lucky me & the lucksmiths

venue: 12 galaxies
artist: lucksmiths
who: ro
when: 23 september 2007 (sunday)
doors open at 9p

before the start of the academic year (stanford started on the 24th), i'd gone into the office sunday afternoon to catch up and prep for the following day. we had all sorts of events to look forward to this week. but before monday, i had the lucksmiths to really look forward to. i'd also recently received my annual raise (5%! a first!) so the plan was to leave around 6p to head up for dinner before the show. ro had some recommendations and we ended up at delfina for dinner. there was an hour wait and since there were two opening bands and we were there at 7p, it wasn't a problem. we just went to the tartine bakery for some coffee and pre-dinner desserts. ro had macaroons and mexican cookies and i had bread pudding. yummmmy!

at 8p, tartine's had closed and we headed back to delfina's. almost the moment we arrived, ro got the call that our table was ready. what perfect timing! we started with snails raised with rosemary and other herbs. i forget what others. we were being adventurous ordering the escargots. i'd never had them. ro had never had them either. and they were delightful. they did in fact, as our waitress said, melt in our mouths. it was a successful attempt at being daring in terms of food. we both had the fulton valley range chicken with olive oil mashed potatoes and royal trumpet mushrooms which was delicioso and we might have enjoyed it more had it not been for our pre-desserts. oh well.

i think it was after 10p when we headed out to 12 galaxies. we were both first-timers there. it's set in the mission district which is really dirty and seems shady if you've never been there. there are lots of hip bars and restaurants there so it's quite a popular area. personally, i prefer noe valley, but it's a lot more expensive. hence, i live in the south bay.

the venue was basically this long room with the stage set up at the very back. and like the rickshaw stop, there's an upstairs with a great view of the band. also similar to the rickshaw, it was hotter than hell upstairs. we just stayed downstairs. we caught the second opening band. there were like 20 people on stage dancing around. the sound was bad. they all looked like they were having fun but it was really random. and kinda awful. i guess there were about 13 people, really. whatever. but when the lucksmiths came on, the sound got better. then again, it might have been their lead singer's voice. it was so melodic and perfect. he didn't miss a beat. and on top of that, he played drums standing up. it was a fantastic show. i was most impressed. thanks ro!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

hot hot heat with chris

venue: 330 ritch (popscene)
artist: hot hot heat
who: alex & nina
when: 13 september 2007 (thursday)
doors open at 10p

last thursday, i went to popscene with alex (who hadn't been there for over a year) and cousin nina. it was popscene's 11th anniversary party so they had a special guest band, hot hot heat. we'd seen hot hot heat there before and it was a great show. we were really excited about seeing them again. the only thing i wasn't excited about was the line that would probably reach to the end of the block. as these kinds of bands do at such small venues. luckily, nina offered to wait in line for us at 9p. alex and i got there shortly after 9:30p and as usual, i tried flirting my way in to avoid the line. fortunately, the boys know me and it worked. they also know that i sort of have a thing with chris (not exactly sure what it is yet), with whom they tease me about, incessantly. i suppose i can't blame them. that's what i get for making out with him in public.

after waiting at the front and saying how scary the line is, they tell me, you don't have to worry about the line. i call nina up to the front. i asked jorge to get chris so i can say hi to him. jorge returns sans chris and tells me that chris told him to take care of me. what a sweetie. *sigh* meaning, chris is allowed two guests, there are 3 of us so it's a 3 for 1 deal on top of hopping the line. it was $13 for the 3 of us. that's actually cheaper cover than a regular popscene night! score!

we also got in before 10p! i love popscene... we go over to say hello to jessica, have some drinks with josh and then more drinks with jason. chris walked by a few times before i finally i was able to say thanks to him. he's really busy working and still, he sits down to chat with us. he's seriously the sexiest thing ever. i hadn't seen him since our date on labor day. i'm really itching for another make out session with him. but he's too busy. :( at one point, i surprised him from behind when i went over to have a little chat with jason about chris. and i got a few kisses out of him but i wanted more.

finally, chris gets the ok and we head to the back. we're a little less conspicuous about our making out these days. especially since he was working and all. i'm not sure if this was before or after hot hot heat came on. but i didn't recognize any of their songs until the end when they started playing the old stuff. we snagged a table in the back so we couldn't see much but we could hear them fine. i couldn't pay much attention with chris walking back and forth in front of me. after the band, we hit the dance floor. we were dancing as usual and there were these guys dancing near us. i was a little drunk and found myself dancing with this one guy. his name was bernie. he's 35 y/o and moving to new york. he said he lived in san francisco for 10 years. he told me he thought i was 24 but noticed that i knew the words to all the songs he knew. when i told him how old i was, it made sense to him. he also told me he thought i was the cutest thing. very sweet. he also told me that i danced very well. i don't even know how long we danced. i didn't notice anything around me, like chris. both alex and nina saw chris walk by as i danced with bernie.

it was late and we had to get going. so, alex got our coat check stuff and i was saying goodbye to bernie. he asked to see me again. gave me his card and phone number. he was really very sweet. after seeing bernie off, i looked for chris to say goodbye to him. just as i turned around, there he was, walking towards me. he pulled me inside the bar, asked me if i was drunk and we made out for a bit. i'm not sure if it was because i was a little drunk but he seemed really into it. i mean, he's usually into it but more than usual. it was nice. :D maybe seeing me dance with bernie was a good thing? anyhow, i don't know how long i was there with him but i heard the djs announce closing time. oh shit, it's 3am?!? alex wanted to leave by 1! so off i went. and off the three of us went to go home. except, we had to drop nina off at her friend's place and we got lost getting back on 101. we ended up by the golden gate and was finally on our way home. i think it was close to 4a when we got back to mt. view.

