New Year!
The best part of the new year was Val coming home in the late afternoon on New Year’s Eve. We spent a quiet evening. Val went off to bed early due to jet lag, and I was drifing off to sleep just at the stroke of midnight.
The next day we went to Liza & Jody’s yearly New Year’s Day party to hang out, reconnect with mutual friends, and eat. Val did a puzzle, and I played the Star Trek version of Settler’s of Catan.
Val – traveling again
On Sunday Decemer 16th Val left for Europe. She had planned on going to see Erika and Charles, but when they found out at work they asked her to add on days to work. So she spent a few days in Hamburg and a couple in London, working, before heading to Giove. She will stay a week or so, then back to London to see Tracy and Jason and Laurie, and then back home on New Year’s Eve.
Triton Holiday Party
Val and I once again attended the Triton Holiday Party, which was once again at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. We were the best-dressed couple there, with Val in a tux and me in a fancy party dress. One of the more memorable moments was us dancing “Gangnam Style”, captured by Deanna and posted on Facebook within minutes. Val did karaoke, and we danced and had a great time. Other pictures here.
Followed by a Busy Sunday
Val and I joined Haley at religious school for the Chanukah Celebration, complete with a Hannukiah (menorah) design competition, a dreidel-spinning competition, and candle lighting with kids in Israel via Skype. Afterwards, when Katelyn was done with religious school, we decorated our Christmas tree. Then the kids went to Kathie’s and Val and I had a lovely visit with Jennifer and Selena.
Pink Martini and the San Francisco Symphony
Val and I went on a rate mid-week outing on November 28th to Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco to see Pink Martini with the San Francisco Symphony. We had amazing 6th row center seats, and the concert was wonderful!
Jennfier & Selena Visit
Jennifer & Selena visited for one of our regular game-and-socializing evenings on 11/10. We love hanging out with them!
“Fat Pig”
Val and I went to see our friend Karen in the Box Car Theater production of Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig“, in San Francisco. The show is described as:
“[A] beautiful, sharp, and poignant comedic drama digs deep into our soul, questions our preconceived notions about love and the worthiness of people different from ourselves, specifically in this show, people of different shapes and sizes.”
It was an excellent production, and amusing because Karen played Carter, a part usually played by a man. She played the part as a butch dyke, adding another dimension to the complex relationships in this play. It is an emotional play, and well played. We got to meet the other cast members afterwards, and Val got all of their autographs on our program.
Beforehand we just did a web search for restaurants nearby and ended up at the Burmese Kitchen on Larkin. Yummy!
Halloween!!
The girls finished their costumes over the weekend, so they were ready to go. Haley was a “Weeping Angel” from Dr. Who, and Katelyn was the March Hare. I dressed as a Silly Sorceress. Val didn’t dress up this year. Check out our costumes.
On Halloween morning they were up by 6:30 to get ready. After makeup and nail angst I got Haley to school on time, and came back for Katelyn. She had to fill a whole gallon thermos with boiling water and package up some tea bags and cups (after a stop at the store), to take to school for a tea party, then off we went.
I went to work, one of about 25 people on my floor to dress up. I’d been coordinating events at work, decorating a bit (my colleague Glenda did a lot of it) and organizing a potluck and costume contest. I was the emcee, and it was great fun. You can see pictures from the party here.
I left work early and picked up both kids, then tried to get some work done. At 5 I took Haley over to her friend Ari’s house in Burlingame. Haley’s parents took the two of them plus Ari’s little sister out in their neighborhood, and they had a great time. Meanwhile, I dropped Katelyn off to meet her friends near downtown Millbrae, and they went off on their own, after which I went back to pick up Haley. An hour or so later I took Val to the airport for a business trip to Arizona, and then picked up Katelyn. Basically I just shuttled everyone around all evening, and we all had fun.
Oh, and we’d carved pumpkins on Sunday, which you can see here. My friend Sabine helped, and Katelyn wasn’t able to do a pumpkin because she was busy doing homework. Sad!
Visit with George and Linda
George and Linda visited us on Friday. Val and I cooked a relatively simple dinner, before which we lit Shabbat candles and ate challah I’d purchased earlier at the day when I went to the gym at the PJCC. After dinner we ate the dessert they brought and watched one of George’s favorite movies, Sans Soleil. The kids were with Glynis & Susan so we had some adult time.
Amazing Party
My birthday party was an overwhelming success. Check out the pictures!
Joanie, Kathie, and Andrea showed up at 10:30 to start, and worked their butts off until the party at 2, setting up tables, awnings, food, drinks, our wine tasting station, flowers, and so much more.
The party was scheduled to start at 2, but the first guests didn’t start arriving until about 2:30. People came in a steady stream, peaking at around 4:30, the advertised time for cake.
We had a wine tasting station for checking out various wines we’d received as gifts. We had a “Make a Memory for Marilyn” station where people made cute signs with markers and stickers, to be included in a memory book. Many visits were made to the lookout at the top of the hill. People seemed to really have a good time, and I got to socialize with everyone. The kids all hung out together in the living room, where Val’s Solar Fire pinball machine was a big hit. Throughout the party Joanie, Kathie, and Andrea continued to work, keeping everything tidy, replenishing snacks, cooking burgers, and everything else.
The cake was awesome. The company was awesome. The food was awesome. The weather was awesome. The whole party was awesome.
The last guests left around 7, except for a handful who stayed for a more “adult” after-party. That went on until the wee hours, and was also a great success.
I can’t think of a better way to kick off the next decade. Thanks to all of my friends and family who shared it with me, and of course to Val who planned it, and Joanie who made it into a party.
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