TeamSD: Adventures of Lawyer Girl and Demian Man

Another excellent Valentine’s Day, if I do say so myself.  I’ve decided (and I think Demian has discovered) that Valentine’s Day really means “Shower-Siu-with-gifts-and-do-things-she-wants-to-do-that-you-wouldn’t-otherwise-do-in-a-million-years” Day.

V-Day actually started for me on Friday the 13th, with a delivery of beautiful roses and a choc-o-late box   I didn’t remember to take a picture at the office, so here is a crappy camera-phone picture of the roses after I’d brought them home:

The best thing about Valentine’s Day being on a Saturday is that I can get Demian to do a bunch of stuff haha.  First up on the agenda – drag Demian to “He’s Just Not That Into You.”  It made me giggle to myself when Demian asked the ticket lady: “We’ll take two tickets to see…’He’s Just Not That Into You’…*sigh*”  It was, as Demian will tell you, a pretty crappy movie, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed!  It was like watching “Sex and the City” – which is a terribly written, totally cliche kind of show, but riveting because women just eat this junk up.  I was pleasantly surprised by Justin Long’s performance, since usually I hate that guy…I’m a PC, dammit!  Basically, the movie was about how stupid girls are and how big a-holes men are.  Like I said – “Sex and the City.”

After the movie, we went to CostPlus to see if we could find some decorative throw pillows for the house.  Demian pretty much hated them all, so we left empty handed…(until today woohahaha)

For dinner, we went to The Village Pub, which has become our old standby for Valentine’s Day – since I didn’t want to punish Demian too much by forcing him to drive to the city.  A really great 4-course dinner overall – very refreshing lobster, golden beet, and blood orange salad, following by a Jerusalem artichoke soup (very truffle-y and smoky), with an entree of petrale sole (really perfectly cooked and seasoned) accompanied by seared hearts of palm and red grapefruit sabayon (love the tropical flavors), and rounded out by a cute little baked Alaska.  The Kabinett Riesling I had with dinner was also verrry tasty – just sweet enough and ice cold, which is the way I like it.  Very satisfying overall.  Obligatory restaurant picture!

So glad my hair is finally growing out…so much for quarter-life crisis haircuts.

Today was also very relaxing, and much more productive too.  Went to La Tartine for a little breakfast, then to the Nissan dealership to check out the Skyline import that Demian has been drooling over.  No no, don’t worry – we’re not going to buy it.  At least, I’m not going to buy it!  Then hit up Pier 1 Imports, where I did end up finding some very cute pillows to go with our couch in the “piano room”:

I’m still looking for some cute blue and white pillows to go into our entryway, on the rattan chairs there.  I found these perfect pillows online, but they’re $150 each, and there’s no freaking way I am spending that much money on a throw pillow…so the hunt is on.  Here’s the inspiration:

I’ve found a couple of inexpensive alternatives online, but it looks like they’re all temporarily out of stock…figures.  Ah well!  I’ll keep looking.

Since Demian had some sort of World of Warcraft thingie tonight at 7:30, we decided to stay home for dinner, so I made some chili – perfect rainy day food, if you ask me.   Cleaned up and then came upstairs to do some work, since this week will be pretty busy with me having to report for jury duty on Wednesday.  Hrmmm…I feel like there’s something else productive I did today but I can’t quite…OH CRAP, forgot the laundry in the dryer!

Gotta go!

This week, I did something very Canadian – I went to see a hockey game. The whole thing was part of my Christmas present to my mom, who is nuts about hockey – we bought her three tickets to see the San Jose Sharks play the Calgary Flames (teehee). It turned out to be a really great game – and I don’t even like hockey! Although I get the feeling I may have jinxed the Sharks because, in the end, they lost their first home game all season. Now both Demian and my mom want me to buy season tickets for the Sharks (much less pricey than Warriors tickets, and the stadium is so much closer)…but do I really want to make the multi-K investment for a sport that I still don’t really get and games that I’ll (likely) rarely be able to attend during the year? I’m thinking that maybe I could really learn to like hockey – it’s pretty exciting the whole time, and the hockey players (and fans) are easy on the eyes (I told my mom that my sister could probably pick up a nice boy at a hockey game lol). Obligatory picture of us at the game:

Please pardon my huge, pale head.

Our gas and electric bill is over $250.00 this month.

Stupid Christmas lights and cold weather.  Arrghhh!

