The Wedding is May 27, 2009

Dear family and friends, please come to our destination wedding. Travel plans have been posted on www.MargaretandAlan.com, on the "Travel" tab. We strongly encourage those who wish to attend to make their travel reservations by the end of August 2008, as the resort we have chosen is extremely popular and is frequently booked solid months in advance. You can make a room reservation with as little as $50 dollars.

I can't wait to see you all there! Its going to be fabulous!!!!

Brides Beware: The Horror of Wedding Dresses

Dear brides to be, I have spent over two weeks searching the internet obsessively (and when I say obsessively I mean I have been occupying every free minute I have doing research and spending every non-working moment up until the wee hours of the morning looking at dresses online) trying to find a wedding dress that I like, that doesn't cost more than my entire wedding budget and that won't make me look like a puffy polar bear. My research has concluded that the internet has been over-run by tacky bridal pictures. There are some UGLY and RIDICULOUS dresses out there.

I have however, after much time and consideration, decided on what would be my ideal dress: I want a dress with a detachable skirt. I want to be able to complete the wedding ceremony in an elegant floor length gown and then spend the reception partying away in something decidedly shorter, as it will be hot in Mexico and I want to be comfortable. I also do not care for bead-work or ruffles of any kind.

At first, when I realized what kind of dress I wanted, I thought it would be easy to find one. The idea of a "detachable skirt" dress did not seem to be that original. I searched the internet long and hard and I have found a grand total of 4. ONLY FOUR DRESSES in the entire internet with detachable skirts, out of millions of wedding gowns. All four impossibly expensive. After this disappointment I did some legwork and visited some popular boutiques/bridal salons in the bay area. None of them had ever even made a dress like the one I described; they all suggested I would have to order one custom made, which is bridal lingo for it will be expensive as hell.

So, if you are a seamstress and would like to be a millionaire here is a business plan for you: Make affordable detachable-skirt wedding gowns and advertise on the internet. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Professors of the World: Speak Up, and send the Highschoolers Camping!

I decided to satisfy my MBA program's prerequisites by taking two summer classes after work at a community college in San Mateo. My classes are Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Both are taught by a soft spoken professor. I do not think he realizes that by speaking so softly he is basically singing me a lullaby of numbers and graphs, which has already led me to doze off right in front of him several times since we started class on Monday.

The soft speaking, however, is nothing compared to being in high school again. I cannot believe the amount of high school students that are in my class. So eager, so young, so full of acne. I thought being a high school student meant you could take high school classes so that you could later be accepted into a college. I am taking classes with a high school JUNIOR! That is right folks, a junior. I feel sorry for these young students; they should be enjoying their summer, not stressing over college level economic classes so that they can boost their already spectacular high school grades. There will be plenty of time for them later on in life to take college level classes. What is the rush? Enjoy your summers while you still can.

Experimentation with Pudding

Today I have been in a happy mood and when I am in a happy mood I get, well, experimentatious. I got to thinking: I like certain types of chocolate pudding. The easiest type to make comes in a Jello box [pic below] and is easily prepared in 5 minutes. I also like brandy. Why not combine the two? Maybe there is a way to improve the already awesome instant chocolate dessert? Maybe I could make the best instant chocolate pudding in the WORLD?!?

Without thinking twice, I divided one package of pudding into two separate bowls. In one bowl I added 1.5 cups of cold milk. In the other bowl I added 1 cup of milk and half a cup of brandy.



The results were not worth writing about. Suffice it to say you should not waist half a package of pudding on this recipe. However, I do not give up easily and I will not loose all hope concerning the idea of one day combining pudding with alcohol, in less than five minutes, with edible results.

... Maybe if I made a pudding flambé...

Obama or Alabama?

I find it interesting that my word spell-check tries to correct Barack Obama's name as "Barrack Alabama".

O’Mama, Its Obama!
OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA

Finally! The democratic nomination for the presidential election has been determined after 16 months of hard campaigning between Obama and Clinton. I am ecstatic. I am so proud to be an American right now. -Lets see how long this feeling will last once I hear what else is on the news.-

I am excited because during my lifetime I may see racial barriers break down in a way unfathomable by my ancestors. I may see an end to the Iraq war. It is also very possible that this presidential nominee may become the best president this country has had in a long, long time. It is time to get back to our democratic roots to repair the international and domestic MESS that Bush's government has made.

The only thing raining on Obama's parade is Hillary Clinton's stubbornness. I can appreciate a good fight, enthusiasm and her long history of public service but enough is enough. One of the signs of a strong leader is knowing when to accept defeat and move on to the next important battle. She lost. She needs to accept, recoup and get over it in as gracious a manner as possible. There are other more important things at stake now, like actually winning the presidency.

What is the Meaning of Life?

To what lengths would I travel to protect the ones I love? What does love mean? Why do we strive to survive and reproduce? What is the point of living? When is it a good time to loose all hope and surrender? Is there a moral line I would not cross in a life v. death situation? Would I resort to cannibalism if it were the only way for me to continue to live? Is life a stumbling, random walk through the world? Does Karma exist? Is there a God? or Two? Does it matter?

Reading books like The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, makes me ponder such questions. I never get any answers, just questions. Such irritating and depressing questions.

