go back to work. It's 9:00pm. Where has the day gone!? Oy!

Squirel is Legal. Please buy a Tree

Where do I even start? My mind is racing. Every day. Every night. I can’t sleep. I keep thinking of things to do. I can’t turn my brain off. I can’t even keep my to do list up to date. And y’all know how obsessed I am with a neat and orderly to-do list. I have pieces of paper with notes scribbled on them all around the house, car, and office. In fact, I’m not entirely sure why I’m spending time blogging. Perhaps it’s my escape. Or fear that I will get really really behind and never be able to catch up.

The good news:
1. My license came in on Friday. I’m official! I can now sell real estate. And she’s off!!!

2. I got my first Open House gig. This Sunday I will be hosting an Open House for a very successful listing agent, Rick Osmon. It’s a beautiful house on 24th & Dolores. $1,025,000 beautiful.

3. Zephyr new agent training started: I’m ready to go NOW, but every day from now till mid September, we’ll have 2-4 hours of training sessions every day, covering every subject area possible. And it’s a fantastic training plan. Training + Mentor = very prepared Sherri.

4. My business cards will be here on Friday: just in time for our BBQ and my open house. No more scribbling my name and number on the generic Zephyr card! Yay!

Today was another mad dash around the city to see how many properties I could view. I narrowed it down form 600+ properties to 40ish. I cut out the $15,000,000 home due to time constraints and the relative probability that I wouldn’t come across a $15,000,000 house buyer in the next month or two. You know, it’s not hard to find a Real Estate Agent on Tuesdays. Stand on any corner and look out for a Volvo or Mercedes.

Tuesday are a frenzied rush. I departed the house this morning prepared for the tour. I had my excel spreadsheet of houses I wanted to visit, ordered by the most efficient path through town (taking into consideration the 1.5 hour window that each property was open), with notes for Zephyr agent listings, houses offering snacks or lunch, and the importance of seeing each home (after all, I know I won’t actually make it to 40 houses in 5 hours). I also had my handy dandy clipboard. I appear to be the only agent in town who walks into an open house with a clipboard. I always take notes on each property. How else can you remember the details of each one? Last week, I was waiting for an agent to open the gate to her open house, and she asked what I wanted. She thought (because of the clipboard) that I was there taking a survey or trying to get signatures for a petition. !!! Is it really that odd to want to take some notes? Am I anal retentive or is everyone else under-prepared? (don’t answer that). I also packed my baggy of popcorn, a toothpick (for the pesky popcorn), a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fresh cantaloupe, a Coke, water and some nuts. And some wet-naps to wash the cooties off of my hands before snacking. Yes, have to pack a lunch. There’s no time to stop anywhere for food, and if you leave it to the food that some agents put out, you might not find anything you like. I do, however, have at least one “brownie bite” every Tuesday. That’s the preferred dessert of SF agents, apparently. I still have to figure out where to go to the ladies room during tour day. Do I waste time by stopping at a restaurant, pretending to be a customer, and using the facilities? Is it uncouth to use the loo at an open house?

I have a newfound love for my car. The PT Cruiser is a real estate touring machine. I have renamed her “The R.E. Cruiser”. She zips through this city faster than any automatic-transmission Volvo. Her turning radius is stellar, and helps me snag a coveted parking spot across the street in seconds. She can park legally in those smaller spots between driveways that most other cars can’t fit into. I get a left leg workout from pushing the clutch all day. And most importantly, she’s a comfortable ride for the passengers. No, most importantly is that I don’t look like every other real estate agent out there! Although, I do have a little bit of Volvo XC90 envy, and today I found myself driving behind one at least 9 times.

A few questions that I pondered today while touring:

1. Why on earth would you remodel your kitchen and put in beautiful granite countertops with an OVERmount sink? The benefit of granite is that you can use the nice undermount sink so that you can push your crumbs directly into the sink without having to steer them off of the counter, into your hand (and on the floor) before depositing them in the sink.

2. If your listing is kind of moldy smelling, why not open a window or two?

3. Why don’t all parking police log onto the MLS to see where the open houses are every Tuesday and Sunday, then hang out by the properties and make their whole week’s parking ticket quota in one day? Please don’t tell any parking police officers about this idea, as I found myself double parking (gasp!) today when there weren’t any spots in a decent radius. But the thought did cross my mind.

That’s it for today, folks. I am frantically trying to get my website up & out (a very basic version.. the better one will follow in a month or two), do my training, prepare for our big BBQ on Saturday, prepare for my Open house, and become the real estate guru that I aspire to be (this category has about 257 items in it).

(subliminal message. Send me home buyers and sellers)

Calling all Dream Interpreters

I often have very vivid dreams. They usually combine different areas of my life in some weird way. Perhaps an old college roommate is my boss at a company that I worked for 5 years ago and the office looks like AT's old apartment. You know.. a hodgepodge of memories, usually triggered by something that happened that day or whatever happens to be on my mind.

Well, a few nights ago, I dreamed that I was getting some stuff out of my car (a PT Cruiser). Oprah Winfrey walked by and swiped a beach towel. I was going to chase after her, but decided to let her have it. Then Ross the Intern from the Tonight Show came by and did the same. I also let him keep his towel. Suddenly, both of them were back, trying to steal my car. I woke up in the middle of the night yelling "HELP! HELP ME!!" and nearly scaring poor A.T. to death.

WTF? What on EARTH could this mean? Anyone? Any ideas at all? I just can't get my head around the significance of Ross the Intern and Oprah. ????????

