Happy Halloween!

Two mice..., originally uploaded by julieverive.

It's That Time of Year Again!!!

Once again, Borders is appreciating it's employees and their friends and families with a fantastic discount holiday shopping opportunity!

This coupon presented at any Borders, Waldenbooks, Brentanos or Borders Express will be good for 20% off the regular price of most books, music and DVDs, and 10% off electronics (which can be especially exciting if you've been thinking about getting an iPod - most Borders carry them now!)

It's a little ahead of time, as the sale isn't until November 9th through the 14th - but plan your holiday shopping now!!!

And if you miss out, there will be one more opportunity in December....

What does October 17th Mean to YOU?

Every year when October 17th rolls around, I get a little freaked out. For those of you who don't recall the significance of this day, let me refresh your memory...

On October 17, 1989... I was a wee ten years old. I was practicing my flute in my bedroom, my mom was in the kitchen making dinner. My mom asked my brother to pick some veggies from her garden for dinner, and I tried my best to play that darn flute. Had we been a family interested in sports, the beginning of a World Series game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's - the Battle of the Bay they called it - would have been on the television. At 5:04pm, the world began to shake. My music stand fell to the ground, and i jumped up and stood in the doorway. My mom yelled to get outside, so I listened and ran out the door to the driveway, where we met my terrified eight year old brother crying as the earthquake had thrown him to the ground.

The quake only knocked out our power, so we spent the rest of the night watching the devastation from a tiny, battery-powered, black and white TV. The Bay Bridge collapsed. The Cypress structure (or what is also known as the 880) collapsed. There were fires and rubble... I was terrified, this was the worst thing I had ever seen. (Thank god I didn't live in Santa Cruz, the city was leveled by the damn quake.)

So every year, on October 17th, I remember all those horrible images and feelings that i felt that day.

At least the A's won the World Series. Totally crushed the Giants. :)

You Jump, I Jump Jack!

Just about the time I start thinking that this new store I'm working at has totally cut the celebrity sightings out of my life, a whale appears.

I was hanging out in the multimedia section this afternoon tracking down my very own copy of the 2nd season of Arrested Development, and an employee comes up to me and asks if I'm a fan of Leonardo diCaprio. I shrug, unsure of whether or not I would call myself a fan, and my coworker says, "Well, he's right over there if you care."

I look over, and wearing a tee-shirt and shorts and a bright blue Dodger cap was Leo himself. I gasped with glee. This is the biggest celebrity I have ever seen. (Even topping Keanu Reeves!) I stand nervously at the information desk, trying not to be too obvious, but moments later he approached me with a stack of stuff. "Are you all set?" I ask him with what had to be the hugest smile on my face EVER, and he says, "Yeah." Unfortunately for me, there was no register at the information desk, so I had to send him downstairs, but he looked at me with his gorgeousness and said, "Thanks." He ran down the stairs and paid for his stack of audio books, and left.

It was awesome.

Reflections on our trip... and life...

It was so great to visit with everyone we saw on the road all the way up the sometimes beautiful western states... Today is my first day off since getting home, and have therefore been thinking a lot about the trip and being back to reality and I am baffled.

All of the people we saw on our trip were wonderful friends from our life in Santa Cruz. Those we saw most recently before the trip were seen almost a year ago, and some over two years ago. And yet, after just a few minutes of catching up on current news, each visit with each of these people was like all that time and all those miles had never been between us. It was natural and easy, and comfortable. It made me feel like I had come home, even though we were hundreds of miles from what we consider to be our home.

I love you all and miss you, and can't wait to come home again soon. :)

Extraordinary Machine

So in case you've somehow missed the bombardement of media surrounding Fiona Apple's newest release Extraordinary Machine, well, it came out yesterday. I've been a fan since my parents randomly got me a copy of her first album Tidal for Christmas in 1996, and then in '99 with When the Pawn... came out. I've been eagerly awaiting this new album, and finally it is in my possession. :)

And so far what I have heard is great - a little more upbeat than her previous efforts, and she certainly has come a long way in the nine years since Tidal. She's gotten a little jazzier, and her voice is a little richer and more mature, but she still sounds like the Fiona we all love. But the coolest part about the new CD is the Dual Disc feature. One side of the CD is the music, and on the other side is a DVD of a bunch of her performances from Largo, where we saw her just a few months ago! It's just like being there!!

If you have ever liked Fiona's music in the past, I would highly recommend this new album!

And hey, it looks like she finally took our advice and ate that sandwich!

We're home!

Crate Lake, originally uploaded by julieverive.

After nine days and 1800+ miles in the car, we arrived home safe and sound at 8:30 this evening. We had a great time, and saw lots of great friends and family! Deetails will be forthcoming, as we are beat and just want a quiet evening at home before we start thinking about the real world again...