bellyacher

Is it safe here yet?

2010-03-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hello blog world. It's been a long time. Too long, in fact. So much has changed and I'm not sure if we can pick up where we left off. We can try, I suppose.

Ch-ch-ch-changes....

1. I'm married and have been for almost two years. Woot!

2. I'm now the mother of the most wonderful baby boy ever (in my opinion, of course). Woot again!

3. That's actually it.

It's been a crazy 2 years since I moved to England. I had so many things planned...taking daily photos, random art projects, interesting walks and travels...anything to keep busy and make people interested in reading this silly blog. I'm not a good writer and will never pretend to be. I can only do my best and try to visit this space a bit more often.

Booooo

2009-06-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

I wish I could get back to blogging but I don't like all the RANDOM comments I get. (You know who you are!!!) Perhaps I shall blog again soon. We'll see.

Salt and Pepper

2008-02-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

Okay...I missed a day or two. Oh well.

DSC03536
Originally uploaded by bellyacher

Darn!

2008-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

I have a daily photo from two days ago that is still living inside my camera...and I didn't even take one yesterday!! I know, I'm SO grounded. Daily photos should resume tomorrow when I'll have lots of pictures from tonight to share. What's going on tonight, you ask? Well...I'm going out with The Bishop's friends while he's at work. This excursion was planned before I even arrived in England...after this I have nothing to live for. (Just kidding about that...I have to stick around to visit Windsor Castle on Monday.)

This should be a busy weekend for me so expect some photo documentation by Tuesday at the latest.

Sockies

2008-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

New (hand- knitted) socks from The Bishop's sister in Shetland. Hooray!!

Sockies
Originally uploaded by bellyacher

New Keys

2008-01-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

New Keys
Originally uploaded by bellyacher

Church in Wokingham

2008-01-27T15:40:00.001-08:00

Taken from the railway bridge at Wokingham station.

Church in Wokingham
Originally uploaded by bellyacher

Red sky at night...

2008-01-26T11:09:00.001-08:00

I took this from the front window....and found that I have a really hard time keeping my hand steady. Oh well...you get the point.

Red sky at night..., originally uploaded by bellyacher.

Wants

2008-01-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

I've been spending a lot of time surfing the internet today (ahhhh...Saturday) and have found several little items that I wouldn't mind having. Read on...

Mini anchor necklace (YES!!)

Vinyl ship necklace (I love it so much!!)

The octopus necklace (Gasp)

A Squidlet from Sereneonion

Stationery (or anything) from The black apple

I guess that's it for now. (disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY expect these items to be purchased for me. This was really just an exercise in list making...titled "Wants")

Lamp

2008-01-25T11:16:00.001-08:00

Lamp, originally uploaded by bellyacher.

This is my first daily photo...one of the lamps at The Bridge pub.

Home...

2008-01-23T05:35:00.000-08:00

...alone. Eek! The Bishop just left for work so I now get to entertain myself for the next 9 hours or so. I figure there will be some web surfing, then perhaps some house cleaning and maybe some TV watching. Oh...maybe I should write some letters too.

Adventure

2008-01-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

As promised, we went to London yesterday to see the Terracotta Army at the British Museum. Unfortunately we got to the museum too late to buy tickets to see it so we wandered around and looked and everything else instead. We had a great time even though I didn't want to ask for directions to the museum (getting lost is much more fun) AND I started getting some pesky cold symptoms. Later, we explored the south bank with The Bishop's friend Jon and then caught the train back to Bracknell. Today I'm suffering from a full-blown cold so I haven't done much of anything. Anyway, on to the photos!!

This is the sign at the Bracknell train station (We were on our way out, though)

The train to london

Hungerford Bridge

A view of Waterloo Bridge (with a double decker bus)

The London Eye

On the way towards Parliament

Big Ben

Parliament (and a plane)

Blue sky on the way to the British Museum!

The British Museum

Rosetta Stone

Sculptures from the Parthenon 1

Sculptures from the Parthenon 2

London Eye and Big Ben at night

Oopsy

2008-01-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

I didn't post anything yesterday because I didn't do anything worth posting about. It's just nice getting to relax for a few days after all the packing and traveling. Unfortunately, today will be much of the same. We have some errands to run (food is always a nice thing to have around) and that's about it. I think we'll go to London tomorrow, though...that should be fun and I'll try to act like a good little tourist and take lots of photos.

First day

2008-01-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

I must say that my first full day here in Bracknell has been rather uneventful. The Bishop and I watched some TV, played on the computer (um...it kind of sucks to be 8 hours ahead of everyone I know) and generally lazed about until about 3 when I decided that we MUST walk to Binfield. I lived in a dorm at Newbold College (in Binfield) for 9 months when I was 20 so I was anxious to see my old stomping grounds.

