blog | art | photos | music | writing | resume | alannarisse.com
|
Wednesday, June 30th, 2004 link - comments(0)
Today is my last day as a full-time employee of Timbuk2. From now on I'll be on an hourly basis. I'm celebrating by going camping friday through monday. I picked up out new tent last night. It's an REI Hut 6 dome tent. The guy behind the counter nodded his approval. We are going to be camping in style.
Tuesday, June 29th, 2004 link - comments(0) We went to Shannon and Jason's house, home of the dizzy robot featured on Otinia.com. I haven't seen them in a very long time so it was a very nice night. I laughed so much my cheeks hurt. It was just what I needed. I guess all this working and painting is making me feel a little lonely. I don't see my friends all that often. I'm just trying to get stuff done for the show in August. I should make more time for my friends I guess. i think I say that atleast once a month. So I should just shut up or do something about it. The little guy on my shoulder is telling me to paint more. I am his slave. What can I say.
Monday, June 28th, 2004 link - comments(0) Camping is coming Banana Boats I just added this and my vegetarian Caesar Salad recipe to my Recipes page It must be a fun food kinda of day because I also found this site today: Yummy Fun. She's got a book out too: The Secret Life of Food
Sunday, June 27th, 2004 link - comments(0) I tried to work on some postcards for the Lola show but didn't get very far, then went to Jerry's 2nd birthday party. The parents claimed that Jerry loves red wine and that was all he wanted for his birthday. I think they were pulling the wool over our eyes.
Saturday, June 26th, 2004 link - comments(0) I hung out with Liz and Oona today. We went and looked at some at at SFAI then went and looked at more art at the Lola Gallery. THen we ate some burritos at El Farlito. Tom and I watched a Marx Bros movie.
Friday, June 25th, 2004 link - comments(0) I have a very sore back. I got a deep tissue massage on wendesday to try and fix my aching rib. I'm so sore. Sitting up is difficult. I'm going home soon and am going to spend a night vegging on the couch. I was going to go to the Lola Gallery to see the fake animal heads. I will go tomorrow after some rest.
Thursday, June 24th, 2004 link - comments(0) Obnoxious self promotion! Please buy some angrypirate stuff from my cafe press shop. If you ask me, I will put any of my paintings on any of the products available through cafe press, just for you! So go look around and buy something. There's a 4th of july sale going on too so some stuff is on sale. Thank you.
Wednesday, June 23th, 2004 link - comments(0) I fixed some Java bugs all by myself last night. Sure they were really easy and it could have hardly been called programming... but still it required a certain amount of intellegence to even know where to look and figure out what went wrong. So I pat myself on the back. Only, what like 7 days left until I'm a contractor again? How exciting. I've been feeling a little physically depressed, I think my body is tired of all the changes I make it go through. Maybe my first day off I will sleep in late to let my body know that I appreciate it and I'm sorry for all the running around I make it do. And all the terrible injuries and alcohol and drugs I've made it endure. I'm sorry body! I'm trying here. But damn, I have a lot to accomplish and life is too short. So you are just gonna have to try and keep up. I promise I'll try really hard to be nicer to you all the time. I get better every year, don't I? And pretty soon you will be sexy and skinny again, just how you like to be. Only this time around, much, much healthier than the last time you were skinny. Hey, you know what? I'm gonna loose a couple pounds this week. I am. Nothin stopping me. I'm gonna stay off the alcohol and be a good girl. Cuz I got 20 pounds to go and I've been at a stand still for 5 weeks now. Boy I am really babbling today. I'm sorry. Please go away.
Tuesday, June 22th, 2004 link - comments(0) I got this IM from Tom today: Having trouble focusing. My development server isn't working and we can't figure out why. I feel very helpless. I keep searching but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. A very big haystack. And I don't know what needles look like and I don't know what hay looks like. I'm screwed! Last night I was in a crappy mood. I've been having a lot of them lately. I think it's just the temporarily being in limbo and Veronica being gone from work makes me sad and lonely. So I did yoga and then me and tom went for a nice walk. I feel a little out of sorts is all. A little physically depressed. Hoping yoga will help.