So, I know we are sooo lame for leaving everyone hanging after our second day in Sydney – not cool. Our days were just so packed that by the time we got back to the hotel room, we were too tired (and usually, too full) to write about it. We may not ever do a full blog entry for each day we were there since, let’s face it, who’s got the time??? But we definitely have pictures, so maybe we’ll do an entry with a summary of our activities and documentary evidence haha.

I’ve got a few minutes before hunkering down to do some work, so I wanted to tell a little story from this weekend that just illustrates one of the many reasons Demian makes me happy. Let me set the stage: as many of you Bay Area folks know, a new cupcake shop, “Sprinkles,” just opened at the Stanford Shopping Center. There had been a sign up announcing its opening since early spring, and I’d been waiting ALL YEAR for this place to open. When it did, a couple of weeks ago, Demian and I went to go get some cupcake yumminess – only to find out that there was a line out the door. I like cupcakes, man, but not THAT much! Every time we stopped by, there would be an hour-long or more wait. My plan was just to wait it out, until the craze had died down in a couple of weeks…months…who knows? On Saturday morning, Demian had to get up early to pick his car up from the shop in Mountain View, so I slept in. I woke up just as Demian got home, right around 10:30, and opened my eyes just as he came into the room. Then he set down a little cardboard box in front of me. Sprinkles. A half dozen of them!!! He said he’d been wanting to go to Sprinkles all week to try to get me my cupcakes, but hadn’t had the time – he figured that because it was so early on a Saturday morning, he’d be able to get in and get out without having to deal with a huge line. Seriously, best way to wake up on a Saturday morning As for the cupcakes themselves, let me just say that as a result of having one a couple of hours before bedtime, I was unable to fall asleep for several hours because I was bouncing off the walls. They are THAT sugary. I’d say the best flavor is the chocolate marshmallow, but the other cupcakes are just so-so – the cake is very heavy, American-style cake, and the icing really is ICING. Not the light whipped cream or the kind that develops a thin, sugary crust – this is like Duncan Hines out-of-the-canister icing. So ultimately, I’m glad we didn’t wait in line for these things…especially since it gave Demian an opportunity to keep the love alive haha.

Last story before I go. Went to the new Spanish restaurant on University Ave. in Palo Alto yesterday – “Joya” (pronounced “Hoi-ya”) – to have dinner with Demian and two of our favorite vendors from the wedding: my coordinator, the amazing Crystal Lequang of Amazae Special Events, and my florist, the inimitable Nicole Ha. It was sooo nice to see them again and actually have a chance to sit down and chat. They are absolutely lovely people and gave me my dream wedding – which is saying a lot, since I am the most critical person ever. Joya was also surprisingly good – I’d heard mixed reviews on Yelp!, so I was a little apprehensive, but I was overall really satisfied with our meal. I had to try their white peach sangria, which was delicious and not too strong – it was a Wednesday, after all haha. We also tried four different tapas – mini kobe beef burgers (these were cheesy and AWESOME – I could’ve eaten five!!!), short ribs soft tacos (very tasty short ribs, tortilla was a little too plain for me), ahi tuna tartare (the standard ahi-meets-avocado fare), and spicy prawns (good flavor, but a little overcooked in texture – which is maybe how it’s supposed to be because it’s a stew, but I’m a fan of the Chinese-style cooking). We also tried the veggie paella, which was just okay – I prefer the paella at the tapas restaurant in Menlo Park, behind the train station…the name is escaping me at the moment. Desserts were very solid – delicious little churros with dark chocolate sauce, a very respectable molten chocolate cake (I’m very picky about these because I make my own at Christmastime, so I feel like restaurant versions should be better than mine haha), and a refreshing strawberry vanilla custard. I probably would have paid more attention to the food if I hadn’t been distracted by the great conversation we were having. Got home pretty late, so I am a wee bit exhausted this morning, but it was totally worth it to hang with these ladies.

Anyhoo, that’s it for today, but I hope to write again soon – next time with pictures! Ultimately, I think we’re going to try to move this blog somewhere – like change it into a “married life” blog or something. That I’ll leave up to Demian!