Rookie Broker Touring

Today Tara (my mentor) and I went out for the Rookie Broker Tour. This means that we would be seeing houses from 9am-4pm, all day, nonstop, all neighborhoods, all price points. We saw condos, TICs and houses from Seacliff to Excelsior. I asked to drive so that I would become more familiar with the roads/routes. I also wanted to make sure that my aggressive, stick-shift wielding, yell-at-pedestrians-who-aren't-looking-for-cars, curse-at-drivers-on-their-cell-phones-making-bad-moves style driving could be successfully toned down to a professional level. After all, I do not want to 1.) scare anyone or 2.) make anyone nauseous. (I wonder where I got that road rage from..hmm.. someone from Boston perhaps?) I think that Tara was so excited to be chauffeured around town that she didn't notice the driving! In any case, I seemed to pass the test. We had a lovely day, meeting agents, seeing great and not-so-great units, exploring the neighborhoods, talking about the market. Tara is getting ready to list a house, and she had 4 other agents come over to look at it and come up with the ideal listing price. I love the fact that Zephyr agents are so willing to help other agents! The best part of today.. no gym. Walking up steps all day is quite a workout in and of itself!

Do these pants make my butt look big?

(Rhetorical question. I know they make my butt look droopy!)

These pant were the result of a leap of faith. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose.

A friend of mine had heard about this great tailor that comes to the US (from Thailand) once a year to take your measurements and custom clothing orders. He takes the information back to Thailand, has the suits made there, and mails them to you. They are a fraction of the cost of having them made in the U.S., but still expensive.

As a person embarking upon a new career, and someone who has been working in the super causal technology arena for the past 15 years, I thought this might be a good investment. A business suit perfectly fitted to my body. I can't even imagine! I can't buy a single pair of pants off the rack without having to alter them. Too short. To tight in the booty. Too big in the waist. A shopping *nightmare*.

I was aware of the risk, and quite worried about what would happen if it did NOT fit. How would they fix it? How would they know how *much* too big or small it is? I decided to have faith in the system that others swore by, and run with it. (In retrospect, these were all men who recommended him. Perhaps men's bodies are much easier to fit!?)

After a little over a month of anxious anticipation, the suit arrived! I rushed home to try on my new wardrobe gem. Uh oh. Not so good. Fantastic workmanship. Solid construction. But horrible fit. Shoulders too tight, arms too short, waist too big, butt too big, to name a few. I sent it back with a description of the problem and lots of pictures. (Thanks to photographer AT). I'm giving them once chance to fix it. I hope this works!!!

Zephyr: Shameless Self Promotion

Whew! How is it that I haven't even received my real estate license yet, and I go to bed every night stressed out about the huge to-do list that I can barely chisel away at each day? I'll tell you how. There is so much to learn and do! A never-ending supply of research that I feel the need to complete before I get my license! At that point, I'll have to switch into prospecting full gear!

Today was fun. I had my photo shoot this morning. It's a little weird to be fussing over a photo so much, but the darn thing is going to be plastered on every piece of marketing literature I put out there. Business cards, property sheets, websites. I need to find a picture that says I'm warm, open, intelligent, and a savvy business woman. How can a picture say all of that? Below are the 6 "finalist" photos. Yes, I know the one on the top middle looks like I'm drunk and falling over. I wasn't. Well, not during the photo shoot. The picture looked normal before the bottom was cropped off. You see, I was leaning over to pet a cute dog while she was taking the pictures. Kidding! Very likely, but not true in this case.

I also met with the Zephyr marketing manager today to discuss my marketing plan. How exciting! After much deliberation, and several purchases on GoDaddy.com, I finally decided on my new real estate website. This site name will be on my business cards as well as the For Sale signs for my listings, and my Open House signs. Nobody will ever remember how to spell Sherri Shaffer, so I wanted something without my name. Something catchy. Something people would remember without having to write it down. I am going with www.dwellingselling.com! It should be up and running in a week or two, so stay tuned. Do you like it? Accurate description of my career? Yes. Silly? Heck yeah. Memorable? Absolutely!

Tonight I'm going to curl up with the list of Tuesday open houses and a glass of wine. :)

OomaSitting

Oh, I love the fuzzy dog. I have been looking forward to my weekend of dog-sitting with Ooma for months. Melissa says that this may break me of my adoration for dogs. We’ll see about that! It’s pretty strong.

I started by visiting Ooma, the adorable fuzzy Labradoodle, after work. As I was driving to see her, I found myself speeding. I felt like I was driving to a first date! I couldn't wait to arrive and give her a good scratch. I returned later to spend the night, insistent on being productive and reading some important Tenancy in Common documentation while simultaneously petting her. She promptly put an end to any such thoughts and demanded my full attention.

She decided to wake me up several times to bark and growl, letting me know that the neighbors just arrived home from a night out. How sweet. (ahem). We shared the bed for a good night of sleep.. her with three quarters of it, and me with my measly quarter.

The next day we arose early for our field trip. We picked up my Little Sister, Tania, and headed to Fort Funston for some frolicking in the sun. When I was first matched with Tania almost 5 years ago, she was deathly afraid of dogs. I’m so proud of the progress she has made, as she was Ooma’s primary caretaker during the outing. Except for that whole poop-disposal thing. That’s where she drew the line and I had to stand in. Otherwise, she was the entertainer, ball-thrower, fresh-water-pourer, and leash-walker. Fort Funston is my Happy Place. So many fluffy dogs. Ahhh. Makes me smile just thinking about it.

Next, we took the beautiful but dirty dog to get a bath! Pet Food Express lets you wash your own dog on the cheap, so we stopped at the cash register to purchase a token “for two people who have never washed a dog in their lives.” The super friendly guy at the counter sent another employee with us for an orientation. There were several other gorgeous dogs there getting primped.