BUT, for those of you who really, really want to see some photos of where I live, here you go:

This is the view out the front room window

This is a view OF the front room window

A sign that I was pretty excited to see last night

Okay so on to Binfield...

This the pub where I practically lived 8 years ago (the cute little front area didn't exist then, though)

These are some ponies that I used to visit regularly. It was nice to see them again.

This is the back garden at the Victoria Arms pub where we had drinks this afternoon

Odyssey

2008-01-18T01:33:00.000-08:00

This is what's been going on over the last few days:

On Monday I slept most of the way to Los Angeles in the car with my parents. Once we got there we lounged around our hotel room and later ate a wonderful dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. After that, we had a couple of pints at The Scotland Yard pub in Sherman Oaks, then went back to the hotel for the night. I must say...my parents are pretty fun to go out with!!

Tuesday morning was spent taking my mom to a day-long appointment with David Robin where she learned some kick-ass video editing techniques. After we dropped her off (and had a nice chat with Mr. Robin), my dad took me shopping (yay shopping) in Pasadena and then he dropped me off with my great-aunt. She took me to lunch, then took me shopping and then out to dinner (even though I was still full from lunch...eek)

Wednesday was pretty weird. My parents met us for lunch in Pasadena and then I said good-bye to mom and dad...in a parking lot. I won't be seeing them for at least 5 months so it was strange to just hug and say, "see ya." Believe me, there were some tears but we all held it together pretty well. My aunt then took me to run some errands and before going back to her house where I shoved some last remaining items into my already VERY full suitcases and zipped them up. Luckily, I was able to take a short nap (yes, I take naps and I'm proud of it) before the airport shuttle came to take me away.

I got to the airport 4 hours before my flight so there was absolutely NO wait to check in and get my boarding pass...then all I had to do was wait...so i hit the bar. Here's the deal...I HATE FLYING! I'm always convinced that my plane will crash and I will die a violent and fiery death. So getting slightly buzzed is a must.

The flight itself was rather uneventful. Our plane was strangely not full so I didn't feel AS cramped as I normally do but I sat next to a very nice lady who had just spent 17 days visiting her daughter in L.A. There was quite a selection of movies and TV shows to watch so it wasn't that boring either. The first movie I watched was Superbad...which was stupid but I still laughed out loud...a lot. After that, I watched some TV shows and tried to sleep. Unfortunately, sleeping was hard due to babies crying, people talking (loudly), not having enough room, and a sore tail bone (yes...my butt was hurting). I still managed to get a little bit of rest, but not much. Finally, after being given the wrong time by the people in front of me, I decided to wake up and watch another movie. This time I chose The Darjeeling Limited which I loved. Another unfortunate thing happened during this time, though...TURBULENCE...and lots of it. It was actually so bad at one point that the lady next to me grabbed my hand in fear. Fun stuff.

Anyway, blah blah blah...the plane landed, we all had to walk forever to reach immigration and the baggage claim (which caused me to work up a sweat), then I finally emerged in a room FULL of people standing behind barriers waiting to claim their friends and loved ones. Let me just say that this was, by far, the weirdest point in the whole journey. It was like I was on display..."Look at me! I just spent 10 hours on a plane and I feel and look like crap!! Hooray!" Oh...and the whole time I was trying in vain to locate The Bishop (not his real name) amongst the sea of people...luckily, since I was on display, he found me first and waved his arm (thank goodness, because I wasn't wearing my glasses so everyone was blurred and scary).

Two things...(at this point RIGHT NOW I've realized that this silly British keyboard DOES NOT HAVE a number sign!! It's been replaced with THIS: £) Number 1: Remember how I just told you that I had worked up a sweat while trekking across the airport?? Well, I was actually HAPPY to walk outside to the cold and rain because I was so hot inside. Number 2: Remember how I told you a while ago that I hate flying and that I am always convinced that my plane will crash. Hmmm...um...so right after The Bishop found me he informed me that THIS had happened at Heathrow about 2 hours before I landed:

I don't even know what to say...oh, except, THANK GOD THAT WASN'T MY PLANE!!!! Luckily, nobody was seriously injured...but still...

Okay, where was I? Oh yeah...went outside, got into a taxi with all my heavy bags, took a train to Bracknell (may I say that I might just be the only person to actually be excited about arriving in Bracknell...it was familiar yet different all at the same time - oh...I lived here 8 years ago, in case you didn't know), took another taxi to get home and that's it. Now I'm lounging around on Friday morning, safe and sound.

Ready...set...

2008-01-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

In just a few minutes I will be leaving for L.A. with my parents. It's really odd to know that these are my last moments in sunny Fresno. Ho hum...

The next time you hear from me I'll be across the pond. (Expect photos of my last night out in Fresno as well as photos of my first moments in the UK)

Bye!!

