January 30, 2018

Congratulations, Chang! Looks like you are moving along there in Boerne. Who would have thought you'd be so involved in JC's old hometown? We need to do a trip back to SA to visit with you guys and the Diez. There's always something to do in San Antonio. It's like little Mexico on the stateside, but you need to throw in all of the designer bags and luxury retail. It's only Tuesday and I'm ready for this week to be over with. I have one big meeting on Thursday and that's pretty much it for this week. Tammy, thanks for sharing all of the baby shower pics with me. You are definitely loved by everyone around you and I can't wait to meet Baby Shum! I'm dreading tonight's State of the Union address, but I am dying to watch it because it will be a shitshow. Trump is really entertaining with all of the stuff he says. I wonder who his speechwriter is and whether it is vetted by someone else other than his stupid daughter and stupid son-in-law. I'll have my bucket of popcorn and candy ready to go for tonight!

January 29, 2018

There is always something to do here. There are times when we are like...hmmm, what can we do besides going to the movies or eating out? Nothing! We got invited by Julie to attend the Glitter Ball on Friday night. It was a blast even if we only stayed for a couple hours. The production value was up there. I was blown away at the set up before getting into the event tent. The band was amazing and people were already dancing on the dance floor by 8:30pm. The event started at 8. We made our way back to the house but had to stop at Taco Bell to pick up some food. It's literally right by the house. It's never a good thing when Taco Bell is a couple blocks away from your house. The next night was Tess's birthday dinner. We enjoyed a nice family dinner followed by after dinner drinks at our house. Next thing you know, it was all out party mode. The switch just turned and the momentum kept going until the early morning. I think the best part of the night was the karaoke mic in the car! We ended the night at IHOP, including the drama with Charli and Kaci. The next morning, we debriefed at Barrios and ended the weekend with the three billboards movie. The movie was great and pretty unique in its direction. The movie had a serious story to tell but it was also funny in how the actors dealt with everything.

January 25, 2018

January 23, 2018

Nothing much to report this week other than playing catch up at the office and waiting for the weather to get warm. It is a bit mild this week, which I can appreciate. This whole month, I've had garage parking so I need to take full advantage of having a dedicated parking spot. This means I can leave during the day if I want to pick something up. Parking spots are highly prized where my office is. If you can find street parking that's not metered, you're in luck. This is why I rarely leave the office during lunch unless it's to go pick up something within walking distance. I actually have no money to buy lunch everyday so I don't mind brining leftovers from home. I keep forgetting we have bread in the pantry.

January 22, 2018

Happy Birthday, Tess! This past weekend I pretty much did nothing. Kaci and I tried to check out this art exhibit on 12th and Penn but the line was too long so we ended up eating tacos instead. We thought the line with four people was too long but when we were done with eating, the line had close to 50 people waiting to get in. I'll try next weekend to check out this place. The limbs kept coming down and one finally hit the hood of my car. There is a sizeable dent on my hood now. The next best series is Electric Dreams. It's Amazon Prime's take on Netflix's Black Mirror. We are back to Golden Girls again!

January 18, 2018

When it's a good hair day, everyone wants to be your friend because you are that confident!

January 17, 2018

It's nice to be in your own home in sweats and working away. I didn't come into the office this morning because I had a couple calls to make and I need to drive to Tulsa for a 1pm. This crazy cold weather is messing up everyone's plans. Do you want to go out and eat? No, it's too cold to leave the house. How about ice skating? Definitely no. Are you crazy? Well, we ended up ordering from Domino's last night even though there was plenty of food in the pantry. It was just that kind of night. The pizza arrived within 20 minutes. I'm surprised they were that fast considering no one would be out. This Google Arts and Culture app is ridiculously funny. I am a bunch of asian men or better yet, a seated Korean woman. The Korean woman was quite on point.

January 16, 2018

I survived yesterday's ordeal. I had a lot on my plate to cover and I got through each and every line item. I have a handful of things to take care of today and I'm considering working from home tomorrow morning as opposed to coming in. The only problem is I would skip the gym, which does not align with my goal of going five times during the week. I need to eat better as well. It's tough when you have cravings for muffins, cookies, biscuits, bread, etc. Carbs are life! The best bread I had in a long time was at the steakhouse a couple weeks ago. It was sourdough bread served on the warm side. The inside was warm right when you break it open. It was pure heaven. The SA girls are coming to OKC for the half marathon. I can't wait for you guys to get here so we can do some serious running.

January 15, 2018

Happy Birthday, Taylor! I hope you had an awesome weekend with your friends from back home. We didn't get to trim the trees like I wanted. I think we are the only ones working today. It's really the best when you get to lick the mixing bowl and mixing spoon after making a batch of brownies. You can't let all that good batter go to waste. I made them gluten free this time after multiple requests from my fan base. I didn't try them yet other than the wet batter but we shall see.

