Merry Boxing Day!

As there was no Christmas Day post, I am supplementing it with a Boxing Day post. We are foreigners, so yes, we celebrate Boxing Day. This holiday, however, coincides with my little brother's birthday, who this year turns the big 2 -1, and so Boxing Day has been over-shadowed by the celebration of legal consumption of alcohol...

As there is not much to say, and a picture is worth a thousand words, I have decided to instead post some photos of my holidays. Enjoy.

This is quite possibly one of my favorite trees at my family's house:

This is my Papa, wearing the lovely paper crowns that come inside every holiday "cracker", which also come with either a cheap game or musical instrument, and a set of beyond cheesy jokes. Man, the English sure do celebrate in style.

Here is our annual Christmas Pudding, complete with flaming brandy sauce poured over the top. I was not the lucky one to find the dime this year...

And here is my adorable brother at his monumental 21st birthday dinner. Don't ask me why I look younger than him in this photo... Most women would probably take that as the best compliment ever. I, however, do not. As I seem to be constantly surrounded by people ranging from 5 - 25 years older than myself, accentuated youth is no perk. Oh well. I love my brother's smile in this photo.


Happy holidays, and please send word of how this time has passed with all of you!!!

God bless us, every one!!! (à la Tiny Tim)

Sitting here with my morning cup of tea before heading off to work, I have just seen a segment on the news where they tell you a kind of uplifting, hopeful story about America.

Apparently there is a town - El Dorado - in Arkansas, where an oil company that has been locally owned and operated has chosen to make a promise to their community for the next 20 years. The promise is that, any child who attends high school in El Dorado for at least 4 years, can attend any university in the country. Besides providing the added assistance needed for the students to receive help in applying for university, this company is donating up to six thousand dollars a year towards their tuition.

The plan has worked. While the rest of the country has seen a %5 drop in the real estate market, El Dorado has had a %15 increase. The plan has been in effect for about 5 years now, and a town that formerly had a college-educated population of %5, is now well on their way to making a substantial regional change.

Call me sap, but I love stories like this. It's just what I need on this Christmas Eve morning to give me the hope I need. Watch out world, here comes El Dorado!!

On an unfortunately heavier note - please say your prayers for a dear friend of the Werk family who has braved an unfortunate accident, and is spending his holiday in the hospital with a fractured vertebra. This man, by all accounts, should be a vegetable right now. It is only by a miracle that he is a fortunate as he is.

My best wishes and love to everyone for this Christmas!!

The calm before the storm

Today, I was unexpectedly given a much needed day off work. Timing could not have been better, as the pre-holiday obligations had been piling up, and life had suddenly thrown at me several bumps in the road to deal with in the way of leaky weather stripping in my car, and a lost Christmas shipment by DHL. I have spent the day running last minute errands (rather efficiently) and completing (almost) all the phone calls that needed to be made.

I am getting excited in looking forward to time of celebration and reunion with my entire family, and close friends. Now that I am finished with my formal education, for now anyway, I am also adjusting to a new holiday schedule, which no longer includes any real "holiday" to speak of. Yes, I am celebrating this wonderful day with loved ones, a good meal, a midnight mass, and gift-giving, just as always, but this time will no longer be associated with returning home from a faraway land, with enjoying the respite after the hell that is final exams, and the weeks upon weeks of downtime holding no obligations of any kind. Instead, I am working everyday on either side of the 25th, and will have to rush from work to my brother's birthday dinner on the evening of the 26th.

I am not explaining this as a form of complaint, just as a musing on my shifting and changing routine. I am happy in looking forward to making my one day off a special one, and am beyond grateful to have the work that I do.

Note to self:
Accept and enjoy the silver linings that life has to offer

The 7 year itch

I have recently been getting the urge for change. I don't know whether or not to write this off as the anticipation to start a new job/life, or if I really want to do, what I think I want to do - chop off all my hair....again.

At the age of 17, I suddenly decided that I needed a new look, and so went from having quite long, flowing locks, to sporting a boy-cut in the style of Sharon Stone, circa 1995. I am getting a similar urge again. The reality, however, of just how much work it is to have such a cut, and worse to grow it out, is the only thing holding me back. I am planning to hold off until I am fully immersed in moving and starting the new gig, and then will reconsider.