YEP....

2008-01-12T00:41:00.000-08:00

I have a very expensive little sticker in my passport now which means I am free to move about the UK.

Uh huh....I HAVE MY VISA!!!

Good news...and other news...

2008-01-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

Well...here we are at the 9th of January and I am not preparing to fly away today. Due to some minor gliches, I had to postpone my great escape until next week. Good thing too, because I am NOT ready to go (anyone want to help sort stuff...and does anyone want to tell me how ended up with SO MUCH JUNK!?!).

Anyway, the good news is that Virgin Atlantic called off their strike so everything should run smoothly for all of those who WILL be flying today. Hooray!!

Well, that's it for today. I wish I had something fun to post...or at least something halfway interesting...but I don't. Check back in the next couple of days though to find out what stress can do to a person right before they move out of the country. That should be interesting....right?? RIGHT???

Small fruit from not much labor (Christmas, pt 2)

2007-12-25T13:24:00.001-08:00

Lauren on Christmas from bellyacher on Vimeo.

Day of the mimosa

2007-12-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope you're having a wonderful day. Our family is relaxing after a morning of opening presents and sipping mimosas but will soon have a house of full of guests to celebrate with. The mimosa thing has become quite a tradition in our family on Christmas morning...nothing says "holidays" like drinking at 9am.

Anyway, my little sister received a neat little video camera so we're going to try it out. Perhaps we can share the fruit of our labor here later in the afternoon. I would love to hear about your holiday traditions so feel free to share.

The waiting game...an update of sorts

2007-12-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

Last week I finally inhaled, exhaled and said goodbye to a large sum of money (well, large to me) in order to apply for my visa. It was a weird feeling...a "no turning back" feeling, in fact. Now I'm waiting for some paperwork to arrive from across the pond so I can properly send in all of my supporting documents and then hope for a speedy decision to be made. EEK!

OH...and this fabulous article was brought to my attention today. Let me just say that I am scheduled to fly on Virgin Atlantic on January 9th...does anyone else see a potential problem?? Sheesh!

Anyway, tomorrow is my last day at work. It was supposed to be next Friday but I think I should spend as much time as possible on finishing up packing, selling and donating. I wish this was easier but I suppose it's a "character building" experience. Oh yeah, last day at work...we're having an employee lunch and secret Santa gift exchange so everything will be bitter-sweet and weird, I'm sure. I just hope I don't cry. Yeah...so I was told that I need to work until next Friday. Okaaaaaay.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Since I'll be unemployed starting ~~tomorrow~~ next Friday at 5:30pm, expect that I will start my new full-time job as a blogger soon. God help us all...

Ever closer....

2007-12-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

So I actually had my yard sale yesterday instead of last week. Even though I didn't post it in the paper I was able to sell quite a bit of stuff. Unfortunately, I STILL have more stuff to get rid of....mainly books. I don't know how I ended up with SO many books. They really reflect my various intrests though....philosophy, origami, religions, sci-fi, literature....you name it, I have a book about it!

Anyway, I think I'll have a book sale. I really wish I didn't have to get rid of them but freighting them to the UK would be waaaay too expensive. Oh well, I can build up my little library again once I'm there.

Also, I'm nearly finished with my visa application. Because I have to pay an enormous (non-refundable) fee for my visa, I'm not in a huge hurry to finish it up....I need to make sure that everything is correct, take a deep breath, and pray that I'm not rejected. Wish me luck....

YARD SALE

2007-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

I know I've already mentioned this but...

WHEN:
Saturday, December 1st
8am - 12pm

WHERE:
934 N Poplar
Fresno, CA 93728

Off of San Pablo, South of Olive....in the lovely Tower District.

Here is a map (because I'm nice)

You KNOW you want to check it out!!

p.s. don't worry...that's not MY address

Slowly now...

2007-11-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

Today's quote:

"Do not fear going forward slowly, fear only to stand still"
Chinese Proverb

Yeah...So I have no problem with going forward slowly...in fact, slow seems to be the only speed in which I move. Oh well.

These are the things I slowly took care of last week

* Paid $127 dollars to have my passport renewal expedited. It only took two hours of standing in the BUSIEST passport office in Fresno!! Grrr...too bad they can't expedite the line.

* Went through every single box in my storage, sorting everything into catagories like, throw away, sell, donate and keep. Sadly the 'keep' pile is WAAAAY too big so I will be resorting it sometime this week.

By the way, there will be a yard sale this Saturday (December 1)at 8am. Here is the address:

934 N Poplar
Fresno, CA 93728

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.

No progress yet

2007-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well...it's Saturday and so far I've done a whole lot of nothing. I SHOULD be doing something...ANYTHING to put me closer to being ready for the big move. ARG!! Anyway, I've been spending my morning checking out some of my favorite blogs (time for an update to the sidebar, if you ask me...)

