OK - we had a blast at the Daschund Races at U.C. Davis.
I was tickled to watch the cute stubby legs galloping across the room. All the weiner dogs were cute…and as far as I can tell, they’re all winners in my book. Regardless if they made it across the finish line or not.
Daschund Races from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.
Here’s Daisy checking out the dog park in Davis. It’s so big! She was a little shy with the other dogs
I flew in to Kansas City a few hours ago. On the flight, I watched 2 1/2 episodes from the first season of Grey’s Anatomy. I heart this birthday present. I found catching up on prime time sitcoms is a nice way to get through the trip back to the Midwest.
We packed a lot of great food, friends, dogs and road trips into this Golden State vacation. I think I clocked in more than 500 miles of driving over the last 4 days.
“Your travel life has the aspect of a dream.” - Agatha Christie
Like all good things, I had to return to life in Kansas: the newsroom, co-workers and Daisy! Crazy puppy. I wonder what she would think of my home state. California seems like a dream. Did I really walk through a farmer’s market selling orchids, white apricots and duck balut? Did I savor Serrano ham and sipped lemonchella mixed with grappa at a hip San Francisco bistro? Yes. I have the pictures to prove it. And I can’t wait to do it again.
Mark has one more week in beautiful California. Lucky guy.
Just got back from Bark Park with my family.
Beautiful weather for the puppy and shes now pooped from running around, bullying other dogs and playing fetch.
Now I’m heading to work.
We celebrated Mark’s birthday yesterday and we did lunch at our favorite microbrewery in Topeka, the Blind Tiger.
Daisy signed the card…more or less. Our Amazon gift is coming in this weekend. It takes the dudes at Amazon.com forever to wrap presents. Good grief. Still, a happy birthday to my hubby and I look forward to toasting many more with him…Good times.
Last weekend, we took advantage of the hot summer-like weather and headed down to Wichita for Riverfest. It takes place by the Arkansas River…overflowing from last weeks heavy rain. For my Cali readers — the name of the river is pronounced: “Ar-kansas”….apparently the river goes through a name change as it snakes through different states.
This morning, we went for our first run of 2007. It felt awesome to jog down Shunga Trail, 70-degrees outside with a helpful breeze. I suppose you could call me a fair-weather runner. The idea of running in the snow, rain or slosh does not appeal to me. That’s why we have gyms.
On this run, I had my favorite Xmas present attached to my hip, my iPod Nano. Thanks Dad! I grooved to Eats Tapes, Fischer Spooner and Britney Spears. Don’t laugh.
I also enjoy watching the seasons change on the Shunga Trail. Most of the trees are bare and in a few weeks, they should be blooming with delicate white flowers. I think we picked a good day for a run. A few weeks ago, another jogger found a dead body on the trail. No foul play. Just a dead body.
Gosh…that’s the cynic journalist talking. Sorry.
Here’s Daisy showing off her table manners at Bark Park. She’s so happy when she’s running around the park, off leash. She’s also very temperamental when other dogs try to do more than a friendly sniff. The other day, we had to break-up a few canine fights. Crazy Daisy. She’s cute, but a little high-strung.
I woke-up ’round 9:00 this morning. That feels late for me, since I’m typically up ’round 7 AM to read over headlines and blogs.
Last night, I got home late. I was out at a Topeka bar for girls’ night-out with my co-workers. I’ve been warned to keep most pictures from the festivities off my blogs. Where’s the trust?
Yesterday, we did a road-trip around the south-central parts of the state. We ate lunch on the Santa Fe Trail in Council Grove. We had an old-fashioned soda and a peanut-butter malt for dessert at a soda fountain bar that dates back to the 1920’s. We tried catching the St. Patty’s parade in Emporia but we got there late. So we did drinks and played pool at a cute billards place on Commercial Street. I also found El Salavdorian cuisine inside a railroad car restuarant. Yummy!
We had some lovely weather in Topeka over the last week. I took Daisy to Bark Park for the first time in a while. She loved running off leash, tackling bigger dogs and chasing after squirrels.
My weekend’s cut in half since I’m heading back to my graveyard shift for the next two days. I’m producing the morning show while another producer takes a vacation. I wish I had a little more advance notice, but I’m sucking it up for now. I don’t want to whine and when it comes down to it, I have a good life and career now. Despite the bump in the schedule, I’ll round out my week falling asleep with my hubby and Daisy. I’ll go back to browsing headlines, blogs and musings for my long week-day mornings. Maybe we’ll even do lunch outside the apartment, just like when we were dating back at Haas.
Good times.
OK - I love online lists and games. Mark found one that fits us…sorta: “You may be married to a Filipina if…”. He says I fit about 30% of the things on this list.
And I laughed my butt off at the list below: “You Know You’re Filipino When…”
I matched-up with several items on this list. Other descriptions fit perfectly for my family and friends. Such as…
I stumbled upon this crazy list at Midnite Lily’s blog. Brilliant stuff! Enjoy!
