war wounds

i took caltrain for the first time today. i biked ~5 miles to the tamien station, got off at menlo park, then biked ~3 miles to work. this all took 2.5 hours. i suppose it's really only about 2 hours 10 minutes since i wasted 20 minutes by getting on the wrong train. getting back took almost exactly 2 hours.

now a 4 hour commute each day is not exactly ideal. but if i consider 2 of those hours to be "working out", then commuting on the train is roughly equivalent to driving. except for the fact that i can knock out book club reading while on the train! ah-ha!

if i bike it/train it to work 3 times a week from now until the end of september, i will save roughly 2500 miles on gloria. train tickets will cost me $320; a wash when compared to what i'd spend on gas. i think the free time, exercise, and reduction of wear and tear on gloria make it worthwhile.

on the way home i fell yet again - scraped up my shoulder and my knee, and hit my head hard on the pavement. that knocked the wind out of me - i can't imagine what it would have felt like without a helmet.

my only remaining challenges are to get over my fear of traffic and to remember to bring underwear. it was a nice surprise when i got out of the shower at work at and realized i did not pack any. oops!!

goodbye to a great series

i am wiping away my last tears after the alias season finale. i can't believe i just watched the last episode. i can't believe it's over. and i wasn't kidding about the tears - i cried.

i'm not really into TV, but i've been dedicated to alias for the last 5 years. i am sad to see it go. no more alias parties, no more post-alias discussions at work the following morning, no more michael vartan, bradley cooper, or david anders (the alias "hotties"). *sigh*

in andrea's words: "well, at least there's LOST!"

the bell of "no"

on sunday, while spending the afternoon with some friends, i was asked by a newly introduced woman "so denise, are you married?"

my answer was a resounding "no", spoken with not a moment passing after the question was delivered. the "no", however, was not at all spoken in an irritated tone - it was spoken, almost like a bell being hit hard and deliberately with a hammer, with loud, crisp, and sharp clarity. i think this tone shocked the inquirer, because the silence that followed in the next 10 seconds seemed just as loud.

for some reason, i can't get the manner in which i said "no" out of my head. why was i so quick with my answer, lacking both hesitation and embarrassment at my non-married and, better yet, single (gasp!) state?

maybe i'm proud to say no. maybe it came out that way because i had just seen a guy i'd dated the night before at a party, happily introducing his wife to people, literally thinking "thank god that's not me." maybe it was a "neener neener neeeeeeeener, you're married and i'm not, so i can fuck whoever the hell i want and you can't!" maybe my tone was a candy coated "fuck you" and your marriedness (don't assume everyone around you is in married bliss, because really, that's just YOUR little bubble that does not encompass the entire world, and i don't need it, so let me ring my little bell of "no" to remind you of that). i'm not sure.

but really. anyone who knows me well is aware that i am not a bitter, wallowing single woman, despite the paragraph that you just read, so further explanation and justification to my above statements is not necessary. please don't misunderstand.

since we're talking about misunderstandings, here's one i will clear up; it's not that i never want to get married, because really, i'd love to be married someday. but i am also totally and completely content knowing that i am totally and completely OK on my own, without hesitation.

ding!

now is later

ok, it's been a while, dear readers, i know. it's last week was a little crazy - no time to blog! but now i want to tell you how awesome coachella was. as leslie eloquently put it, a weekend of sun music sun music sun music sun music is really hard to beat.

for those that don't know, "coachella" is a 2-day music festival in the coachella valley, about 15 minutes east of palm springs. 5 stages, 94 bands, lots of heat and sunshine!

arrival in palm springs involved lounging by the pool, the hot tub, drinking beer, dinner at the usual "los consuelos", and margaritas!

in no particular order:

best bands - wolfmother, madonna, mates of state, ladytron, paul oakenfold, she wants revenge, franz ferdinand, imogen heap, kristina sky

lukewarm - bloc party, kanye west, the go! team

disappointments - depeche mode, wolf parade

that's the weekend summary. all in all, it was fantastic!

more to come later...

... i saw madonna in the flesh.