Finslippy
Dooce
Inside a Black Apple
Fluid Pudding

And of course....
Go Fug Yourself

I heart Go Fug Yourself!

I think I will go look for websites on how to move out of your homeland with ease. Wish me luck!!

I'm back

2007-11-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

After a loooong hiatus I have decided to start posting again. I'm sure that the small readership I may have had before is gone but it's time to rebuild. From now on this blog will be focused on life, art and my experiences as I learn to make a new life in England starting in January. Of course, for now I will probably write about the woes of relocating to another country BEFORE I go....and the process of completing all the necessary paperwork on time. Oh....not to mention the amount of STUFF I have to sort to sell or pack. My head hurts just thinking about it.

Here are things as they stand:

* I leave on January 9, 2008 to go to Bracknell
* That leaves 8 weeks and 1 day to get things done (ouch)
* I can't find my passport at the moment and I need it in order to get a renewal....and a visa (ouch again)
* I have a 5 x 10 foot storage unit that is FULL of stuff that I have not seen in 7 years. Unfortunately, I have to keep some of it (triple ouch)

Let's just end the list there because to go on would be too painful.....or stressful....whatever.

Anyway, I should start looking for that passport NOW. Check back soon for more details.

Ha! Now I really am a bellyacher!!

Happy blogiversary to me!!

2006-08-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Oops...yesterday was my blogiversary and I missed it. Oh well, here it is a day late:

YAY!!

Anyway, today has been pretty lazy so far. MP made a super yummy mushroom, bell pepper and feta omelette.

And after I'm done here I have to conquer this:

It shouldn't be too hard and I'm actually looking forward to organizing everything (again).

So, to celebrate my blogiversary I think I am going to attempt to figure out how to change my header. Any help would be much appreciated. Okay...time to organize!

UPDATE: My crafty mess is still messy but I figured out how to change my header. This one is pretty simple...but it's a start!

Blogs

2006-07-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Even though I suck at posting a blog everyday, I DO read several....every single day. Here are some of my favorites:

THE CRAFTERS
These are the blogs I look at for inspiration. I only wish that I could learn to be more like the women that write these. In fact, that is what I'm working on.

A Bird in the Hand
Wee Wonderfuls
Soule Mama
Hop Skip Jump
Little Birds
Huffmania
Inside a Black Apple

THE DISTRACTIONS
Um, I just can't help but read these everyday...really...just can't help it.

Pink is the New Blog
Museum of Hoaxes
Okay, not a blog...but I look at it everyday all the same:
engrish.com

So, I know that I link to some of these blogs already but I figured it would be good to bring them into the spotlight. Please check them out sometime.

One heck of a post!!

2006-07-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Okay here is my version of catch up......... Last month I sold some of my little pirate cards at the Yoshi NOW! Bizarre Bazaar. It was hot then too...but not as hot as it is now (What is it today? 112? Yuck!) Anyway, it was a blast even though I was slick with sweat. Here is a photo of my sign:

I'm sorry that I'm not posting any actual photos of the cards...I'll do that when I make the next batch. So, moving on.... Fast forward to July 4th, which was my 28th birthday. Mykal and I spent the day in Napa, which is my home town. We visited with my friend Trillium and her mom, shell. Mykal spent the early afternoon watching the World cup with shell's finance, Victor, and I went to a street fair with Trillium. Then we went wine tasting, ate, wine tasted again, walked around St. Helena (where I went to high school), ate dinner, checked in to the hotel, and then settled in downtown to watch the fireworks:

At this point I need to mention that I am sad that France did not win the World cup. I was all for them the whole time, going so far as to say, "when they win" not, "if they win." Oh well, good for Italy.

Okay, now I realize that I forgot an important part of June...the Big Valley Scooter Rally!! Here are a few photos but you can see the rest HERE.

Now, It is highly important to tell you that this WHOLE time that I have not been blogging I have been running into THIS guy regularly and he has given me a very hard time for not blogging more. So this post is dedicated to him. But I digress... here are some photos that I took a few nights ago when the sunset sky was quite beautiful:

This last one features a discarded chair that was behind my apartments:

To fill in all the rest of the time I'll tell you that I have been busy working, trying to stay cool, spending time with various friends, and crafting when I can (or when I feel like it). One of my new favorite things is 80s night every Thursday with James and Raina. So far there has only been two of them but my friends, Kim, Jennifer and I have had a blast at both (actually, we're the only three people that have attended both...but that will change as more people find out about it.) This last week I HAD to dress up because the temptation was too strong. Oh, how I love the 80s.

Well, I hope that this catches everything up to speed. Have blog. Will post.

blah

2006-07-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh!! I am so grounded for not posting anything lately. I have tons of photos and stories to share but it's just too damn hot to think about blogging. Luckily I have friends that actually seem to care if I'm blogging or not so I will try to do better.