This may seem like an extremely superficial concern to express, and to do so publicly to boot, but it is a musing nevertheless. here is what I am thinking. Input is appreciated.



I, of course, realize that such a coiffe will not automatically transform me into Sienna Miller, but one can dream. Can't one?

I have just been sent home from work for the second day in a row. I don't know how much more of this cold I can take, but I am giving my body a deadline of 24hrs from now. I have a birthday party to go to, and I REFUSE to go to bed early on yet another Friday night. REFUSE, I tell you.

Uncle Dick....

...Which, if you haven't grown up with a cockney rhyme-slanging parent, means that I am SICK.

My poor mother, who can normally soldier on through any ailment, has been lying around the house like a zombie for the last few days with a terrible cold. Both my parents have just left this morning for San Francisco to celebrate their anniversary, when I know my mother would much rather be laying in bed with a warm cup of Theraflu. As my gift to them, if you can call it that, I am staying close to the homestead and looking after the animals while they are away. My mother's gift to me was to leave me with early stages of the very same cold that has been plaguing her.

On a lighter note, I have just today secured the details of my future job in Santa Monica with my future boss-lady to be. Very exciting, entry-level stuff, I tell ya. So it looks like as of Monday, January 7th, I will be entering my intense 3 month trial employment with Sleeper Films Inc. Anyone want to host me, or better yet, help me in the great and impossible housing search?!?! You will have a VIP pass to any and all future soirées I am able to throw in my new pad.

Ok, that's about it for the day. I made it through 2 hrs of running the various errands I had to complete on this, my last day off, but now I am off to drink copious amounts of tea, and take a blast of multi vitamins approximately every 4 hours.

A Request

Go outside and listen to, and smell the rain.  Then, thank the heavens that it is falling on our parched state.

p.s. Mind the toads

Tis the Season

I like my job. It is relatively easy, the company is good, the view has no equal, and I am offered a glass of wine at the end of each day. That said, there are times when I have to question, laugh, and cringe simultaneously at what I have gotten myself into. This is one of those times.

The winery's Christmas party for some of their wine club members is this Saturday, which means ALL employees must work. There will be about 400 guests coming, and hopefully going, between 11am and 4pm. I, of course put in a good few hours work on either end of those times. My mission yesterday, as I chose to accept it, was to assemble 30 cases with a seemingly random selection of wine and gifts, re-secure them, and then wrap them ( you heard right) in holiday wrapping paper. The grand finale was to stack all 30 of these cases into a pyramid against the back wall of the tasting room. A little Christmas tree of alcohol, if you will.

After 7 hrs, 90 reps of lifting a case of wine, a pulled back muscle, and a condolence from my manager in the form of a nice glass of Shiraz - this was the end result.

Needless to say, a job of this sort tends to bring one closer and closer to the brink of insanity. I was no exception. By the time there were only 5 cases remaining, I had run out of two of the three patterns of paper I had been using. Damned if I was going to break the pattern, I succumbed to a level of commitment (a.k.a clinical psychosis) that I would wish upon no one - I began "sewing" the left-over scraps of paper together so that the pattern could remain consistent. Yes, I know, insanity. The following photo is an example of said insanity....
Yes, that would be a case of wine wrapped in a combination of all three types of paper that had been used. I think it is b-e-a-utiful. My manager does as well, so I'm standing by that, and the rest of my artistic, holiday work that has been done in the tasting room these last few days. If you care to take in some of this creativity and holiday festiveness (is that a word??), please stop by....most of it will be gone by Saturday morning, so just think of this as something is the same range as a solar eclipse, or the grunion run.

Christmasification

I love my family's house. It is a home. Everyone I have shared our home with is blown away, but I must say, we out-do ourselves come Christmas time. Christmas has come earlier than usual to our home this season, as my parents decided to throw a dinner for our neighbors. I have spent the last few days getting in the Christmas spirit. This is just a little taste of what we have to offer chez nous.

It was such a wonderful evening, in fact, that today I am a bit sluggish. I am staying in sweatpants, skipping the shower, and catching up on my computer work and eating left over beouf bourgonion all day. I have a Netflix delivery to watch this evening, and get to sleep in tomorrow. La vie est belle.

The Road

I am concerted out.