Monday, June 21th, 2004 link - comments(0) Molvania.com: Super Sonic Space-aged Super Star Video Check out the prom dresses and suits at DuctTapeClub.com Sunday, June 20th, 2004 link - comments(0) I am sleepy today. Lynn and I went to karaoke last night at the Carlos Club in San Carlos on El Camino. It was quiet a scene.
Saturday, June 19th, 2004 link - comments(0) Watch the Exocerist in 30 seconds performed by some bunnies. And then, watch the shining in 30 seconds.
Friday, June 18th, 2004 link - comments(0)
Tomorrow I get my back cracked in Marin, then I hang out with Lynn in San Carlos for the evening. Poor Tom will be all alone. I will miss the opportunity once again to meet Evany. But I kinda like the mystery in never having met her in person. What do you think about my duckies? Or the two penguin paintings I finished this week? I'm on a roll. I think everything is turning out great. I've got to find more subject matter involving children and household dangers. Please send me images or ideas if you find them.
Thursday, June 17th, 2004 link - comments(0)
Last night I tried to veg out on the couch but I was too antsy. I ended up playing Scrabble with myself just to make myself feel better about doing nothing. I'm looking forward to some Torodel time. Here's a funyn story. Michelle was talking to someone at Artspan about Angrypirate. The woman said "I know angrypirate! They are in our top ten list of referring urls!" That's pretty funny.
Wednesday, June 16th, 2004 link - comments(0)
I painted another penguin encaustic last night. No pictures yet. I'll get some tomorrow night and share them. I bought 5 kg of wax today. That stuff is expensive. Gotta paint! Gotta paint! Last night Tom decided to grocery shop and make me some nice pasta for lunches this week. We were talking and he was chopping onions when he started cussing and swearing. He cut the tip of his finger off, just a shave but still enough to make his life sucky for a while. No guitar playing and it'll probably hurt to type for a couple weeks. He was so sad that he didn't get to cook. But I cooked for him and let him stir every once in a while and all was good. Poor Tom's finger!
Tuesday, June 15th, 2004 link - comments(0) Today is Veronica's last day. She wasn't here long but this place won't be the same without her.
Monday, June 14th, 2004 link - comments(0) I was super sick today so I stayed home and watched a lot of tv. Tom's family motto is "Hurry up and eat, we gotta go eat." So you can imagine my surprize when I weighed myself today and found that I hadn't gained a single pound. Hurrray!
Sunday, June 13th, 2004 link - comments(0) Photos of our trip can be found here and here are Tom's.
Saturday, June 12th, 2004 link - comments(0)
We headed to the airport and here we sit, waiting to fly back home. Tom's reading William Gibson Pattern Recognition. I got a New Yorker. I meant to do a lot more reading on the trip but was too lazy, too busy socializing or too busy riding the bike around. I really enjoyed the bike and might even try and work some bike riding into my regular shedule in SF. It's been a great trip. Cape May is a really great town to spend a week in. The beach is beautiful and the town is quaint and has handy access to all a girl or boy could need. The week passes to quickly. I'm sad to be heading home so soon.
Friday, June 11th, 2004 link - comments(0) It was rainy today. I had originally planned to wake up early and ride my bike down to the lightouse again. I took one look outside and decided to sleep in. I finally got up around 11 and lazed around the house for several hours until the ants in my pants forced me into action. Tom and I drove out to the lighthouse and took a walk on the beach. There was a giant horseshoe crab washed up on the beach. They have no heads. I don't think I've ever seen one up close before so I had to poke and prod it for a while. There are old WWII gun turrets on the beach that used to protect the bay from subs and u-boats. We drove around aimlessly for a while and drove out to wildwood. I saw a sign on the road "40 akers for sale". We took a picture. We got back in time to change for the family photo on the porch. They had decided thatt everyone should dress in white shirts and khakis. I had to shop for these items during the week as I don't own anything khaki or white. Atleast not that fits me now. The photo taking was scary. lots of yelling and arm waving. The neighbors had volunteered to take our pictures and they had fear in their eyes. So much yelling! The whole weeks has been full of yelling and screaming. After photos we went to an italian place down the road. We took over the upstairs and the kids were uncontrollably running around. Drapes were pulled down and kids were screaming and running around. I don't know if it's really reasonable to bring 5 kids unde the age of 6 into a restaurant but we made it through. I just started sucking down all the alcohol I could find. We decided to skip having dessert in the reatuarant and headed back to the house for presents and cake. I went to bed pretty early.