2006-06-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jeffrey in Canada, I now have the internet again!!

Chatter

2006-05-31T18:21:00.001-07:00

I went to Los Angeles this last weekend and it was fabulous. I brought my camera but only took one photo...and not a very good one at that. We spent a lot of time eating and drinking, as usual, and we even made time to do some shopping. One of the shops we visited was Handmade Galleries in Sherman Oaks. It was a delightful store that had rentable booths for artists and crafters. I could have spent hours there!

Anyway, we had to have our neighbor feed our kitties for the umpteenth time so we bought her a gift...which means i got to wrap it and make a card. Yay!!

This week I really need to hunker down and make those cards for the Yoshi NOW! market. expect more photos.

Jackpot!!

2006-05-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Well, first of all, I finally reeeeally started making cards. My plan is to make a whole bunch and sell them as sets at the Yoshi NOW! 3rd Saturday Flea Market. Here are photos of the first set:

I made them using printed paper from the crafty store but the center stamp on each card is real. ( I love stamps) The "konnichiwa" one is my favorite but i love them all so much i want to keep them...I guess i should get used to that. Anyway, I have an idea of how i want to package them so I'll post of picture when it's done.

ALSO....I hit the jackpot today. I work for a fabulous printing company that has many many many paper sample books, all filled with paper that is perfectly sized for card decorating. Well, after two months of lusting after those books I was finally given some leftovers:

Needless to say, I am one HAPPY HAPPY girl.

Finished Product

2006-05-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

In case anyone was wondering, my friend Todd asked for a shirt that says "random acts of monkey." You really have to know him to know how perfect it is for him. Anyway, his birthday is tomorrow but since it also mother's day he is having a shin-dig tonight...which we cannot go to because i have to work and Mykal is DJing all night (at my work).

Sooooo....we're going to his house today with this:

This is the card...keeping with the monkey theme:

I'm go glad that I actually got my act together and finished this.

I had this song stuck in my head

2006-05-13T02:13:00.000-07:00

For weeks I walked around humming or singing this song, asking random people if it was "Brazil"...because I was pretty sure that it was. Then yesterday, I happened to see this on the Clerkenwell Kid blog.

God I LOVE The Real Tuesday Weld!!! Thank you Stephen!!

Another (better) list update

2006-05-13T01:51:00.000-07:00

(X ) Make Todd a freezer paper t-shirt by May 14
( ) Mother's day cards for mummins, (X) Rose, Margaret and grandma by...well, May 14
( ) Make giftie for mummins for Mother's day by...see above
(X ) Make all sorts of goodies for the little sister's 13th birthday by May 19 (day of the big party)

So I stayed up WAY too late last night making a freezer paper stenciled shirt for my friend Todd...but it's DONE!!

There it is!! I did it!! Yay!! I also made a card for my "Napa mom", Rose...hopefully she will get in time for mother's day. whew! Two projects down...many more to go.

How bad am I?

2006-05-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a little "to do list" update. So far I have done NOTHING!! Why am I such a procrastinator?? I should form a support group for chronic procrastinators like myself.

List of things to do...

2006-05-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

I have really been inspired by all of the crafting blogs that I've been reading over the past few months...but I need to move on to the next step:

Time to actually start crafting. Here is my list of projects (complete with due dates)

( ) Make Todd a freezer paper t-shirt by May 14
( ) Mother's day cards for mummins, Rose, Margaret and grandma by...well, May 14
( ) Make giftie for mummins for Mother's day by...see above
( ) Make all sorts of goodies for the little sister's 13th birthday by May 19 (day of the big party)

Whew! I'll be busy

I did make myself a t-shirt in the last two weeks though so I haven't been completely void of craftiness.

I'm Back!!...again

2006-04-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

Gosh! For the longest time I was unable to post a blog due to some sort of computer malfunction. Now that I'm up and running again it's time for a new post.

Sooooo....I was going to start a new blog that was going to be dedicated to crafting and thrift store finds but instead I will just add that stuff to bellyacher. I don't think anyone will mind because nobody reads this as far as I know.

Anyway, here are some goodies that I picked up from Yoshi NOW! a few weeks ago

Pirate mug
.

3 bears...and blondie too

Goldilocks detail

um

2006-03-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

testing...

High Rollers 2006

2006-02-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

I spent this last weekend at the High Rollers Scooter Rally in Las Vegas and boy was it FUN!! So far i've only posted my more artsy photos on flickr but if you visit Scoot.net you can see a whole bunch of photos taken by a whole bunch of people. ENJOY!

The English Beat

2006-02-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Originally uploaded by bellyacher.