I had tickets to see the amazing Phil Wickham at a venue in Ventura last night, but had found out a little while ago that another group I had wanted to see were playing at a club in Santa Barbara. I am not usually one to go on a concert crawl, but this was an exception. I picked up my music-going buddy, we headed off to Ventura and enjoyed an amazing performance by Phil. Right as he announced his last song, Angie and I contacted our liaison in Santa Barbara and discovered that we still had time before the main act went on. All in all, an amazing night.

Two totally different shows, both wonderful in their own right. I have never attended a Christian Rock show in it's entirety before, and that in itself was worth the experience. Besides the fact that we both felt about 10 years above the general age group in attendance, it was beautiful to see such an obviously amazing talent, and genuine person so openly committed to, and passionate about something. I only wish that I was that easily and unabashedly committed myself. This has been becoming a recent journey for myself lately, and it will be interesting to see where it takes me. I am open to all possibilities, and am finding more and more value in surrounding myself with people of character, direction, and moral grounding.

I am not sure what this entry was about. I feel I have rambled on a bit, and not in the ACDC way.... I can't help but hear that song in my head now. So anyway, just a little update on myself. I will leave you with that, and the advice to look up the artists Sea Wolf and Phil Wickham.

Me gusta la musica
.

Happy Thanksgiving from The Werks

...This photo has a great back story to it. Apparently a mutual battle with our new neighbors has ensued. Wish us luck.

We're a special lot, but we get each other.

The little things

The other day, while slinging wine in the tasting room, I began talking to a Brazilian couple who were traveling up the coast. I threw a couple of my best Portuguese phrases at them, and that, apparently, was enough to win them over.

They started telling me about all the previous destinations that they have traveled to in the last year, and we began to compare notes.
- Australia, California, France, South America. I was really starting to wish that I were on the other side of the bar for a change, and that this was just a little stop in the middle of one of MY amazing adventures.

Within about 5 minutes, the woman - Ana - had a photo taken with me, had given me her card (indicating to me that she specialized in "arquitetura" in São Paulo), written down the address of the travel blog they have been keeping, and made her boyfriend go out to the car to retrieve a CD she determined I was going to love. She was right. This was apparently a concert of one Brazilian artist I am already familiar with, who had performed with another I was unaware of. Ana had been at the concert and found out later that a live album had been made of the night.

For the last 48 hours I have been rocking out to music that I only understand about %30 of, but feel with my whole body....Sven likes it too.

*Reasons to be thankful this holiday:
-Random acts of kindness and thought from strangers.
-The view from my "office"
-Musica
-And the cranberry chutney that is to come

Things to remind myself of this holiday:
-That this IS just a little stop in the middle of, what is sure to be, yet another one of my amazing adventures.

Santa Monica bound

After many emails, phone calls, and miles on the poor car trekking back and forth to The Big City, it appears that I have finally been HIRED!!!

Although my winery job is oh, so satisfying, it has never been my overall goal. Today, I had an interview with an executive producer at a new commercial production company that is starting up in Santa Monica. The two producers who are undertaking this huge task have many years experience under their belts, and both have very good track records and reputations. I am being brought in to basically set up their office, and their entire infrastructure. I will be serving as the sole, in office employee, and will also be a general assistant to the producers; random tasks such as applying for visas for the directors, sending out reels, etc. will be among my list of things to do.

As tedious as this may sound, you cannot imagine how excited I am to be offered this position!! After finishing the high-stress process of university graduation, and then shifting to having absolutely no commitment or obligation to anything, I was bordering on insanity. This is a welcomed change. Now let's just all pray that the very challenging housing situation is resolved, and a trustworthy and FUN roommate is found...soon!!

In the words of the very wise song, "Celebrate good times, COME ON!!"

I talk pretty one day...

A little while ago, I received my university diploma in the mail. This was incomparably more exciting than the graduation ceremony itself, and anyone who knows how ecstatic I was for that event knows what this must mean. I had a moment of childlike giddiness and ran around the house, clutching it in my arms looking to show my mum and dad.

My next task is to begin scavenging through local thrift stores to find a proper frame to display it proudly on my wall. Now is when I wish I had become a dentist or therapist, or even just a cubical dwelling slave so I could show it off to the world along with all the other pretentious, degree-earning professionals of the world.

I must admit, I am a little disappointed that my diploma will never say "The American University of Paris" on it, even though I feel like that is where I gained my true university experience, and it is the establishment responsible for 95% of my education - both formal and otherwise - over the last 4 years. It is, however, incredibly cool that Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature is next to my name on an official document. I think that will provide for a lot of good future conversation, and serve as a good benchmark for where I was in the world at that point in time.