Tania led Ooma up to the bathing are (unaware of what was going to happen). We linked her collar to the wall, just in case. After careful consideration, we chose the mango shampoo and Tania went to work scrubbing down the very calm and composed puppy! After Tania’s careful and thorough scrubbing, we moved her to the drying station, only to find out that she was NOT going to allow us to blow dry her. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s mostly poodle and didn’t want us to give her a poodle-fro or if she didn’t like the noise. But she said No. No no no no no. So we went back to the counter and asked for a few more towels and did it the old fashioned way.

(going in for the wash)

(scrub a dub dub with mango shampoo)

(soaked canine)

(hand drying)

(clean pooch!)

Oomers and I spent the evening and following day together playing various games, like: ring-around-the-scooter, just-you-try-to-get-me-to-come-inside, I-bet-you-can’t-catch-me-sucker, bark-at-the-neighbors, bark-at-sherri-while-she-is-watching-a-movie, steal-sherri’s-pen and my favorite, refuse-to-pee-because-I-know-it-means-we-will-go-back-inside-right-away.

Overall, a very fun experience. Even if she woke me up and scared me half to death with her middle of the night barky fits, she knew how to cock her head to one side and give me those adorable puppy dog eyes that make me melt and forget how bad she can be!

Zephyr: Week One(half)

Well, I call it a half-week because my new career is.. well.. it's NOT a M-F, 9-5 kind of job.

I started on Tuesday. Tuesday is broker's tour day. That means that all of the new houses on the market all across the city (and those who want extra attention) are held open so that real estate agents from every agency in the city can see them. The tour is organized in such a way that each neighborhood has their houses open during a particular time slot, so you work your way around the city in an orderly fashion. There are hundreds and hundreds of properties open, so it's important to have a good game plan. It's even more important to find a few open houses that are serving food! (What a fantastic way to get the other agents to show up!).

If you have current buyers, this is your opportunity to check out houses they might be interested in before you drag them to the house on Sunday. Better to not waste their time if they require space for a baby grand piano, and the property just doesn't have it! Also, if you have a seller, it's a great time to see what else is for sale in the neighborhood, how nice they look, and how much they are selling their unit for. Since I don't have any customers yet (because the Department of Real Estate is still processing my license application!), I'm using my Tuesdays to explore properties that I think my first customers might want, and also to get an idea of what is on the market. Basically, Tuesdays are spent wearing comfortable shoes and driving around town doing research. No need to hit the gym on Tuesdays. :-)

Wednesday morning is the Zephyr sales meeting. We have breakfast, talk about the market, learn a new tip, have interesting discussions, hear about what people sold that week, and have other agents present their new listings. Then we do another tour of all of the new Zephyr-Agent listings. Vroom vroom around the city again.

Thursday and Friday would normally be spent preparing for the weekend. I spent them preparing my marketing plan, finding a catchy domain name for my website, and reading up on TIC laws and financing. I also set up lots of meeting for next week. My photo shoot for my business card mug shot. My meeting with the marketing guru. And my get-logged-in-to-all-Zephyr-systems meeting. I also determined a neighborhood-research plan. I am familiar with most neighborhoods in the city, after being here for 9 years (!) but there are some that need more investigation. Every Friday I will explore a new area. I also printed out a list of all parking fines from the City of San Francisco. Since I will be driving and parking all day, along with hundreds of other agents, chances are I won't get rock star parking every time. This way, I'll be able to make an educated decision about which type of ticket I get. Hmm. Street cleaning is less than parking by a red curb. But if I don't see the street cleaner coming up the street, I can make it in/out without a ticket (they are easy to spot). I'll take street cleaning violation risk, please!

On Fridays we get a thick print-out of all of the houses/condos that will be on the following Tuesday's brokers tour. Just to give you an idea of the size. There are approximately 600 properties open next week. Obviously, you need to put some effort into mapping your route!

Saturdays and Sundays are open houses for the public. This is when prospective buyers can look at properties. If I had a buyer customer, I would be driving them around to look at houses that they might be interested in. This week, I spent Saturday with Tania and Ooma, and making a plan for Sunday. I think I will focus on districts 5 & 6 tomorrow. District 6, Central North, is Lower Pacific Heights, Alamo Square, NoPa, Hayes Valley, Western Addition. District 5, Central, is Mission Dolores, Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Twin Peaks, Haight Ashbury, etc. I'm going to be looking at Condo/TIC/Lofts up to $700k.

Mondays are typically filled with faxing offers, making counter offers, tying up loose ends from the weekend.

And once you have something in contract, every day consists of following up with the customer, title company, inspectors, and everyone involved to make sure the deal goes through smoothly!

I a few months, I'll pretty much know every street, every alley, every dead-end road, every hill's elevation. So if you need any directions, call me up. What? You need to know where Uranus is? I can help you with that. I saw a house on Uranus last week. Baaah! Okay, sorry. I couldn't help myself. I do love the scatological humor! And I really did see a house on Uranus, too. It was very nice. I would live on Uranus. Baah. I just can't stop!

So far, I'm loving it. Sure, I have no customers or pay. But I love it! The only problem is going to be making sure that I still get to see Tania on weekends, since I now work 7 days a week!

So, who wants to buy or sell a house with me? ;-)

Hire me, please.

The interviewing was fun, but exhausting. My first meeting was with Zephyr's Upper Market office. I have to say that the sales manager there just blew me away. She was energetic, direct, on-point, efficient with her use of the interview time, motivating, and just plain cool. I knew from that moment that I wanted to join her at Zephyr. But of course, I had to interview elsewhere to make sure I was making the right decision.

My other interviews were essentially wasted time. After Zephyr, all other agencies felt corporate, dry, stereotypical, disconnected, traditional. Boring. Some of the people were great, by my overall feel for the other offices was.. well.. the best way that I can describe it is that Zephyr felt like the dot com boom (energy, enthusiasm, self-motivation) and the others felt like the insurance business (zzzzzz). I could be wrong, but I like to follow my gut feeling in matters like these.