Okay, okay...not only have I FINALLY posted photos of the English Beat show at the starline, i also joined flickr. Yay flickr!! Check out the English Beat photos there and look out for more to come. (My friend took so many pictures at the show...SO MANY PICTURES!!... I don't have the time to post them all right now)

Also, Friday Favorites will be back. I keep on half writing entries and then never finishing them. It's very frustrating.

Friday Favorite #3: Fresno Famous

2006-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

With the recent revamping of the local website, Fresno Famous, I thought it would be a perfect time to add it to my Friday Favorites.

I've been reading Famous for quite some time now and it never gets boring or stale. I make sure to check Sour Grapes daily and I always love reading about the weekly Famous Person. I also enjoy listening the Flowing with Famous podcast which just recently started again after a brief hiatus (thank goodness).

As far as the revamping of Fresno Famous is concerned, it's great. The site started out as a way for Fresnans to get local news and gossip through articles and the Sour Grapes blog. Most of the content was written by the site's creator, Jarah, and a few contributing writers. Now Famous has become a one-stop hub of all things Fresno. With the help of Suzi, the "main brain" at Think Inkless, many new features have been added and the look of the entire webite has evolved. Some of the newest changes include a new color scheme, the use of tags to search content, user created blogs, and public forums. Personally, I like the changes but it took me a week or so to get used to them. Overall, I am impressed with the way that Fresno Famous has grown and expanded and I look forward to checking it daily for a long time to come.

P.S. You can also buy a shirt or hoodie:

Oops...Didn't I Promise?

2006-01-19T19:01:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the long absence. I know I vowed not to do it again...and then I did. Now Friday is looming over me and I know that I owe it to anyone who actually reads my small blog to produce a Friday Favorite. Hopefully I will not disappoint.

Anyway, there is finally a new blog entry on The Clerkenwell Kid and it is the most thoughtful, heart wrenching letter to an old "flame" that I have ever read. I honestly empathize with The Kid because I know how hard it is to end a long relationship with such a loyal companion.

Just a bit behind...

2006-01-04T23:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I decided it would be a good idea to install some software updates on my computer after ignoring them for months. Now I have the newest versions of QuickTime and iTunes which means that I can subscribe to video podcasts...yay!!

Here are some that I subscribe to:

* Crash Test Kitchen....hilarious!!
* Yogamazing....which is funny because I have NEVER even tried to do yoga...maybe it's time to start. mmmm....
* FrenchPodClass....could be helpful if I stick with it.

There are so many that I want to subscribe to but I didn't want to go overboard. If you have a favorite video podcast please tell us about it.

Recipe: White Turnip Soup

2006-01-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

I happen to make a lot of soups at home…they are perfect for warming you up during the Winter. This is a recipe that I tried a couple of months ago. I really liked it but it’s not for people who dislike root vegetables (obviously). Anyway, try it out and tell me what you think.

White Turnip Soup

Yield: 6 servings

4 Medium-sized white turnips
1 lg. Onion
3 tbsp. Butter
Salt and pepper
3 slices of Bread
2 Egg yolks
1/2 cup of Cream
Parsley

Info: from The Old Farmer's Almanac Colonial Cookbook

Peel, slice and coarsely chop the vegetables and cook
them slowly in the butter for 5 minutes. Add 6 cups
of boiling water, salt and pepper, and bread, which
you have first dried out in a slow oven and crumbled.
Simmer the soup for a half hour and puree' it. Reheat
over low heat. Stir in the egg yolks beaten well with
the cream. Serve at once, garnished with finely
minced parsley.

Visions of a New Year

2006-01-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

I tried to post this yesterday but I was unable to connect to the internet. Anyway, I hope everyone had a fabulous new year’s eve and new year’s day. I certainly had a nice time. Here are some photos taken at the very small party at my house:

Some party favors

Mykal and Paul

Me and the TV

Bella (even our cats had fun)

And here are some photos that were taken at the Broadway Studios (we walked there after midnight):

The door to Josh’s Studio

Josh and Mykal

Reza and a nice girl whose name I cannot remember

Josh’s Studio

Mmmmm….cake!

Half of my face and half of Monica’s face

Once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Friday Favorite #2: The Real Tuesday Weld

2005-12-30T02:31:00.000-08:00

I don't even know how to begin to describe the beauty and intelligence of the music of The Real Tuesday Weld...a.k.a. Stephen Coates.

I first discovered The Real Tuesday Weld on the radio while driving home from Los Angeles well over a year ago. After looking up the song I heard on the radio I immediately purchased the album I, Lucifer to hear more. I was not disappointed...the whole album was fantastic.

I loved every single song and was overjoyed to find that it was the soundtrack to a book of the same name by Glen Duncan. I, Lucifer is written in the voice of...well...the devil. It is the story Lucifer when he is given another chance at salvation by taking on the form of a human. I won't say anything more about the book because you really need to read it for yourself.

