Happy Turkey Day

Yeah!! It's almost Thanksgiving! I LOVE this holiday!! It usually involves drinking a little too much and eating an obscene amount of food (which I am really good at)! I have to make pies and a salad. I am kinda scare of making the pie only because its a new recipe and I have never tried it before. I don't know why I am trying a new recipe for such a mega-important meal... I guess I am just crazy! The salad will be really good though, toasted walnut and pear salad with a champagne-cranberry dressing...mmmmm sounds yummy! I have included some pics of what I'm making...


I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving, remember this is a time to remember what you are thankful for and don't be shy about letting those you love know just what that is!

Cal Wins 111th Big Game, 37-16, over Stanford

I am so proud to be a California Golden Bear today! The Bears beat the Cardinal in the 111th Big Game today! ROLL ON YOU BEARS!! I was saddened a few weeks ago when we loss to USC, also losing our chances at a Rose Bowl with the game ending in our defeat. Sometimes it's really hard to be a Cal fan. But, I am no fair-weather fan. My body bleeds BLUE and GOLD. Coach Tedford did a great job coaching the Bears and Jahvid Best had an AMAZING game. Jahvid Best rushed for 201 yards and scored three touchdowns in the second half, and California kept archrival Stanford out of the postseason with a victory in the 111th Big Game.

Kevin Riley threw three touchdown passes for the Golden Bears (7-4, 5-3 Pac-10), who scored 27 straight points after halftime to beat the Cardinal for the sixth time in seven meetings under coach Jeff Tedford.

Cal emphatically reclaimed the Axe with a victory that carried an extra measure of sweetness because it ensured a seventh straight losing season for Stanford. I always feel better when Cal has a bad season but manages to beat the Cardinal. I wish I could have made it to the game, but there is always next year. Great work Bears! I am so proud of you!!

GO BEARS!!

Rain Rain Go Away...

I think I was meant to live in San Diego. Every year when the rain starts it's like I forgot how miserable it always is. I HATE THE RAIN! I hate being wet, I hate being cold, I hate using my windshield wipers, and I hate umbrellas. I need to live in a nice warm sunny climate. So, until summer comes, I will be imagining my tropical paradise...

Dinner with Jill!

I had the best time last night! My good friend Jill and I and my boyfriend Ryan went to one of my favorite places in Tigard. We went to Cafe Allegro and had the BEST dinner! The food was AMAZING, the conversation was delightful, and I couldn't ask for better company. It's always fun to dine with your best friends! Thanks for such a great night you guys, I love you!!

This week went fast!

So this week has gone by so quickly! I got home from California on Sunday afternoon and it seems like I haven't had a second to catch up with myself yet!! Work is going good, staying really busy, which I like. It keeps me out of trouble! I actually had a really good week. First of all, Tuesday was AMAZING! I will never forget where I was when I heard the news that Barack Obama will be our next president. Finally, change is coming! It is so exciting. I was also amazed at how emotional it was. I didn't expect to feel so relieved, amazed, moved, happy, excited, anxious, etc., all at once. It was truly a historical moment, one which I did not think would happen during my life time. It is so special to be a part of this momentous time in history!

Wednesday I was sick...on the couch ill all day...watching creepy television. It all started on Tuesday watching the Weather channel. There was this show on about the "Killer Smog" in D0nora, Pennsylvania. Check out this article I found:

"Killer smog continues to hover over Donora, Pennsylvania, on this day in 1948. Over a five-day period, the smog killed about 20 people and made thousands more seriously ill.

Donora was a town of 14,000 people on the Monongahela River in a valley surrounded by hills. The town was home to steel mills and a zinc smelting plant that had released excessive amounts of sulphuric acid, carbon monoxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere for years prior to the disaster. During the 1920s, the owner of the zinc plant, Zinc Works, paid off local residents for damages caused by the pollution. Still, there was little or no regulation of the air pollution caused by the industries of Donora.

Beginning sometime on October 26, weather conditions in the valley brought a heavy fog into Donora. This fog appears to have trapped the airborne pollutants emitted from the zinc smelting plant and steel mills close to the ground, where they were inhaled by the local residents. Soon, a wave of calls came in to area hospitals and physicians. Dr. William Rongaus, the head of the local Board of Health, suggested that all residents with pre-existing respiratory problems leave town immediately. However, 11 people, all elderly and with heart problems or asthma, were already dead.

Most residents then attempted to evacuate, but the heavy smog and increased traffic made leaving difficult. Thousands flooded the hospitals when they experienced difficulty breathing. It was not until October 31 that Zinc Works shut down operations. Later that day, rain fell on Donora and dispersed the pollutants. By that time, another nine people had already perished.

The Donora smog disaster received national attention when it was reported by Walter Winchell on his radio show. In the aftermath, air pollution finally became a matter of public concern; the incident led to the passage of 1955 Clean Air Act. The Donora Zinc Works shuttered operations in 1957. Although the types of heavy visible pollutants responsible for the deaths in Donora have now been mostly outlawed and eliminated, invisible pollutants such as ozone remain a threat to people with chronic respiratory ailments.

Years later, a local high-school student’s research and activism led the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to place a commemorative plaque in Donora honoring the victims of the killer smog."

Seriously creepy right??? Wednesday I spent all day watching crime shows on E. First there was the True Hollywood Story of the Laci Peterson murder, then there was 2 hours on kidnapping and child abuse, followed by 2 hours of the most horrific acts of violence such as school shootings and work shootings. What a great way to spend my day! I had AWFUL nightmares that night!!

The night ended on a good note though! I got myself off of the couch and went to a show that we had gotten tickets for over 2 months ago. We saw Ray LaMontagne at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and it was AMAZING!! He played all of my favorite songs! It was absolutely beautiful!!

Game Highlights

Back home!

Well, I finally made it home from Berkeley, and I must say it was an exhausting trip!! It seems like I come home more tired than before I left! I had a great time though. Cal beat the Oregon Ducks 26 to 16. GO BEARS!! It was a wet game, with the weather getting worse and worse until about 5 minutes into the 4th quarter. We were all soaked, but we are true Cal fans! I'm glad to be home, in my own bed, and dry. We will see what happens next week against USC. ROLL ON YOU BEARS!

Below is an article that sums up the game! What a wet day for football!!
http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/110108aaa.html