The Zephyr sales Manager (whom I will call "D") invited me to join the city-wide Zephyr sales meeting the following day. We had breakfast at 8:30am, followed by the high-energy sales meeting. Then the entire clan of agents caravaned around the city to take a peek at all of the new Zephyr listings that were put on the market that week. I *loved* the cohesiveness of the group. D made sure that I met several new agents so that I could ask them about their first 6 months. She also found someone for me to caravan around the city with. This fabulous agent had a very slow start her first year, but rebounded with a great second year. She was a fantastic resource to let me know what it's like to work there, as well as work for D. Her insight was invaluable! (Plus, she was cool!). I left the sales meeting with: 1.) 100% certainty that this is where I wanted to be and 2.) two really bad blisters on my toes. I made a rookie mistake. Never, EVER wear cute heels on Open House days. There are many stairs to be tackled on these days. Comfort is key. It's certainly not a desk job! (yay!)

Thursday, I went back into Zephyr for a tour of the office where I would be working. D showed me where I WOULD (not “could”) be sitting (sharing an office with a Top Producer, who could be my mentor). I like her style.. Assume The Sale! I participated in the office's weekly meeting. I was concerned about the fact that the next new-agent training wouldn't start till September, but D came prepared with a list of things I could do for my first 8 weeks. Combined with my own personal list, I wouldn't be lacking in the work department! I cannot start representing buyers/sellers until my license is issued by the state (I'm just waiting for them to get through the paperwork now), but I sure will be ready when it is issued. I was once again impressed, but not surprised, by D's preparedness, and uncanny ability to answer my questions before I have voiced them. Yes, this is the place for me. A fun staff. A beautiful office near my home. A lot of interaction with other agents. A fantastic, straight-shooting sales manager. Yes. I'll take it. When can I start?

I decided to cut the interview process with other agencies short. I had seen enough. Whenever I was in the Zephyr offices my gut screamed "Yes!". So I took it. I start next Tuesday!! D will be out of town, but I have plenty to keep me busy. Looking at houses. Studying contracts. Preparing my marketing plan. Oh yes. Plenty!

I am SO excited I feel like I am going to burst!

Zephyr's Web Site

University of Pennsylvania in SF

This week AT's college friends took over San Francisco for Major League Baseball's All-Star Game week. We got to see Susan (from AZ), Noam (from NYC), and their friends Marcy and Amish (sp?) who also happened to go to U Penn.

We took them to a very nice restaurant for dinner. Our favorite Indian restaurant, Pakwan. Where the food is divine, vegetarians and carnivores alike can be appeased, and 6 people can have a feast for $58.

Then we went to Cantina, a fantastic new bar in SF that serves up some of the very best fresh-fruit cocktails. As a cocktail snob, AT has given this place the seal of approval, so you know it must be good!

Later in the week, Noam managed to get some tickets to the Homerun Derby for AT and I. It was a gorgeous sunny day at Pac Bell Park..

Perfect for eating some ball park sausage..

One day I'll get on a kayak and watch the ball game from the cove..

Boston

What a whirlwind of activity! As usual, our extra-long weekend in Boston was filled with family, friends and food. Here are some of the highlights..

Lunch at Legal Seafood with Ophelia (AT’s mom). AT used to be a manager at Legal Seafood, so we like to stop in and have some of his favorite foods when we’re back east. This meal featured: fish chowdah, lobster bisque (for me), a clam roll (with clam bellies), bluefish pate, and grape nut pudding. No, they don’t actually have grape nut pudding on the menu anymore, but after AT expressed his disappointment at it’s removal from the menu, the waiter let us in on a little secret.. they have a special stash of it in the kitchen for occasions like this where someone comes looking for it!

Dinner and drinks with Stefan, Sophie, Andrea, Cave, Scott O’Donnell and others at Eastern Standard. It was GREAT to see Scotty O (who used to live in San Francisco) after several years. He’s in Real Estate, so I picked his brain and got some good advice about entering the field. After the group broke up (most of them had to go to work the next day!), AT and I went to Silver Tone (his favorite Boston bar.. his “Cheers”). His favorite bartender, Cedric, moved to Florida (boo), but Michael was! After mixing us delicious cocktails, Michael informed us that Cedric was, in fact, back and Boston and managing a new bar called BeeHive. Obviously, we had to get just “one more” cocktail at BeeHive. After a warm welcome from Cedric & others (AT is unforgettable), we sat at the end of the bar and chatted with a fantastically energetic guy named Newman. Newman is the white version of Jonathan Speed. And we love Speedo. So we hung out with Newman for one MORE cocktail, but then we had to leave so that we could get to New York Pizza before it closed. YUM YUM YUM. We love that NY style pizza.. the real stuff. Not that stuff they serve in SF and CALL New York pizza. Nothing like a great late-night slice of delicious pizza.

AT’s family reunion. Technically, it was Ted & Ruth’s 50th wedding anniversary. But really, the event served to reunite many of the Howe clan. Sadly, many of the West Coast contingent didn’t make it, as all of the flights from the Bay Area were canceled on Thursday and Friday. Thank goodness we left on Wednesday! But it was fun to meet all of the great people that I had heard so much about. The food was tasty, the speeches incredibly moving. I was inspired by all of the tributes to Ted and Ruth. They are two phenomenal people who have made a big impact on everyone from their children to complete strangers. I can only hope that my life will be as meaningful and fulfilling as theirs (I know, for that I’ll need some kids. Hopefully one day!)



Fabulously delicious ice cream from Toscanini’s. For AT? Burnt Vienna Fingers. For me? Ginger Slap Molasses.