Thursday, June 10th, 2004 link - comments(0) Today we hung around the house and went to the beach. We swam for a while in the ocean. A storm was blowing in so the waves were pretty strong and I lost my new sunglasses. The beach patrol drove down the beach and informed people a storm was coming. We stayed and had the whole place to ourselves. The storm didn't roll in until much much later. The weather was perfect for us whimpy San Franciscans -- not too hot, not too sunny, but the water is much warmer than the Pacific. After a coupld swims, a walk down the beach and a nap on our beach towels, we walked down Beach Road and got some ice cream. I went and bought some sunglasses to replace the pair I'd sacrefices to the gods of the sea, these ones have rhinestones so mayube I'm better off anyway. People were making a very eloborate and time consuming meal in the kitchen so I stayed as far away from it as possible. A bunch of us sat on the porch and heckled the rabbits that have been hanging around the house all week. I got antsy so I hopped on Jame's bike and took off towards downtown. I decided I wasn't really hungry anyway so i headed out to the Light house. It's about 6k out there. The beach around the lighthouse is great and the sky was beautiful. There had been a thunderstorm teasing us all afternoon and I decided I shoukld head back before I got stuck in the middle of it on my bike in the dark. There were tons and tons of bunnies along the road. Lots of baby bunnies too. They are taking over town. I wish we had bunnies hopping around our neighborhood at home but I don't think they'd last long between the traffic, dogs and hawks that live in Golden Gate park. The storm chased me back. The sky was lighting up all over but I made it home before the rain hit. It got so intense. I've never seen so much lightning so close together before. Seemed fitting as everyone had started to get a little punchy. That many faily members all in one house for a week straight is quite challenging, no matter how well people get along. The storm was directly over us and lightning was crashing all around us. Rob couldn't wait for the storm to pass to BBQ the tuna so he went out in the backyard with umbrella in hand fired up the grill. Thankfully there were no casualtes and we actually ate before midnight. I retired early and took a nice bubble bath upstairs in my mermaid sactuary (our bathroom has wall to wall mermaid paraphanalia).
Wednesday, June 9th, 2004 link - comments(0) Today we are headed to Westfield to see the town that Tom grew up in. Westfield is very quaint. The houess are big and so are the lawns. Lots of people have american flags on the porch. Downtown is a small X with new stores in old shop fronts. We had a sandwich at Robert Treat Deli where Tom used to work at. He had a taylor egg and cheese. I had a turkey sandwich. When we were paying, the guy said "How was your return visit to robert treat? I can always tell the return visits because no one else in their right mind would order a taylor egg and cheese and a hot coffee at 2:30 in the afternoon on a hot day. Tom told them he worked there for a year and a half in high school and turns out the guy wa the owner but he wasn't around much in those days because he was starting another deli in another town. Tom took me to his old house and we walking in Echo park for a while.
Tuesday, June 8th, 2004 link - comments(0) Today was a nice mellow day. We are in full vacation mode. I got up around 9 and spent the morning on the porch drinking bad maxwell house coffee and typing on my laptop. When Tom got up we walked around a bit and got some fruit from the store. Then we headed to the beach for some quality nap time and some dips in the ocean. The Atlantic is much warmer than the Pacific. It's still cold but it doesn't give you that achy feeling like it does in San Francisco. We both went in deep and bobbed around in the wakes for while. We got back, had some snacks, more porch time and yet another nap. Then I went for a bike ride across town to try and wake up. Then more porch time and a late dinner. I retired early and had a nice bath in the giant claw foot tub by our room. The door locks and it is my private sanctuary away from the hectic atmosphere of a house filled with 14 adults and 5 children. Tom is staying up late with the men, having a scotch tasting party complete with poker and cigars.