January 13, 2018

January 12, 2018

Almond extract really does make the world go round. A little of the extract goes a long way, more so than vanilla extract. I used to make che thai and would drop a dab of almond extract in the dessert. It really enhances the aroma of the dessert. In one of my cake decorating classes, the instructor said that almost all wedding cakes have almond extract as opposed to the ordinary vanilla extract. It's also great to put in your recipes because it's clear and not brown. Therefore, the color of your batter or icing will not be compromised. So far so good with the cleanse from the first of the year...let's see how long it will last. My haircut with Chi Connie turned into an interrogation. The two ladies literally sat super close to my chair and were rambling on throughout my haircut. They would not stop talking. They had a lot to say and a lot to ask about. Our first steering committee meeting went very well. It was over two hours as was expected because we had a lot to cover. I am interested in our membership drive and was surprised to hear that only 30% of the residents pay the annual dues. Although the dues are not mandatory, we really should get out there and bring awareness as to membership benefits. The weekend is almost here so work through today like it's the last day of your life. A glass of wine awaits me at the finish line.

January 11, 2018

We had a group lunch yesterday at Hideaway. David did not understand why we all needed individual pizzas when most people cannot finish the whole pie by themselves. I think he was the only who ordered a salad. He had a couple pieces of my pizza since I was only able to half of my pie. Anyways, we all had leftovers to take back to the office. This morning I came in the office to find about ten boxes of leftover pizza in the fridge. What do I do for breakfast? I eat my leftover pizza of course. You don't need to microwave leftover pizza. Just eat it cold. It's not as messy and the flavors are enhanced because of the cold temperature. Speaking of cold, it was mild this morning when I left the house but when I got out of the gym, it was super cold. The winds were very strong and the temperature dropped drastically. I have garage parking for this month so it helps. My goal is to walk to tonight's meeting a few blocks away from my house as opposed to driving there. Those days of walking in the cold in New York are nothing compared to today's weather.

January 10, 2018

Joseph informed me that his dog, Harvey, passed away a couple days ago. We talked about when he got Harvey. I had to look back at my college transcripts because right when I met Joseph, he got Harvey. It looks like he had him since 2003. Harvey lived a good 15 years. He went with Joseph to New York. I consider Harvey my first pet since he stayed with us at my first apartment in New York. I feel badly now that I never took care of Harvey. I never walked him, even when Joseph was out of town. He hired a dog walker to take care of Harvey. My "narrative" for dogs and cats evolved over the years. I like pets now but I don't want one to call my own. I feel the same way about kids. After New York, Harvey went with Joseph, Meg, and Joe Junior to Japan. I bet he enjoyed his "retirement" in Japan. On Chang's last day in New York, Harvey pooped in the kitchen. He has never pooped in the apartment. I think he knew Chang was leaving that day and he wanted to leave a lasting impression on Chang. Rest in peace, Harvey! You were an awesome best friend to Joseph!

January 5, 2018

Today is Friday and guess what? I have an afternoon meeting in Tulsa. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. First of all, Friday meetings are overrated. Who wants to meet on Fridays anyway? On top of this, the meeting is held in Tulsa. The drive to Tulsa is 1.5 hour and let's also think about the 1.5 hour drive back to OKC. That's three hours of my Friday spent in the car. I get it...some people are available on Fridays, but I'd like to keep me communicating with people between Monday and Thursday. Fridays are my days to catch up and set myself up for the weekend. Do I have any plans this coming weekend? None at all! It's great not having any obligations. I do need to take down the Christmas decor. That will be my only task for this weekend.

January 4, 2018

You better get back on that Whole30 program, Taylor! I don't think you really need it. You're so good about eating right and keeping an active lifestyle. As for me, I am sore all over today after two days of getting back to the gym. I took a two-week hiatus where I pretty much ate what I wanted and never exercised. This morning's workout session included a 30 minute run and a five minute chest press. That's all I could do. It was a good day to do an abbreviated sesh because the gym was at full capacity. To all my New York friends, bundle up today. I bet some of you don't have to go into work because of the snowstorm. Lucky for Tammy, whenever the NYC public schools close, NYU also closes. Nelson, I hope Selena is keeping that radiator heat going for you. Otherwise, go get yourself a space heater. That's what I had to do when I lived in that apartment. If I hung out in the living room, I took the space heater with me. When it was time for bed, take the heater with you into the bedroom. Yes, that was one of the perks of living in a cramp walkup apartment smack in the middle of New York!

January 3, 2018

Everyone is adulting all around us! We are at that age when people need to grow up and do things that our parents did when they were our age. It's so weird to think about it. I remembered when my parents were 40 at one point. They were raising four kids. I have no kids to raise and no pets to take care of. Someone mentioned getting me a puppy for Christmas. I said no, thanks. I will drop that puppy off at the animal shelter and claimed it as a lost and found puppy. Not today, Satan...not today.

January 2, 2018

Yesterday, I declined red wine and it felt pretty good. All the drinking that took place when I was off pretty much drained me. It was nice just drinking water yesterday. We had lunch over at Chris and Sharon's and made it back to the house. We had "Black Mirror" and the OU/Georgia game on simultaneously. This season of Black Mirror is really good. I had a few favorites this season, including the last episode. It's great that the last episode brought some of the earlier episodes in full circle. Is this the end for "Black Mirror"? I hope not. It's some crazy stuff that people do when technology is involved. Just when you think your life gets easier with technology, it certainly makes it more complicated because you deal with new problems and issues that did not exist before the technology was created. The OU game was a nail biter for sure and it sucks Mayfield didn't take the team to the finals. It was a good game nonetheless. I made it to the gym this morning and only about a handful of folks were at the gym. It was surprisingly quiet considering it's right after the new year. Perhaps people took off from work today.

January 1, 2018

Happy New Year!