Reading my Real Estate Practice book whenever I could sneak it in. (No rest for the unemployed!)

A tasty dinner with Stacey at 647 Tremont. Stacey is here in the States, getting ready for her upcoming wedding to Nelson. (Congratulations!!) Since I won’t get to see Stacey in London on my business trips anymore (boo), it was great to see her Stateside! After dinner, we went back to the BeeHive to see Cedric again, but the bar was packed packed packed. We could have edged our way in, but we all knew that we’re just too old for that stuff! Being packed in like sardines? Having to push your way to the bar to get a cocktail? No thank you! We went next door for a nice, civilized glass of wine.



Watching the huge wild turkey in Stefan’s back yard.

I saw a residential building with the name “Bacon Chambers” prominently displayed above the door. I want to live there. It’s right down the street from “Redneck’s BBQ”

Visiting Cave and Fleur. Cave is AT’s friend from childhood. Fleur is my favorite dog in the world. She’s a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog, and I can’t get enough of her!

Brunch with David and Tawnya (who I met on a Habitat for Humanity trip to Uganda in 1999) and Heather (who I met in San Francisco years ago). We had a lovely meal at their home, and got to meet their two sons. I have been bad at keeping in touch and haven’t seen any of these three in YEARS, so it was fantastic to finally catch up on those lost years!

Lunch with AT, Ophelia, Arnold and myself. Ophelia whipped up a very SCRUMPTIOUS meal, aptly titled “Ophelia’s Casserole”. It was a delicious meal of ground beef, vegetables, tomatoes, chili powder, and baked with a cornbread topper. YUM. I * must * have this recipe!

Stealing Swedish Fish out of Stefan’s kitchen cabinet. We found his bulk package of the fish on the first day. Jackpot!

Being two of the 11 people on our very-delayed flight home. Receiving first class meals, and our own private rows in the airplane. Getting home a day before our luggage.

Oh, and there’s more. But it’s late and I can’t remember it now.

It was a fantastic getaway. Now, back to reality!

I PASSED!

Hooray! I passed the California Real Estate licensing exam!
That means, I just need to file the necessary paperwork, and I'll get my license.
Step 1 = accomplished!

The UpSide of Redundancy...

.. is having to use all of your flexible spending money quickly.
I bought FOUR new pairs of glasses! (That makes 17).
Mwaaaa haa haa haa haa!

Exam Day with the State of California

I spent this past weekend, this beautiful sunny weekend, cooped up in the Kaplan learning center, taking a 2-day intensive Real Estate licensing exam preparation class. I have studied my text book, my exam prep book, my Kaplan test prep materials, my flash cards, my sample paper tests from 3 sources, my practice CD, my real estate dictionaries. I've read and re-read it and re-re-read it. Repeated it out loud. Studied in the lazy-boy, on the sofa, at the kitchen table, at the desk, on the floor, in bed. I've gotten out of bed by 7:30 every day, and stayed up late reading. My brain is full. It's also a bit mushy and melted from the heat that this frantic burst of activity has generated! And I'm ready. I'm SO ready for this exam.

This morning I went to the State Building in Oakland to take the exam. I wasn't nervous at all. After 30(!!) minutes of instruction, and 90 minutes of filling in the dots, I left the building, relieved! It's over! No more cramming! Hooray!




Time to go to Boston for a few days, relax, and celebrate!

Ok Ms. Lower Back, are you happy now?

Dear Lower back,

I have given up the sedentary lifestyle for you. I pledge to never go back to the cubicle lifestyle unless absolutely necessary to survive. I pledge to get you more exercise on a regular basis. To stretch you. To strengthen you. Oh, and while I’m at it, I’ll get you a few shots of cortisone to make you feel better.



Talk about a turbulent week! Losing my job. Chronic un-diagnosable back pain. Sheesh. Time to get more aggressive. I had 3 cortisone shots into my lumbar spine to try to get rid of that annoying pain. I was informed that they should kick in from 2-14 days after the procedure. I spent the first day waiting. Second day waiting. Third day = relief! Fourth day = pain. Fifth day = relief. Oh, for goodness sake, get me off of this roller coaster! Sixth day = relief. Hooray! The cortisone seems to have worked. THANK YOU modern medicine!

Lower back, are you happy now? I’ve given you everything you have asked for!

And another one bites the dust...

It's happening again.
I have had nightmares of this scenario.
I'm losing another great friend to the East Coast.
This time, it's G.
G-Money.
G-Love.
The G man.

I met Girish eight years ago. He was one of my first friends in San Francisco. We met at the Union Street fair, where he and my roommate, Ann-Marie recognized each other across a crowded outdoor beer-area. They had met briefly in Chicago when Girish came into Ann Marie's store to purchase some skin care products for his sister. What are the odds that they would meet again.. AND recognize each other?

Throughout the years, Girish has been a SOLID friend. During the dot com boom, when I was stressing myself out with 80-100 hour work weeks, G would pry me away from my desk for dinners. The moment I hopped into his car, all of my stress faded away. He made me laugh and forget about everything that was going on. Girish was (and still is) an oasis.

And that's just the beginning. G is always happy. Always supportive. Always uplifting. Always helpful. Always fun. Always game for trying something new. Always put a smile on my face. Always the kind of person that everyone wants to be around.

And it SUCKS that he's leaving. Booooo.

Philadelphia, I hope you know how lucky you are.

(I'll miss you, G!)


(bye Charlie!)

Successful Blind Girl Date!

That's right. I had a very successful blind-girl-friend-date this week!

Many of my good girlfriends have moved away over the past few years. While I know it's too much to ask to find another Lisa (Bagchi), I'm always on the lookout for fun, outgoing, confident, intelligent women to hang out with. I even have A.T. on new-girlfriend-patrol (and he found me Carolyn at tennis!).