Monday, June 7th, 2004 link - comments(0) We drove out to Atlantic City today. It was a fairly quiet day on the boardwalk except for the birds. The whole boardwalk has been taken over by the gangs of seagulls. They are not your average seagulls. They have black heads and make crazy noises. THey sound more like mocking birds and look like a cross between a seagull and a penguin. They are known to swoop down and steal food right out of your hands. When they do get ahold of a piece of food, a large swarm will go into an aerial battle trying to steal it from one another. The racket they make is incredible. Atlantic city is a strange place. It seems like the kind of place that people bus to on the weekends but wouldn't necessarily make it a vacation destination. It's a bit lonely and sad. There's something you just can't put your finger on. It wasn't at run down and seedy as I'd expected. I think it it had been, it would have been more romantic. This was just sad in a "look what america has become" kinda way. I can't put my finger on it. It's like the sadness you feel when you see a woman with cigarette in hand after midnight, pushing her sleeping child in a stroller around the casinos. Like the world's all going to hell in a hand basket.
I saw a woman who was so fat she had to have her friend help her put her own back pack on. I saw rows of elderly pouring coins down slots. I imagined they were throwing all their money away so they didn't have to give it to their children when they died. There were unattractive women with too much make-up and gaudy jewelry trying to look glamorous. Fat men sitting at bars smoking cigars. Drunk men walking down the boardwalk, stumbling and leering at women.
Sunday, June 6th, 2004 link - comments(0) I woke up around 9 today, stared at the ceiling for a while and decided to take a walk around the town. Cape May is a vacation destination. Most of the houses are either B&Bs or vacation rentals like ours. Seems like the ones that are residences are all for sale, or at least 50 percent of them. I walked down beach road, found a bagel and a decently strong cup of coffee then headed all the way to the end, where the surfers hang out. The waves are small but they were able to stand up and ride about 20 feet. You can see the end of the cape and the lighthouse from down there. The dunes are protected. There are signs everywhere to stay off. They are trying to replant them with native plants and grasses. I then walked into town and found an outdoor antiques market. I was tempted by some dishes but decided to just stick to edible things. I found farm fresh asparagus, tomatoes and peas. I picked up a huge bag of kettle corn to spoil Oona with and headed on my way. New Jersey if filled with these little convenience stores called Wawa. I found one and decided to get some beer. The outside of the store was overrun with teenaged heckling boys on bikes or skateboards. Inside it's pretty much like a 7-11. But with maybe more snack choices. I found out the New Jersey keeps there liquor and snacks separate so I just grabbed a 12 pack of diet pepsi and started to head back. I got a little lost on the way back and cursed all my purchases but finally made it home safe and sound. We later went on a bike ride/foraging for food expedition. We rode to the Acme grocery store for pasta makings, then out to the start of town for a giant salmon filet from the big fish market. We saw a dead Maco shark that had been caught by some fishermen. We snapped a few photos and I got close enough to check out his teeth. Even though I knew he was dead, he was menacing enough to freak me out a little getting that close. I decided I like them better dead and don't plan on any real life encounters any time soon. After dinner and drinks Tom and I took a stroll on the beach and got scolded by beach patrol for being out there after 10pm.
Saturday, June 5th, 2004 link - comments(0) Our shuttle pickup was between 4:15 and 4:30 this morning. We tried to go to bed early tomorrow morning but we stayed up a little late. Seemed a little ridiculous going to bed at all. I set the alarm for 3:45. At 4:15 I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. Both Tom and I leapt out of bed cussing and swearing. Turns out it was a "Just making sure you're awake" call. We had 10 minutes to get our clothes on and get out the house. We were very thankful for the preliminary call. The flight was pretty easy. We had a layover in Chicago but nothing too bad. We arrived in Philly at about 5:30pm. As we were leaving the lot, we pulled up to the gate to hand our papers to a man who makes sure you aren't just stealing a car. The window opened and smoke billowed out. An emaciated man in his late 60s grunted out a greeting. I asked him where the entrance to 76 was. He said "Ehh, you don't want 76. You go those directions off the internet? No, what you want to do is take 42. Just go south until you cross over the Walt Whitman bridge then east on 42." The ride was easy. It was just a main road, a few stop lights, but easy driving. We stopped at Denny's where Tom had a chicken fried steak and eggs. I studied their elaborate selection of low calorie and low carb menu choices and chose a chicken sandwich with a fruit bowl. When we got to the house at about 8:30, everyone was just sitting down to dinner. We stayed up late. Tom stayed up later than me and enjoyed some scotch and cigarettes and a walk on the beach with James.
