Went to get my passport updated with my new name on Saturday. The Passport Lady made me feel really good by, I’m assuming, thinking I was with the two 17-year-old girls in front of us because she asked them how old they were and then asked me. She actually did a double-take and took a step back when I said,”30.” With a straight face I said,”I love you, Sonia.” The only thing annoying about having to get my passport updated is that I look like I just finished detox. Why do passport and driver’s license photos have the worst lighting and quality? I thought I would be upset whenever I had to get a new passport because the stamps of where you’ve been don’t transfer over but since we didn’t get any stamps from France or Italy, my passport isn’t accurate stamp-wise anyway.

Anyway, need to get new passport because we are terrorizing Cabo again. Our friends Dan and Amber are supposed to go with us. Amber and I are already kicking around photography excursions. We’re going on a photo excursion tonight as well.

I planted some seeds for a veggie garden about 2.5 weeks ago and put them in my little greenhouse. I came home last night and my snow peas already have shoots. :D This weekend or next weekend I’ll start another set of seeds.

Last night Ralph picked up our tickets for the Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand concert. I hope DCFC play more of their older stuff like they did the last time we saw them, but I doubt it’ll happen. Huh, would you look at that? My water glass is half empty.

I know it’s my fault for leaving the stuff in there, but I still hate people. I went to my car this morning to get something for snowshoeing this afternoon and lo and behold, what do I find? My car was broken into. The car itself is fine, thank goodness, but a few things are missing. Mainly two things that wouldn’t get the thieves much, if anything, for their efforts. I first noticed that my XM receiver was missing and my first thought was that maybe Ralph took it inside for some reason. Being the techie that he is, I figured that maybe he was doing some sort of upgrade or something, but then I notice that a graphic novel I keep in the pocket behind the drivers seat was out on the back seat. Then I notice that the back seat is void of my just-in-case coat and my little black shoulder bag that usually doesn’t carry anything important in it, maybe just a notebook or lunch containers I forget to bring in. This time, however, my Holga was in it. Being that it’s very inexpensive, both the bag and the Holga, I would have just been annoyed. However, after puppy training class, to which I brought my Lomo, Ralph took it out of his pocket and left if by the handbrake. That, too, is gone. The thieves, who would most likely try to pawn in, will be sorely disappointed if the pawnshop people don’t recognize the lomo or feel that it would resell in Reno. They won’t get anything for their efforts, which means they were stolen for nothing and everyone suffers.

Again, it’s my fault for being lazy and not dragging my stuff in. I know this and I’m mad at myself for it just as much as I’m mad at the thieves.

On Saturday I asked a guy that works at the coffee shop I frequent (and by that, I mean, I go there almost every day, so they named my drink after me. All Ralph or I have to do is walk in, somebody behind the counter holds up one or two fingers, he or I will respond and that many of my drinks are made, regardless if there is a line or not. The owner was the one who named the drink after me. Aaaaah the power of being mayo :P ) and I asked him when his band was playing next. Going back to the Bay Area reminded Ralph and I how much we miss listening to good live music, preferrably in dive bars with good beer. So CoffeeGuy says that one of his bands just played the night before, but this other band he’s in will play *this* Friday. I ask him the name of the band and he says Pink Black. I got really excited because that was the local band that opened up for StellaStarr 2 years ago and we really liked them. So when I told Ralph, we decided we’d have to go see them.

Anyway, our friend’s band, JewDriver, is doing an 8 day west coast tour and decided to stop in Reno along the way up to Seattle. Ralph was checking in with our JewDriver friend to see when they would be stopping in Reno and JewDriver friend says April 4th…the opening act will be Pink Black. Yay! How fun that a local band we liked enough to look for their cd in the Local Band section of Tower, but never found, has two shows, that we know of so far, for us to see.

According to Ralph, the neon “sculpture” in the afore-mentioned post was a penguin. My hatred for the dj continues.

Today was so beautiful, if a bit cold still. The sky was blue, the air was fresh and I had to go out and take some photos for a freelance gig. I really hope winter is on its way out (I could give a rat’s ass about Punxsutawny Phil’s “prediction.” He gets dragged out of his hole before he even has a chance to make a shadow, much less see it, and everyone knows that.), but in case it’s not, we planned a little bit of snowshoeing for next weekend. :P

Last night was my kind-of-surprise-party, meaning, it was mentioned to me and I thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be real. Ralph and Cody thought it would be fun to get the boys together to meet at the new gay bar where “our” old gay bar used to be. First Ralph, Cody and I went to the 4th St. Bistro for dinner (because one of their appetizer specials is foie gras, which I absolutely love when it’s sauteed with fruit. That night was quince and it was served with gingerbread slices. w00t!) then proceeded to Neutron nightclub.

Many years ago (nine, actually) it was the bar where I met most of my boys, including Cody, my dearest, best friend. However, many years ago, it also played better music and was fun. I tried. I tried really hard, but staying there was made painful, thanks to the crappy DJ. From what I gathered, his theory is, if you play music really loud, it gets really good (because you are now deaf). His music selection was awful. AWFUL. Any modern song that sampled an 80s song was played. If he wanted to play a song that did not have an 80s sample in it, HE PLAYED AN 80s SONG ALONG WITH IT. I hate him. I hate him now.

Then, to add to my hatred for him, his music kept stopping because he was over-heating his equipment (so he says). The first time it went out was about 5 minutes after the music got unbearably loud. As we looked at him with utter contempt, we noticed this neon light behind him and couldn’t figure out exactly what it was. Well, we stared at it for a few minutes to try and figure out what it was when the dj suddenly gets back up (he was crouching underneath his set-up to find records) and it looked like he was rising out of the neon “sculpture.” Cody tells us it looks like labia to him, now that the dj just “popped out of it.” We all agree, but I have issues with these 3 squiggly lines that are above the main part. So, having to yell over the too-loud music, I say, “A vagina that needs chapstick” RIGHT when the music died. Everyone in that bar stared right at me and for this, I hate that dj forever.

I got dragged onto the dancefloor a few times, but the music was so bad, I wasn’t really into it (and i was really looking forward to a good night of dancing. I think we’ll go to 80s night at Vino this friday to make up for it.). Finally, after an especially disappointing song, I told Ralph that I was done. I actually got my hopes up when the music started on a particular song, bounded onto the dancefloor and then about shat myself when I heard that it was another poorly sampled mix. So we said our goodbyes and left at about 2am. I hope this dj isn’t a harbinger of things to come in my 30s now that tomorrow (the 6th), I will be a hating-that-dj-30-year-old.