While in L.A. recently, our new friends Heather and Becky told me that they know a fun and sane girl in San Francisco. Despite some oh-so-scary attempts at finding female friends in the past, I decided to give it a shot. I called her up and set up a date.

It was a Thursday, so we started out at Diageo happy hour (of course!). We had a few cocktails with A.T., then went to Bar Bambino for a delicious dinner. I had a fantastic time, and can't wait to hang out again. Lisa is very fun, open, caring, down-to-earth, silly, smart, daring, honest, and beautiful. Someone who likes athletic daytime stuff like hiking as well as those nighttime outings to drink, dance and mingle. I think I found a new partner-in-crime!

But I'll have to wait a few weeks to see her again, as I will be studying my booty off for the Real Estate licensing exam, and she is taking a group of students to Kenya.

The Deep End

To answer everyone’s questions, no I’m not going to take some time off and travel the world. If I were going back into the same career? Sure, I’d go for a spin around the world. But as I’m moving into a commission-based job, I better get moving, and fast!

To get your Real Estate Salesperson license in California, you need to take 1 course (Real Estate Principles), sit for your state exam, then you get your conditional license, which is good for 18 months. Once you take 2 additional courses, your license becomes a full, 4-year license. As a Salesperson, you must work for a Real Estate Broker.

To get your Real Estate Broker’s license, you must take 8 courses, then pass the state licensing exam.

I purchased all of the courses necessary to get my Broker’s license, but since I would like to start working ASAP, I will get my Salesperson’s license first, then finish up the additional courses over the next few months and sit for the Brokers exam.

Dannnng, that’s a lot of reading! But fortunately, I love being in school. Strange, I know..but true. The next few weeks, I am going to eat, breathe, and sleep Real Estate. My goal is to take and pass my state licensing exam before AT and I leave for Boston on June 27th. Can it be done?

Farewell Cubicleland!

It’s the end of an era. No more popping up over my cubicle walls like a prairie dog to talk to my coworkers. No more sitting in a chair all day. No more staring at a computer screen till my eyes hurt. No more carpal tunnel.

On Monday, June 11th, I went to a meeting that I had set up with my boss’s boss to discuss my frustrations about my current project (mainly, the difficulty in performing my role in San Francisco while the rest of the team was based in London). I was greeted by her (via phone), her boss, and a representative from HR. (Uh oh!). I was informed that my position was being moved to London (which makes perfect sense). However, this change would make my position here in San Francisco “redundant”. Wow! I did not see that one coming!

I spent a few days feeling a bit disconcerted, but strangely enough.. liberated. After the initial shock wore off, I realized that this really was going to be a great opportunity for me, and just the kick in the pants that I needed. I was long overdue for a career change. My lower back had been requesting a job that does not require so much sitting / inactivity, and had been voicing it’s unhappiness lately.. a LOT. Yes indeed, it is time for a change.

Oddly enough, for the past year or so I have been brainstorming/daydreaming about potential new careers. Ideally, I would work for a non-profit, but sadly, non-profit work won’t pay the mortgage! Some of the new-career-finalists were: event planning, life coaching, teaching, opening some type of dog service (grooming/walking/boarding), opening a big-bra store and single-handedly eliminating every saggy/bisected/misshapen/flattened/misplaced breast in America and beyond, and…. the ultimate winner.. REAL ESTATE. Seeing as I am interested in a career that gets me out of the office, allows me to be social, and constantly exposes me to new people.. this seems to fit the bill. Add to that my fascination with properties, and I think I found a winner.

Yes, I know it's a competitive field. Yes, I know it's not the best market. Yes, I know I'll be working on commission (yikes!). But this time I'm following my instinct for a career that I will enjoy, not my wallet. Period.

So there you have it. Out with the old. In with the new. Wish me luck on my new endeavor!

p.s. thanks to all of my fantastic friends who were so supportive during this weird and sometimes quite stressful phase!

p.p.s. thanks to all of m former colleagues who were outraged and angry on my behalf, when I couldn’t be. That was really sweet. Despite the suckiness of the “redundancy”, it’s a blessing in disguise. Hopefully you won't get "Shaffered" too.. unless you want to be!!! : -)

Press Your Luck

A guy walks into a doctor’s office and says, “Doctor, it hurts when I do this..” The doctor says, “So don’t do that!”

If only I could be such a smart patient. But I decided to drive to Los Angeles with A.T. instead. Who can pass up a road trip? Besides, if it hurts when I sit, that big fat corporate ride of his has a nearly full recline on the passengers side. I can lay down for a while (not out of character for me on a long road trip.) A.T. had to be in L.A. for work (a golf tournament) on Monday anyway, so why not accompany him on the drive and spend a few days exploring down south?

After a quick and relatively traffic-free commute to L.A., with the obligatory get-out-and-stretch stops and a tasty layover at In-N-Out burger, we rolled into Casa de Mitch in time for the festivities. Mitch has a fantastic setup. He sits on his cute little front deck every Friday after work, watches the cars go by, sipping cocktails or beer, and welcoming all his friends and neighbors as they eventually join him in his Friday merriment. Mitch’s full bar and keg full of home brewed beer await his smiling guests. There is no plan for the evening. No one calls ahead to confirm that they are coming. People just show up. At some point, the group orders dinner. His latest entertainment option? His Nintendo Wii.

Now, I am not a video game person at all. Not since Atari have I been addicted to a video game. Frogger. Donkey Kong. You know, Old School. However, I decided to try my hand at Wii bowling, tennis, and baseball. So much fun!! I’m very glad that lazy kids and adults all around the world will be getting some exercise with their gaming! To say that A.T. was taking his game seriously is an understatement. I video taped his first few matches because the grunting noises coming out of his mouth made me giggle like a schoolgirl. Email me for a copy. Hah!