Made in the U.S.A.

After hearing about a series of cases ranging from poisoned toothpaste, to lead-painted children's toys, to tainted dog food, and back to children's clothing found with high levels of formaldehyde, I have decide to join the boycott against China.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not one for heated political protest, or even involvement, but it is getting to the point - in my eyes - where to disregard this any longer, would be to disregard my own health and social awareness.

My mother has already been on this streak for quite some time, but it will rarely come up in conversation. She does not care to inflict her opinions on others, but is choosing to make this a priority of her own. She has taken to looking at labels in the supermarket, and in clothing stores, and it is UNBELIEVABLE how much of what we, in this household, would consume on a daily basis that has undergone some part of its production in China.

Look in the clothes that you want to buy, your pet food, on the bottom of your children's toys, the rubber gloves you buy with which to wash the dishes. It takes quite an effort, I must admit, but add just one of these to your daily awareness, and you will be shocked. When the retailer asks you why you are not interested in that perfect outfit that looked, oh so good on you in the dressing room, don't be hesitant to tell them the truth. "It's made in China". Just say it. The consumers are going to be the one's to turn this all around....if it's not too late already.

I could go into further depth as to all the ways in which we could be potentially screwed by our good faith and trust in relation to others around the world, but I will spare you the reading, and myself the potential embarrassment.

I do not know everything concerning the issue, and will never pretend to. This, I can promise.

My brain has apparently turned off, since I can think of no witty, poignant observations of the day (or rather, the week) with which to strike you.

Since my last entry, little has progressed with the move to Los Angeles and the commencement of a new job. So slow has it been, in fact, that I have taken a part time job working in a wine tasting room locally, and am back to the point where I will have to begin harassing the production world via email.

To update:
1) I am the best damn wine poureuse this valley has ever seen, and it is refreshing being overqualified for a position for a change.

2)My car (a volvo) has been dubbed Sven, although I was just handed the suggestion of Bjorn, so may have to reconsider.

3)I have been to one concert per week for the last 3 weeks, and yet, I still feel as if I am lacking in social engagements. Help me with this, people! There are no more concert dates in the near future.

4) I have taken to the kitchen for the first time in months, and need people to cook for. It is strange that this is problem, since I would think any of my young, starving friends (artists or not) would be looking for a good meal.

5) I awoke yesterday morning, suddenly missing and craving the snow. I am considering a trip this winter - work permitting. Ideas are:
- the Vail Valley in CO, where residence is provided
-Tahoe, Big Bear, or anywhere in the somewhat local area
- New York. More just because I have always wanted to see that city in a dusting of snow
- An as of yet unvisited state of someone's suggestion. I would like to see more of my country.

This last item, of course, requires the participation of at least one other. I would love to get a group together, or at least a couple good friends to go on an adventure.

And 6) I am craving a proper costume party. Themed or not. I think costumes are amazing, and think the upcoming holiday season would be the perfect excuse. Let me know what you all think. The more the merrier.

Aussie Invasion

I am beaming right now, but it is in celebration of another's happiness.

A good friend, who I met on my recent trip to Australia, and who was responsible for my happy tourist experience for 1 week, is coming Stateside!!

He had put off going to university, and has been working full time since high school. This boy is an amazing athlete, and had gotten the idea from a friend to apply for sports scholarships in the U.S. since there seem to be more opportunities along this line here than in Oz.

Last night he got The Call from the University of Buffalo, and they are bringing him over to start training in January! I could feel his smile all the way from Brisbane. It has been far too long since I have heard someone so sincerely and unabashedly ecstatic about life.

The best part about all this, is that in order to get to freeeezing Buffalo from down undah, you have to make a stop-over somewhere in California. He is going to set aside some time to make a visit with our mutual friend, and myself.

In exchange, I have promised (apparently with the rest of Australia, some of South America, and part of Europe) to be in Buffalo for game 1 come August. He informed the coach that they might need an extra bleacher for the Peter Fardon fan club.

Watch out Buffalo! The boy from Oz is a comin!

Beauty Beauty Beauty, Love Love Love...

...Would be what my friend Carly would have said after experiencing what I have tonight. Apparently she has resolved that it takes a repetition of three times to accurately capture the meaning of a word in it's most sincere form.