2007 was a big year for us. Between planning for our upcoming wedding and buying/remodeling/maintaining our first house together, I haven’t taken the proper time to sing the praises of the vendors and contractors who have made both ventures a lot easier. So finally, here is our list of top vendors and contractors for 2007 – we hope that the next time you are thinking about remodeling (or getting married!), you consider the following people:

REMODELING

Daniel Barajas – Hardwood Flooring: Daniel installed our beautiful bamboo flooring, and was our favorite contractor we worked with. He was very efficient – the first day, he arrived early and immediately began demo of our old floors. By the time I left for work, he had already started to lay down the new floors. He finished on time, and even worked through the weekend to get it done. Because of his passion for hardwood, he took the time to explain how to care for the hardwood, and informed us whenever he had concerns about conditions in the house that might compromise the wood. Unlike other contractors we worked with, he did not nitpick on the price (which I thought was reasonable) – he gave us a flat rate that included the wood itself and labor. At our request, he even made us a custom entryway and crawlspace door for no extra cost. It was clear that Daniel really loved his job and cared about his work, and that was totally reflected in the end product. If you’re interested, I can give you Daniel’s phone number.

William F. Rossi Painting & Decorating – Painting: Bill was great. Having been in this business for decades, Bill is extremely thorough and professional, and he really knows his stuff. Just by looking at the paint on our walls, he knew instantly the brand and color that had been used. He did a very detailed walk-through of our home with us, and took the time to really understand the overall effect we wanted to achieve, which was brand-new. At the same time, he gave as advice on how to achieve our desired effect in the most cost-effective way – I always appreciate a vendor who’s not trying to squeeze me for every penny I’ve got. His estimate was just as thorough and detailed as his walk-through, which ensured that there was no room for misunderstanding – I always love contractors who love contracts. He is super responsive, whether it be by cell phone, office phone, or e-mail. And in the end, he not only did a great job, but finished in a timely manner. Oh, and Bill is really, really nice! Check out his website at: www.wfrossiptg.com.

WEDDING PLANNING

I need to preface these reviews by saying that so far, I’ve retained almost all of our vendors at this point, all of whom I’ve been extremely pleased with. One thing every vendor has had in common – and which I demand of all my vendors as an attorney and as just a cautious person – is that they have been willing to work with a contract, and to consider revisions to the contract to make it reflect more closely our understanding. I’ve encountered some otherwise very talented, well-reputed vendors who, for whatever reason, have not been comfortable working with a contract and have balked at my request to flesh out a contract – I was sad not to be able to use these vendors, but in the end, even if I had retained them, without a contract, there was no legal guarantee that they’d deliver. Anyhoo, like I said, I’ve retained a lot of vendors that have been great so far, but the following shout-outs go to the vendors who have already delivered:

Crystal Lequang of Amazae Special Events: Crystal is my day-of wedding coordinator, and I l-o-v-e her. When I began looking for a coordinator, I was looking for more than someone who could hold my hand if I had a wedding-planning breakdown – I wanted someone who could get the job done. Crystal definitely fits the bill. She is the epitome of professional – extremely responsive (if I e-mail her at 7 a.m., I hear back from her within the hour), experienced, and full of good, sensible advice. Crystal exudes confidence, and she’s just the sort of person I’d want with me on my wedding day to whip vendors into shape and handle any problems that might pop up so that I don’t have to. Although I’ve retained Crystal to help me plan the schedule of events for the wedding and to make sure everything runs smoothly on the big day, she has also been very available during the wedding planning process to provide one-off advice about etiquette, contracts, etc. When negotiations with vendors went awry, Crystal was also a good listener and knew exactly what to say to make me not only feel better, but to make me feel confident in my decisions and move on. No wedding-planning melt-downs for me. If you’re looking for a kick-ass coordinator, Crystal is it – check out her website at http://www.amazaespecialevents.com/

Marina Morrison with Grace – Bridal Salon: I’ve already raved about Marina Morrison in a previous post, but let me just say again. It’s a beautiful salon – lots of light, well-maintained dresses, and a big mirror for the would-be-brides to strut their stuff. Perfect selection of dresses – enough gorgeous dresses that you could see what you’d look like in virtually every style, but not so many that you can’t look through the racks yourself. The dresses have obviously been selected for the salon with great care. Excellent service – Rebecca in particular was very, very good at cinching me into the dresses, which would normally be too big for me, providing selections based on what I was looking for, and being considerate about my budget. Even though I’ve already bought my dress, I get these hankerings now and again to go back to the salon, see what new dresses it has in, and try them on – the thing Marina Morrison does best is make you feel pretty. Visit the website at: http://www.marinamorrison.com/

Happy 2008, everyone!