But I digress. We had a lovely night at Mitch’s place in Santa Monica, filled with friends, good conversation, and entertainment. Heather brought fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market, and A.T. delighted the guests with several variations of a fruity strawberry drink that left all of the girls drooling for more. He also taught the ladies how to make the cocktails themselves, so that they can muddle their way to popularity at their next event.

I am envious of Mitch’s role as the Social King of Santa Monica. He has surrounded himself with a phenomenal group of friends. Mitch was talking with a young lady once. When he told her where he lived, she asked “Do you live near those people who party every weekend?” to which he replied, “I *AM* those people”. Apparently there was no further contact from said woman. Ouch! Nicole and Adam, neighbors, had felt the merriment emanating from Mitch’s house several times and wanted in. They came by one day and offered up a whole cheesecake (from The Cheesecake Factory!). They said that they had somewhere to be that night, so they couldn’t stay, but they definitely wanted to join the fun at a later time. Mitch wasn’t sure if the cheesecake was poisoned or not, but the crowd finished off the cake without any trouble. Shortly thereafter, Nicole and Adam became a regular part of the crowd, and very proud of bribing their way into the festivities.

Saturday I woke up with a very very achy back. Drats. Must have been that long car ride. Or that really uncomfortable sofa bed. (Mitch says his dad thought it was VERY comfortable. But if it was so comfortable, why did his dad give it to Mitch!? Hmmmm? Very suspicious!). A.T. and I went for a very lovely breakfast, followed by a walk along the ocean (looking for dogs to pet and movie stars to leer at), and a cruise down the Santa Monica Pier for a ride on the ferris-wheel-like ride. After that? Another dog-stalking walk home, a nap, and a trip to Pinkberry. A.T. has been told that if you are in L.A. you MUST try this frozen yogurt, so we set off without a map to find the closest one. (Reminder: we are map people). As soon as I told A.T. that he was absolutely going the wrong way and that we needed to backtrack, the Pinkberry appeared. (magic!!). Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt of the sour (surprise!) variety. They have regular & green tea, and lots of tasty toppings. I chose the regular yogurt with Fruity Pebbles and Captain Crunch. A.T., who as a child was not allowed sugared cereals as a child, chose the kiwi, mochi and mango. Very tasty indeed.

Saturday night, we met up with Cynthia (Mitch’s lovely lady), Becky, Heather and Alex for (surprise!) cocktails at a bar that supposedly boasts one of L.A.’s finest bartenders. That’s quite a claim to make to A.T., who reads cocktail blogs for a living! So we went there for a sip before heading out to the Culver City Art Walk. The bartender was OKAY, but after seeing Chris MacMillan in New Orleans, we were spoiled. I didn’t particularly care for any of the bartenders-choice drinks that he brewed up for our group. To be honest, AT can do a better job! But this showmanship was very good. He set a lot of things on fire. He mixed everything in a pitcher full of ice instead of shaking it. Lots of razzle dazzle. And we all had a great time. Did I say we stopped in for one drink? Six or seven rounds later, we were running down the street, trying to catch a bus to the restaurant so that we weren’t late for dinner! (Public transit in L.A.???) Fortunately the restaurant also had an attached art gallery, so technically we did do the Art Walk and did not abandon it entirely. We had a delicious meal, stopped in for a horrible margarita at the Mexican restaurant next door, went back to the first bar for our “free” round of drinks, but I was so tired that I fell asleep at the bar (how gauche!). We tried to call a cab, but 45 minutes later (or so it seemed when I was sit-sleeping), AT was sober and he drove us home. Did you know that it’s darn near impossible to get a cab in Los Angeles? Sheesh.

On Sunday we had a very delicious brunch at Nicole and Adam’s house. Then we went on a mission to uncover the truth about El Pollo Campero. Back in January, when AT & I were flying home from San Salvador, we noticed an odd phenomenon. We saw 27 boxes of El Pollo Campero (El Salvadorian version of KFC) enter the airplane. Not a single person ate any chicken before, during or after the flight. When going through customs, we though surely they would confiscate this food. Customs didn’t bat an eye, nor did they inspect any of the chicken boxes. Hmm. Odd. We finally asked what was up with the chicken and were told that people bring it home to their families. Wow! That must be some GOOOOOD frickin chicken! Sometime a few months later, A.T. found out that there are, in fact, some El Pollo Camperos in Los Angeles. We set out to find one and uncover the mystery of this poultry to tasty that customs turns a blind eye to it crossing the border. The verdict? Pretty delicious! A light and very crispy coating with yummy spices, very tender and juicy on the inside. Served up with fried plantains and beans. We weren’t disappointed. The restaurant was BOOMING. At first we were intimidated by this chicken-crazed crowd, and didn’t know where the “line” started, but the 20-person-deep queue moved very quickly. With the exception of the pair behind us, we were the only non-Central-Americans in the place, which lends to its authenticity. But I do wonder… does it taste the same here as it does in El Salvador???

After the chicken-hunt, we went to visit Mitch’s parents in their FABULOUS beachside home. Mitch let me drive his snazzy electric car. (Did you know that you could squeal the wheels when taking off in an electric car?) Their front porch overlooks the bike path, about one block north of Venice beach. Mitch’s dad introduced a very excited A.T. to the concept of the pickled brussell sprout martini.

Back to Mitch’s house for another social gathering. A crowd assembled yet again to grill some food, mingle, and watch old-school Family Feud (with Richard Dawson in his snazzy polyester suits), Press Your Luck (big bucks! no whammies!), and Entourage. Sadly, I had to depart to go to the airport. What a fabulous little weekend getaway. I never did see anyone famous. Perhaps next time. I just want to see how tiny they really are in real life, compared to a normal person!

p.s. that back pain? It wasn’t from the ride down. It was from the Wii sports!!!!