Friday, June 4th, 2004 link - comments(0) I leave for Cape May, New Jersey very early in the morning tomorrow. I'm so nervous. I haven't started packing yet but i have a list. I am mostly scared that they will fight and I won't know what to do with myself, or that we'll all drive each other insane. So many adults and kids living together under one roof for 7 days seems very challenging and almost destined for disaster. I like all of Tom's family but I'm a little afraid of what they might all be like together under one roof. Seem's like a lot of Risses all in one place. I'm just not so good at family stuff. It freaks me out a little. So wish me luck!
Thursday, June 3rd, 2004 link - comments(0)
I can't believe I'm going to New Jersey in two days. I need to start thinking about packing. I hope it's fun. We are going to drive and see the town Tom grew up in, Westfield New Jersey. I want to eat a slice of pie there. Seems like the kind of town that requires lots of pie eating. We went to Grandeho for sushi last night and a little celebrating of change being in the air and all that. I asked the chef to surprize me with something fantastic and vegetarian. He made me the biggest veggie roll I've ever seen. It had broccoli, cucumber, avocado, asparagus, ooba leaf, soy paper, sesame seeds, wasabi mayo, and clover. I felt like a princess and I told the chef so. He seemed amused by me.
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2004 link - comments(0) Hectic day. My coworker gave her notice today and I'm really bummed. The winds of change are a'blowin' all around whether I like it or not. Lately, I noticed I started whining a little too much to Tom over weird, unimportant things. I think this is the first stage to becoming an evil, party pooper, bickering couple so I have decided I'm not going to play that way. It first starts out innocently with a few "I feel X when you X because X" kind of moments, then leads into "Well, it's just that I wanted to do X because of X reason but now it's too late, but it's ok, no really, it's ok, I'm fine." This is the stage I have progressed into and It's really unattractive. I think after that it moves into the "You always XXX" or "You never XXX" stage (often referred to as the "You don't bring me flowers" stage). This is a very dangerous and is very hard to recover from. Your mate will probably start experiencing emotions like "I ain't gonna take no lip from that bitch no more." It's not uncommon for lovers to being plotting the other's murder. The final stage, if the murder hasn't all ready taken place, is when you become so comfortable at bickering, you do it in front of your friends, neighbors, and sensitive pets. Few couples ever recover from this type of behavior and end up on Jerry Springer or in jail... or both. I don't even want to be on Dr. Phil, so no more cranky pants!
Tuesday, June 1st, 2004 link - comments(0) We went to see the Shins at the Warfield tonight. There were a large amount of jackasses which was sad but we moved farther up to where the happy people were and very much enjoyed the night.
|
Previous Entries
Favorite Journals: Tom Risse Favorite InterPlaces: Last Listen Last Watched Reading My Other sites:
|
So yeah, it's kinda weird to keep a daily public journal. It's not like I talkk about all that much private stuff. I definitely sensor myself. But I guess it's kinda weird. It keeps me sane though. Makes me feel like I am social when I'm actually kind of a hermit.
Tonight is the Monster Drawing Rally at 
I'm super antsy today. I get my teeth cleaned at 1:30 at 
Well, it's official, I'm going back to a freelancer's life. I can focus on painting and promoting my paintings.
We woke up early and drove into Philly to check out the town and eat some cheesesteak sandwiches and Dunkin' Donuts. The cheesesteak was delicious and Tom's bagel from the DD was divine. Philly is kinda hard to drive around without wanting to kill someone so we didn't last too long. We walked around the shopping district for a little while but we're both not big clothes horses so we got bored quick.
|
home | contact | links |