i got up around 7:30a and caught the train in mt. view. the train that i've been missing all week because i can't get my ass up early enough to get it at 7:45a in san jose. yet, on 3 hours of sleep (a wee nap), i made it into work on time. and i'm there all day. that is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

rating: ♥ ♥ (hot hot heat)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (for chris)

september mary janes

i've been looking for some gray shoes and have been into wedges lately. these are really cute!

tube update

last thursday, i had an appointment with my doctor for the removal of my tube. while he probed the tube in my nose and stuck some forceps in there, he decided to leave the tube in for another three months. he mentioned that he thought i was healing nicely but just wanted to leave the tube for a bit longer. i figure, it's better than having it put in a 4th time. and since i don't feel it, it's no biggie.

otherwise, i am feeling quite well and getting the most out of these glasses. alas, i will have to postpone the daily wear of eye make up until the winter. oh well.

best date ever

so there's this guy i met at popscene. his name is chris. i don't really remember how we met him but it might have been in a drunken stupor. it was 2003 (i think) and he was 23. he worked at popscene and i'd always made it a point to introduce myself to the hot guys working there. he once asked me out on a date back then and i told him he was too young. plus, he lived in the city and didn't have a car. but then, i ended up dating ted, who was 23 when i met him. we all make mistakes, don't we?

since i've been single again, i've found myself drawn to chris more and more. he's funny, witty, and not to mention super hot. i even gave him my phone number, which is something i never do anymore. and lately, we've been making out there, in a dark corner (or not) at the club.

this past monday, he called me and asked if i wanted to hang out. i thought to myself, hello? i need a little more notice. but then i thought, well, i haven't gone outside yet. i've been cleaning all day. i'm a mess and chunky is sleeping my room. oh yeah, and it was hot as hell. i needed to get myself out of there. i texted him, would love to hang out, what have you got in mind? it turns out it was "perfectly overcasted" in the sunset. so, i left chunky upstairs with the nanny and off i went.

now, if you don't know, i haven't been dating for a while. since my mancott was imposed last year, i've been slow getting back into the dating scene. at least, i think i have been. so i'm really nervous on the way up. and this is usually a sign that i like the guy. then again, it might be the fact that since we have only ever seen each other at popscene, we've never actually seen each other in broad daylight. sans the intoxication of alcohol. i had no idea what to expect.

i get there at 5p and he lives on this very cute yet narrow street. the neighborhood is very quaint. his house is also very cute. 5p is a really odd time for a weekday but not only that, it was labor day. most shops start closing and bars have yet to open. he suggests a movie. we look at our choices and nothing looks exciting. so he says, let's go for a drive.

we're driving along and i say, wow chris, this is fun ... uh, driving. he laughs at me and tells me that he is taking me somewhere. and asks me if i like champagne and cheese? who doesn't like the bubbly? he takes me to the ferry plaza on the embarcadero. it's a nice walk along the embarcadero from the car. the place he wanted to take me to is closed but we go somewhere else for some bubbly. he's really quite charming. and really really sexy. i am SO attracted to him. plus, he's a great kisser. one of the best, actually.

afterwards, he's "driving" again and i don't know where. i'm just assuming we are heading back to his place. then he asks me, have you had soju? and i recall the last time i had soju last year. except, i remembered ogi being 22, not 24. so i tell chris the story... the last time i had soju, i made out with a 22 y/o boy and didn't remember it. i remembered having 4 shots but betty said it was more like 7. and i woke up with swollen lips and thought to myself, what the hell is wrong with my lips?? i think he liked that story. we were headed to the rohan lounge, this korean fusion restaurant/bar. it was very cool. when we got there, it was totally empty. so he took me across the street to this divebar for beers. i really enjoy divebars. they have so much character to them. and they are super random. after our beers, we went back to rohan and it was better. there were people there.

it's a very cool and hip place. there's an area for a dj and a nice ambiance for a date. chris ordered us two flights of soju, one sweet and one dry, and some food. the sweet soju is really good. the dry stuff is like vodka. i've only ever had the dry stuff. the plan was to alternate, for me, it was one sweet, one dry, sweet, etc. by the third shot, i really started feeling it. i got a little clumsy, like dropping a slippery pineapple on the table. then i say to him, wow, i'm a little drunk. um wait, you know you don't have to get me drunk to make out with you, right? because, well, that's a given. then, he sits down next to me and kisses me. it was very sweet. the owner/waiter comes by and sees the pineapple on the table. and says to me, next time, you get a fork! no more chopsticks for you if you are going to be dropping food! hahah. it was one slippery pineapple the size of a dollar coin! sheesh!

so far, this date is quite outstanding. i'm really surprised. pleasantly surprised. i had no idea what to expect, at all. we go back to his place and get comfortable and well, um, i stay until midnight and head home. i'd sobered up quickly and was able to drive home. it was really amazing... why i waited 4 years to go out with him is beyond me. i wish i'd skipped ted altogether and went straight to chris. seriously, no idea about him.