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Friday's Feast #177

Friday's Feast is a meme of five questions cooked up by the chef each and every week. Enjoy!

Appetizer

How many times per day do you usually laugh?

Answer: More times than I can count. Life is funny. People are funny.

Soup

What do your sunglasses look like?

Answer: Currently, I am without a pair. That's a crime by L.A. Standards, but I just haven't gotten around to buying a new pair.

Salad
You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go?

Answer: Vancouver with a stopover in Seattle. I've always wanted to take the Pacific Surfliner and see the Pacific Coast. Going to Vancouver, would add another stamp to my passport.

Main Course
Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city.

Answer: The food. I have never seen quite the quality and variety of cuisine anywhere else. I love the food here.

Dessert
If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best?

Answer: Pink. I saw this photo and thought it would be so amazing if the sky were actually that color.

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What's in a Name?

I am bad wife. I have been married for exactly 5 months and 6 days and I had yet to legally change my last name. Today, I decided to take a big step. I went to the social security office to start the name change process.

The procedure with Social Security was relatively painless. I downloaded a form from the internet and filled out all the appropriate information. I gathered the necessary documents and trudged over to the office in Glendale. I walked in and got a number. I read about three chapters in my book when my name was called. The social security employee took all of five minutes to change my name from Anne N(Middle Name) K(Maiden Name) to Anne K(Maiden Name) R(Married Name). Just like that, I had a new name.

It happened so quickly that I was in a mild state of shock. It was so simple that I began to wonder why I procrastinated. Was my I afraid that changing my name would mean that I'm losing my identity? Did I think it would make me a less independent woman? Now that we shared a last name does that make Rob and I more married than we were before? The truth of the matter is that I was simply reluctant to give up my last name. For 30 plus years, I have been Anne K(Maiden Name).

I have always had a love/hate relationship with my last name. K(Maiden Name) is a very ethnic Filipino last name. I spent the entirety of my childhood having every teacher and classmate grossly mispronounce it. Something about the disproportionate number of vowels to consonants made it difficult to pronounce. It had gotten to the point where I simply asked people to call me Anne K. My blog name is a prime example of this.

One of the things I love about my maiden name is that it ties me to my cultural heritage. K(Maiden Name) is a Tagalog word that loosely translate to "kind, generous person". When older Filipinos would read my maiden name, they would immediately comment on its meaning. It gave me a small sense of community and small sense of pride. Another thing to consider is that every award and achievement that I had ever earned are tied to my maiden name.

  • Ninth Honors English Award- Anne K(Maiden Name)
  • Honorable Mention for Photography 1993 Student Gallery Art Show - Anne K(Maiden Name)
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts - Anne K(Maiden Name)
  • First New Car I ever purchase is registered under Anne K(Maiden Name)
I could go on and on. Those are just a few of my personal faves.

In the end, I think I may be making a mountain out of a molehill. No matter what label/name I go by I'm still the same person on the inside. Being married isn't the magical elixir that transforms your life and becoming Mrs. R didn't magically a different person. So, despite what it says on my Social Security card, please just call me Anne K.
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My eviiilllll plan



I took my first step towards WORLD DOMINATION... um... Not quite. I just wanted to say that for dramatic effect. Actually, I took my first step towards starting my own business. I bought my web domain name. I reserved the .com & .net versions of it. I'm not going to reveal the name of the company & site until I have my other paper work handled.

Right now, I'm in the process of sketching out the design and layout of my website. I have also found two new clients that are happily allowing me to design a good portion of their wedding paper products. This will give me extensive work for my online portfolio. I'm really looking forward to working with them. They're both giving me a lot of creative license.

I just need to keep the motivation and momentum up. This is the year for me to be proactive.
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Cloverfield

"Cloverfield" racked in 41 million dollars in ticket sales this weekend in US and Canadian theaters.
We were among the many viewers of this movie this weekend. I went in with low expectations, especially with all the hype and marketing that surrounded this movie. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I really loved it. Then again, Rob & I are both fans of J. J. Abrams. The movie was unconventional, but is worth seeing. You'll either love it or hate. I'll reserve my review for a couple of weeks from now. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. To help nudge you towards the theater, here's a trailer.





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22.2 miles

If I took a direct route from my house to my office, it would be exactly 22.2 miles. On a good day, it would take me 20 minutes to cover that distance. I previously worked 5AM to 2PM, which allowed me to cover that distance in about 20-45 minutes. It wasn't horrific. It was livable.

Last month, I was offered a new position with my company. With it came a schedule change.
I was set to work from 9-5. I was ecstatic. I get to sleep in! Ha! I was oh so very wrong. My dear sweet husband reminded me that I would be commuting at the same time as a majority of L.A. No biggie, right? I'll just take surface streets.

A month later, it takes me 1 hr. 45 min. to get to work. I've tried different routes, leaving early, and avoiding major freeways. All I am left with is the urge to sit and scream in my car. I now know for a fact that my car has great soundproofing. When I have my daily primal scream, no one in any of the cars adjacent to mine look over. I suspect it's because they are all screaming internally. To add insult to injury, I got reprimanded at work for my tardiness. I would cry, but that would just make me even later for work. There has got to be a solution!
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Sometimes, it's just not fair...

Last Wednesday, while I was stuck at work staring at this...


Rob, our dog Dottie, Kevin, & his dog Piper went to Charlton Flats to see the snow. L.A.'s local mountains have been gifted with snow this year. This was Dottie's first experience with snow. Here's some of Rob's photos.

Self Portrait

Dotties's 1st Portrait in the Snow

Piper is in her element.

Piper & Kevin

Piper on the lookout

Dottie investigates the snow

Evidence

I am so jealous. While I was answering phones and managing advertising jobs, they were frolicking in the snow. Rob even had the audacity to rub it in when I got home. Hmmphh... Husbands!

This weekend, I will be vindicated. More on that later.

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Comments are welcome!

I have read on various blogs that it is National De-lurking Week. I have "made myself known" at several blogs. In the spirit of that, I post this.

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Two Thousand...Great!


Taking a cue from Sarah K. Chen, a photographer whose work I admire, I decided to do a list of things I'd like to do this year.

2008 Checklist
  1. Replace my stolen digital SLR camera. I miss taking pictures.
  2. Do more freelance invitation design. Possibly launch my own website.
  3. Setup an actual emergency fund
  4. Add another stamp (or two) to my passport.
  5. Take my Civic out for a roadtrip
  6. Go on a Girls’ Trip
  7. Do a boudoir photo shoot.
  8. Train & participate in a 5K.
  9. Volunteer for a non-profit organization.
  10. Get back into Outdoor sports, i.e. Rock Climbing, Kayaking, et al
We'll see how well I do with my list as the year progresses. I figure writing them all out on a public forum will make me more likely to do them.