Sex and the City
Movie Review

I was an avid fan of the TV series. What I most enjoyed about the show was that I felt it presented conundrums of the female heart in a different light; a light a little less cliché, less stereotypical, more witty and decidedly more glamorous. The conundrums did not have plainly obvious solutions and they were always surrounded by thought-provoking introspection. I felt a connection to the show, such that if I were in the situations that the protagonists found themselves maybe I would think and react in the same ways they did (at least I hoped that to be the case). I wanted to have friends like Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte, full of unconditional support. In other words, I have been waiting for months for the movie to premiere.
Unfortunately the movie lacked almost all the characteristics that I loved from the show. The length of the movie (2 hours and 20 minutes) was not justified by the intricate yet stupid plot. There were many tangent scenes of the movie that were merely time fillers that had nothing to do with the plot and only served the purpose of reinforcing stereotypes of womanly vanity (For example: when Louise and Carrie exchanged Xmas gifts!!??!) Samantha ultimately proved that she was too selfish to love anybody but herself, Miranda never fully emerged from her rigid self-righteous blindness or addressed the issues that led to the almost death of her marriage and Charlotte was so freaking perfect half of me wanted to have her life and half of me wanted to vomit. I could not identify with any of the protagonists and I did not want to have friends like them.
The blow that finally spearheaded Sex and the City’s fall from grace in my mind was the horrible plot. The plot slowly moved/dragged around problems with plainly obvious solutions, copious heaps of vanity and people with egos too big to fit in New York City. There were a couple of funny moments, but the movie actually ends where it begins due to a lack of character evolution. Towards the finale, I was left with a sense of intense dissatisfaction. I felt cheated by this movie because it lured me in under false pretenses. I saw this movie with a group of friends and as we were leaving the movie theater the quote that best summed up our feelings about Sex and The City was “I think I’m depressed”.

The Annual Celebration of Me

Now that I am well over 21, I find myself at a loss trying to think of interesting things to do for my birthday. My birthday is tomorrow ... and I had to remind both of my parents of the date! I've already skydived, I recently went to Las Vegas and all of my close friends live relatively far away.

It is official: I must be getting old. My birthday is no longer a mearly extraordinary annual celebration of me; it is, in addition, an annual fleeting of youth.

In a couple more years it will be illegal for me to wear mini skirts. So, it is my birthday resolution that I will make sure to enjoy them as much as possible this summmer.

Picnic a la Margaret

Fact 1: For my birthday Alan gave me quite possibly the most awesome-est gift ever, a Canon EOS Rebel XSi.

Fact 2: I was hungry after work today and I was not in the mood to cook.

Fact 3: I live really close to Shoreline Park in Mountain View, CA.

Viva Las Vegas

I lost hundreds of pennies at the penny slots
I walked so much that my feet were swollen, bruised and had sandal burn on them
and yet I still gained almost two pounds in a weekend
I ate at the Toby Keith Bar (I Love This Bar and Grill*!)
I watched overpriced Vegas Shows**
I drank, a lot, staring early and frequently, and yet never got buzzed
freaking watered down pina coladas!
Despite all this, I must go back.

*Ribs were good but all other food was gross and almost inedible -How can you screw up nachos? Seriously.- Drinks were served in big jam jars, which was neither here nor there... and reminded me of moonshine. I enjoyed the country music.
**I totally recommend the Mac King Show at Harrah's. It was funny and cute and free. We laughed a lot.

I need a weekend to recuperate from my weekend

I have done more activities in the past weekend than what I usually do in a month! I stayed up until 2am two times in a row, watching movies (at home and in theatre), catching up with friends and family, traveling to Monterey, attending a sushi party, doing (tons of) laundry, writing a final paper for a business class due Monday… and let’s not forget the Kentucky Derby.

I am very excited about this week though, because this week can only end in one way: with me in Las Vegas, NV. That is right ladies and gentlemen. The time has come and I am prepared. I promise to take plenty of pictures. Below are a few from my weekend.

Miniature Cattle

I think I have found my true life calling: I would LOVE to have a couple of acres of land, on the outskirts of a major city, and breed miniature cows for fun. They are the cutest animals EVER. But aside from their cuteness, they are twice as practical as regular sized cows. One mini cow can sustainably produce enough milk to provide for an entire family, about 2-4 gallons per day. I read that they make for tasty, tender meats. And, many have argued that they are a more effective use of space, produce less waist, and are less harsh on the grounds they live on. 

Mini cows are, at most, 42 inches tall and they require about 1/3 of the food that a normal cow would require. Mini cows are more docile to take care of than their bigger cousins, and they can make great pets too. You can raise a mini cow on as little as a 1/4 acre of land (although that might be a little tight, and the cow might get lonely if you only have one). These cows would be great for "weekend farmers" who want to participate in a growing niche market. Mini cows sell on average for at least three grand a piece!

Did I mention that there are tax breaks involved?

I have been looking at websites and articles all weekend. Here are a few that I like:
Article on Mini Cows by SacBee

TangleWood Farms

Mini Cattle Country

Hatch Farms

Pillards Miniature Cattle

M & B Fairview Farm

The pictures alone are to die for... I could just see myself on a mini farm, raising mini cattle. Maybe I'll add a mini pig as well, to keep the cows company.