Sherri's Graduation

Good news! Sherri has graduated from Daily-Nasty-Back-Pain-School and has now entered into Daily-Annoying-Pinchey-Feeling-University. I'll take it! It kind of feels like someone is pinching the inside of my left butt cheek all day. I'm trying to think of it as a good thing. I imagine that A.T. is following me around all day squeezing my tushy because it's so cute. (I know, it's a stretch, but suspend disbelief for a moment.. I am). I'm back to work in the office (Hooray!), and am able to sit all day without writhing in pain. (Double Hooray!) Now, if we could just get this nuisance pain to turn around and go home like Delta and Dawn, the two wayward whales that (until today) were stuck in the SF bay...

Memorial Day 2007

Memorial Day 2005: Camping on Angel Island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay.
Memorial Day 2006: Renting a house with friends along the Russian River.
Memorial Day 2007: Painting AT's baseboards.

Ha! Okay, it's not THAT dull. But we did paint most of his baseboards. :)
What else did we do?

Friday afternoon, we stumbled across a new restaurant just a block away, called Bar Bambino. We went back for dinner that night and had an AMAZING meal. This is an adorable little (and I do mean little) wine bar/restaurant on 16th & Mission that just opened 3 weeks ago. They have their own salumi chef guy (who carves meats & cheeses), an extensive and tasty tapas-style Italian menu (with plenty of veggie options, so we'll be taking Stefan there when he comes to visit!), and a great wine selection. We were happy with everything we got, and can't wait to o back to try even more tasty morsels. YUM!

On Saturday Sherri got acupuncture while AT played tennis. Then we went out with Rob & Heather to try another new restaurant in our neighborhood, Weird Fish. It was weird. And it was fish. But I don't think we will be going here again. Lots of fried stuff. Nothing special. Oh well, it was fun exploring a new place. Man, oh man, we need to re-implement the Mission food moratorium and get out to other parts of the city for nourishment!

On Sunday we spent the morning watching the Carnivale parade. The Mission, our neighborhood (or barrio, if you are so inclined), is a predominantly Latin-American neighborhood. Carnivale is the annual parade and festival that celebrates the heritage of our residents. In the parade, you will find a float from nearly every Latin American country (no matter how large or small the population in the Mission), dancers in traditional costumes from each country, kids from local schools playing in their band or singing and dancing in costumes, (some choreographed, some quite freestyle), and other fun things like the SF Garbage Men (for real) doing a synchronized garbage can drill. It's a very family-focused event, with a lot of liveliness, energy and fun. And food. How could I forget the food?! For the Festival part of the event, they blocked off 8 long blocks of Harrison street and filled it with food vendors offering cuisines from around the world, multiple stages with live music, people selling arts, crafts and other wares, games for the kids, and.. of course.. Diageo booze (Cuervo and Crown Royale were sponsors). And you know what festival food means, right? MEAT ON A STICK! Yum. A personal favorite.

We ate:

• pupusas (El Salvadorean soft corn shell stuffed with beans & cheese)
• Jamacian fried chicken
• funnel cake (to soothe Sherri's PA dutch roots. fried dough! mmm!)
• lumpia (Filipino fried meat rolls)
• Filipino BBQ chicken (on a stick)
• pancit (Filipino noodles)

Here are some photos from the morning:

Adorable girls dressed in blue:


Traditional Bolivian costumes:



Traditional.. uh.. errr.. uhhhh. I have no idea.











FOOD!



A.T. says, "This is the ONLY time you're going to see a Starbucks in the Mission" (referring to the mobile cart they brought in for the festival.)


Sunday afternoon, Sherri went on a SF City Tour of the Victorian Houses with Allison. (Happy Birthday Allison!). We had a fantastic time. Not because the tour was good, but because the tour guide was so freaking funny (in an incompetent kind of way). Despite it all, we did end up learning the difference between an Italianate Flat, Italianate 5-side/slanted bay, San Francisco Stick, Queen Anne tower, Queen Anne Row house, and an Edwardian house. And, of course, we now have a trained eye that can quickly call out the many "misguided improvements" that have mangled original Victorian architecture.

Sunday evening Sherri talked A.T. into a fine dining experience at Red Lobster. (I wasn't supposed to tell anyone). I thought it would be fun to do a little Central-PA-Role-Play and go out for a big meal at the Lobster. Plus, A.T. had a gift certificate to burn. We put it towards our tasty and bottomless basket of CHEESY BREAD. Yum. AT, as a former manager at Legal Seafood, had a hard time walking in the door, but the food was actually okay and we got to try the Parrot Bay coconut shrimp. (AT's company makes Parrot Bay rum). So technically, we can say that this was a work-research trip for A.T.. That might make him feel better. Tee hee.

Later Sunday evening, we were joined by Rob and Heather for an excursion to a tiki bar in Alameda. This was the third time that A.T. and I left the city this weekend (a record!). But this was a fabulous little find, and was absolutely worth the trip. Forbidden Island is the name. They have phenomenal drinks. Lots of foofy girly drinks for Sherri, and a rum selection that made at drool. Rob and Heather thoroughly enjoyed the adobo beef rolls and the delicious coconut shrimp! This place is so fun, we will definitely cross the Bay Bridge to visit again, and soon!



Monday morning we went sink and bathroom fixture shopping (AT's favorite pastime. Kidding!), then we painted the baseboards throughout most of his house. After our old, creaky, achy backs couldn't take it anymore, we called it a day (the bedroom and office can WAIT!), and dined on delicious Mediterranean food, and watched a really stupid movie.