Anyway, The Real Tuesday Weld is on my favorites list for so many reasons. Their music is a mixture of haunting melodies and whispery vocals. It is stylish and easy to listen to in almost any situation. (I listened to them all the time at my last job). I also enjoy the accompanying videos that I have seen on their website. The most recent album is called, Return of The Clerkenwell Kid which is also great. Please be sure to check it out.

For more information see the links below

The Real Tuesday Weld
The Clerkenwell Kid
All Songs Considered (NPR)
Six Degrees Records
BBC Review of I, Lucifer

Laci Peterson book

2005-12-28T23:56:00.000-08:00

Well...I hated the fact that Amber Frey wrote a book about the Scott Peterson trial but I had NO idea that 8 other books were published about the case. Sheesh.

Anyway, I just read this article in The Fresno Bee about Laci's mom, Sharon's new book, For Laci.

I don't mean to sound callous but...when is this going to stop? I DO believe that Sharon Rocha has more of a right to tell her story than Amber Frey did...and I could never imagine the amount of sorrow and heartbreak she has gone through. But...a book? And a book tour? I think it's a little much.

In a related article, Scott Peterson's family has hired appeals lawyers to overturn his conviction. Fat chance!

Okay...now that I have gotten that off my chest...I vow not to write on this subject again.

Vincent Schiavelli dead at 57

2005-12-28T00:05:00.000-08:00

I know that this is kind of old news in the world of the internet but I must report that Vincent Schiavelli died on December 26.

He was a brilliant character actor whose presence has grace many films. My personal favorite was Amadeus...he played Salieri's valet in the opening scene. (Amadeus has been one of my favorite films since I was seven...really).

Anyway, the film world will forever miss him.

Ring in a New Year

2005-12-27T22:30:00.000-08:00

As we all know, the new year is fast approaching...which means it is a great time for a new day planner. I have a hard time sticking to a planner but this year I think I found the perfect one for me:

I am a HUGE procrastinator so perhaps this will help me. This week is all about avoiding new year's resolutions which I'm already pretty good at. What is the point of vowing to do things on one day of the year? I think I need weekly resolutions...or daily resolutions along the lines of, "Today I will not drink soda."

What are your thoughts on this? Are new year's resolutions kind of silly or what?

Tragedy?

2005-12-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

Today I was told by a woman (who had just asked me for change) that a local downtown drunk was run over by a train this morning. I really wonder if this is true because I haven't seen anything about it on the local news websites. If anyone has any information let me know.

If it is true, I think it's sad that he was known to most people downtown as "the drunk guy" and I'm afraid that part of the reason why nobody has reported on it yet is because of that. If I find out anything more I'll post an update.

UPDATE: The Fresno Bee's website did, in fact, post a brief article about this morning's accident.

Cabbage Soup Recipe

2005-12-27T00:15:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe that i made up a couple months ago. It's a pretty basic soup but i really love it and so does the boyfriend.

Bria's Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
10 to 12 Cups of Chicken or beef broth (or substitute with veggie broth)
4 Tbsp. Butter
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
Medium onion, diced
3 Carrots, sliced
4 Celery stalks, sliced
1/2 Head of cabbage (yum), shredded
1 1/2 Cups of Mushrooms, sliced

Suggested seasonings (all to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Dill
Thyme

Cooking instrutions
In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic in butter over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the Cabbage and continue sauteing until cabbage is slightly softened. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the vegetables and seasonings, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes to insure that the veggies are soft and the broth has absorbed the flavors.

The best thing about this recipe is that it is easy to motify. Variations can include potatoes, corn, tomatoes, or whatever else you want. The most important thing is to make sure you have enough broth. This soup is especially good the next day too. try it out and tell me what you think.

Friday Favorite #1: Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

2005-12-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

introducing a new feature here on bellyacher....Friday Favorties! each friday i will post about something that i love and would like to share with others.

this friday it's all about Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, the NPR news quiz. i have been listening for about two years now and it has become a weekly ritual. if you live in fresno you can hear Wait Wait on KVPR 89.3 every saturday at 11am. if you are not from fresno or you are not able to listen on saturdays, you can always listen to the show later online at the website.

Why is Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! one of my favorites? well...it's damn funny. the show is hosted by Peter Sagal, and Carl Kasell is the official judge and scorekeeper. each week they quiz three of several regular panelists (including Mo Rocca, from The Daily Show) and people who call the show. the quizzes are on news items from the week...many of which are canidates for yahoo's "odd news" section. the result is usually hilarious. also, there is always a "not my job" guest (a celebrity, i suppose) who is quizzed on something that has nothing to with their profession or expertise. the guests that have been most memorable to me include, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Armistead Maupin (one of my favorite authors).