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You Know You’re Filipino When…. |
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Your middle name is your mother’s maiden name. Your parents call each other “Mommy” and “Daddy.” You have uncles and aunts named “Boy,” “Girlie,” or “Baby.” You have relatives whose nicknames consist of repeated syllables like “Jun-Jun,” “Ling-Ling,” and “Mon-Mon.” Mine by the way was “Che-Che.” You call the parents of your friends and your own parents’ friends “Tito” and “Tita.” You have four or five names. You greet your elders by touching their hands to your forehead. You always kiss your relatives on the cheek whenever you enter or leave the room. You follow your parents’ house rules even if you are over 18. You live with your parents until and at times even after you’re married. You decorate your dining room wall with a picture of the “Last Supper.” You keep your furniture wrapped in plastic or covered with blankets. You have a Sto. Nino shrine in your living room. You have a piano that no one plays. You keep a tabo in your bathroom. You use Vicks Vapor rub as an insect repellant. You eat with your hands. You eat more than three times a day. You think a meal is not a meal without rice. You think sandwiches are snacks, not meals. Your dining table has a merry-go-round (lazy Susan) in the middle. You bring baon to work everyday. Your pantry is never without Spam, Vienna sausage, corned beef, and sardines. You love to eat daing or tuyo. You prop up one knee while eating. ou eat your meal with patis, toyo, suka, banana catsup, or bagoong. Your tablecloths are stained with toyo circles. You love sticky desserts and salty snacks. You eat fried Spam and hot dogs with rice. You eat mangoes with rice–with great GUSTO! You love “dirty” ice cream. You love to eat, yet often manage to stay slim. You put hot dogs in your spaghetti. Everything you eat is sauted in garlic, onion, and tomatoes. You order a “soft drink” instead of soda. You hang a rosary on your car’s rear view mirror. You get together with family at a cemetery on All Saint’s Day to eat, drink, and tell stories by your loved ones’ graves. You play cards or mahjong and drink beer at funeral wakes. You think Christmas season begins in October and ends in January. Your second piece of luggage is a balikbayan box. You’ve mastered the art of packing a suitcase to double capacity. You collect items from airlines, hotels, and restaurants as “souvenirs.” You feel obligated to give pasalubong to all your friends and relatives each time you return from a trip. You use paper foot outlines when buying shoes for friends and relatives. You’re a fashion victim. You can convey 30 messages with your facial expression. You hold your palms together in front of you and say “excuse, excuse” when you pass in between people or in front of the TV. You ask for the bill at a restaurant by making a rectangle in the air. You cover your mouth when you laugh. You respond to a “Hoy!” or a “Pssst!” in a crowd. You’ll answer “Malapit lang!”–no matter the distance–when asked how far away a place is located. Goldilocks is more than a fairy tale character to you. You refer to power interruptions as “brownouts.” You love to use the following acronyms: CR for comfort room, DI for dance instructor, DOM for dirty old man, TNT for tago nang tago, KJ for kill joy, KSP for kulang sa pansin, OA for over-acting, TL for true love, BF for boyfriend and GF for girlfriend. You say “rubber shoes” instead of sneakers, “ball pen” instead of pen, “stockings” instead of pantyhose, “pampers” instead of diapers, “ref” or “prijider” instead of refrigerator, “Colgate” instead of toothpaste, “canteen” instead of cafeteria, and “open” or “close” instead of turn on or turn off (as in the lights). You use an umbrella for shade on hot summer days. You like everything imported or “state-side.” You love ballroom dancing, bowling, pusoy, mah jong, billiards, and karaoke. You have a relative who is a nurse. When you’re in a restaurant, you wipe your plate and utensils before using them. You can squeeze 15 passengers into your five seater car without a second thought. You wave a pom-pom on a stick around the food to keep the flies away. You always ring a doorbell twice, assuming that the first ring was not heard. You let the phone ring twice before answering, lest you appear overly eager. Your other piece of luggage is a balikbayan box. You use a rock to scrub yourself in the bath or shower. You’re proud to be Filapino - and you pass these jokes on to all your Filipino friends! |
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It felt amazing to go home last weekend. It’s been almost year since I hopped on 57 East and drove across the country to my new gig in Kansas. Over the last year, I’ve visited San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and Vegas….but last weekend was the first time in almost a year since I’ve stepped foot in Southern California.
We’ve made a home in Kansas…but my heart and my roots are still locked up in California.
For the last few months, I was looking forward to this homecoming — flying in San Diego and eating a yummy home-cooked meal. I kept telling my parents that I was tired of American food. Sadly, I don’t have the time to devote to whipping up chicken adobe or pansit. I know how to make both dishes!
So on this weekend - I ignored my diet and indulged in some really good comfort food. Plus, I managed to fit in a jog down N. Barranca Ave. in Covina. That should have helped knock off a couple hundred calories. Still, I wanted to taste home and a stupid diet wasn’t going to get in the way of that.
Crispy lichon. Thank God I’m still a carnivore! I toyed with the idea of going veggie for this diet andI figured that would be torture in Kansas - one of the top beef producing states in the U.S. As for this fab spread of Filipino food, I headed straight for the crispy pigskin. Crunchy golden skin with a nice layer of pig fat underneath. It tasted like biting into juicy and meaty bliss. Yes, it’s oh-so-bad for me! But heck, the last time I checked, my cholesterol levels and other body stats were good for a gal like me…about 2 years away from 30.
Digg by Queenkv
Inside, you get bitefuls of ground beef, noodles, carrots, onions and other veggies. It’s fried up to make the skin crispy and smoky. Sometimes, I lose track of how many lumpias I’ve popped into my mouth - which is dangerous to anybody watching her waist line.