So, if you're not busy tommorow morning please listen to the show and tell me what you think. if you can't wait that long, listen to last week's show right now at the link above.

(warning: i will be adding several "new features" to bellyacher so be prepared)

Cutest greeting ever

2005-12-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

I am strangely a member of the PETA street team....because I am really anti-fur. I feel like a hypocrite though because I do enjoy eating meat....oh well. Anyway, today they sent me a link to this greeting card to send to friends and family. Enjoy

Get Fresh

2005-12-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

no plans on christmas eve? are your friends all out of town? don't worry because you can always go to GET FRESH. there will be plenty of christmas cheer to go around.

(check out the fur poll below)

new gem from jibjab

2005-12-21T13:38:00.000-08:00

if you've never seen a parody by JibJab you've been missing out. their newest cartoon is called "2-0-5" and it is truly fantastic.
be sure to also check out the vault for some older cartoons including, "big box mart", "it's good to be in dc", and "this land." funny stuff i tell you!!

kitty christmas

2005-12-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

yesterday i visited the california feline foundation to pet the cats and bring pictures of my cat, macka (pronounced mach-ka...it's serbian for kitty), that i adopted a couple of months ago. there are so many cats that are in need of a good home...so if you are feeling lonely this season, adopt a cat!! the cost is $65 and they come spayed/neutered and have all their shots.

this is macka:

-give a cat a loving home-

ack!!

2005-12-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

so i applied for google adsense and was suprisingly accepted. the only problem is that my last post is generating ads for items that i don't even want. sooo....i need to write something new and hope for the best. here goes:

i got two new jobs...one at a boutique in the tower district and i also work for local artist, joanne margosian. joanne is wonderful so i look forward to helping her out. two jobs are a big change for me being that i'm used to working full time for one employer...but this will be fun. please check out joanne's website or email me for more information.

hiatus is OVER

2005-11-22T14:15:00.000-08:00

I'm back! Gosh...i spent way too long away from this blog. now i really do vow to write more often and keep my little blog afloat.

so now i'm in the changing mood. not myself, not my friends, but the greater fresno area. i hope this mood sticks around long enough for me to get some things done. as many people know, i'm unemployed (again) and i have some free time. this will hopefully change very soon after i get a job but i am going to try to make time to get more involved in my community. i would actually like to create a list of changable issues in fresno so please comment with what you would like to be different. this will be very helpful for an article i'm writing.

to my one 'reader'

2005-08-20T01:14:00.000-07:00

so i guess that two weeks of blogging has gotten me one whole reader (according to feed burner) . thank you reader...whoever you are. i really hope that in the next week or so i will come up with some sort of real point to my blog. until then i will continue to babble about whatever i want to.

for instance...YAY WEEKEND!!! this week went by very very quickly. i am a bit shocked that the work week is over already. i will be busy bbq-ing this weekend...both saturday and sunday so the weekend should be quite good...and very filling.

more photos

2005-08-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

well, the SF Classic was fantastic. we had so much fun! all i need now is my own scooter so perhaps i should start a collection. anyway, for more rally photos visit the scoot.net gallery.

SF Classic Photos!!

2005-08-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

August 13 & 14 at the San Francisco Classic Scooter Rally

....camera....action!!

2005-08-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

good news!! i bought myself a digital camera today so now i can take photos of anything and blog about it. i didn't mean to slack off on my blogging so quickly though...it's been 5 days. i even planned things to write about but i was so busy last weekend that i never got around to it...and then back to work. you know, it's hard to have the energy to write about something interesting after work.

weekend

so, i'm going to the san francisco classic (formerly known as king's classic) scooter rally this weekend which should be a blast. good thing i bought a camera just in time. expect to see many vespa photos on sunday or monday.

Ozomatli

2005-08-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday i attended the Ozomatli concert at the Rainbow Ballroom. I read a little bit about them in Mike Osegueda's article in The Fresno Bee but I still didn't know what to expect. Well, it was one of the most high energy concerts i have ever attended. There were people of all ages in the audience and most of them seemed to be having the time of their lives.

The show started with the band snaking through the audience while playing percussion and horns. Once they arrived on stage the fun and excitement never ended. It was fantastic!! Almost everyone was dancing, smiling, and waving their hands in the air. For more information visit their website or read an interview with them here

Hiroshima, 60 years ago today

2005-08-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

today is the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. BBC has been running personal accounts of the survivors as well as some of the men who actually dropped the bomb. they also offer videos of the survivor interviews.

I watched the whole thing!

2005-08-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

this is my new favorite blog:

I watched the whole thing!, a video blog created by brad. i have yet to watch all of them but so far it's all about "movie reviewvy".

number one

2005-08-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

yesterday i went to a panel discussion at the fresno bee relating to blogging and its future. it was mentioned that a new blog is created every second. well, this is my second.