Tonight, I attended a concert of the world famous Mozambiquan, Portuguese raised Fado singer, Mariza. I had first discovered this genre of music after being touched by having first seen live flamenco performed. Then, about a year ago while in Lisbon, I went to kill time in a music store and found myself almost in tears listening to a song by this woman on a pair of headphones in the shop.

I have never had the opportunity to witness a true vocalist before, and I must say, this woman must be right up there with the best. Her phrasing illuminating the meaning of the songs, doing her best to relate this oral tradition to a very Anglo audience. She was playful, mezmorizing, sexy, and heart warming all at the same time.

I was maintaining my composure, considering that Iberian music of this sort tends to bring me to my knees. That is, until, the encore. She came back out onto the stage after the stomping and cheering of the crowd. She said that since touring through The States and the UK, she had been asked if she could sing Fado in English. This, of course, is insane. It would be like asking an African tribal dancer to translate their work into a ballet. She apologized but said that in considering it, she had found an English language song that she believed held all the same roots, meaning, and sentimentality as Fado, and if Fado had been in English, she would imagine it to be somewhat like this song.

She began to sing, and the words that came out are as follows...."Summertime, and the livin' is easy..."

Just as some background information. My mother, original that she is, sang this song to me as a childhood lullaby, vamping it up in all the right places. We are a family of soul. What can I say?

Needless to say, sitting next to my mother in this concert, I seized her hand and proceeded to bawl like a baby. All I can say is, it is a good thing I was not sitting next to a stranger, a date, or even a relatively new friend. I would have either A) made them run for the hills, or B) drowned them in my tears.

After the concert, I discovered that Mariza was going to be signing some of her albums. I bought the one I do not already own, and was first in line when she sat down. After exchanging some words with her in both French and my broken Portuguese, and telling her how wonderful the show was. I told her, "My mother is South African...". This, unexpectedly, got the biggest response. I proceeded to tell her that this rendition of my childhood memory, long gone unheard, was the most beautiful I have heard (save for my mother's own, of course), and had us both truly touched, and unabashedly and involuntarily weeping. She touched my hands and said, "Give her the biggest kiss!!".

And so I did.

Muito obrigada

That's just how I roll

Through friends of a very good neighboring friend down the road, today I was invited to attend a party celebrating the arrival of another friend's new Airstream trailer. But this was not just any old baked potato, folks. We dined on local café crab cakes, drank champagne, and rocked out to Tom Jones - one of my only problems with the day, as I now have "Sex Bomb" stuck in my head.

There was a certain level of insanity in the extravagance of the afternoon, however, when it was insisted that a bottle of champagne be smashed on the trailer hitch as way to send it off. The problem is that the champagne was a bottle of Dom Perrignon - the cheapest one (I'm assured), but Dom nonetheless.

Unacceptable wastage in the opinion of this 20-something, who has not yet reached that point in her life where such luxuries are expendable. I decided to partake of trailer hitch cava. It was still better than most of what I have tasted to this day

Stuck

Lately, I have been feeling like this....

Take a deep breath...

...And I did, just as the messaging system Skype instructs you to do before opening it's main window. After months of silence, I came online to find my beautiful friend, and now official extended family member, Wanja, waiting for me. I have been through thick and thin with this woman, having shared "our city", Paris with her for 3 years, making our apparently yearly pilgrimage to Spain, visiting Portugal and sharing my Californian home with her this last Christmas.

She has left Paris after calling it home for the last 6 years to move back to her native Nairobi, and was promptly snatched up (and rightly so) by an NGO to work as project manager in Juba, southern Sudan for the next 6 months - to be extended to 1 year when they realize how fabulous she is.

She is the feminine power incarnate. For the next 6 months, she is living in a dorm, eating army food, and hunkering down under her mosquito netting while planning a project focusing on gender based violence in this war torn nation, ultimately hoping to establish a youth group and media platform to attack the issue. When asking her to describe the area she tells me..." Samantha, this would be a top tourist destination if it were not for the war."

Always the optimist...and realist.

She arrived just days before her birthday, knowing no one, and being surrounded by people who are at least 10 years her senior who constantly demand that she prove herself capable and worthy of such a position. She is doing it beautifully I am sure.

The chef whipped her up a special occasion banana bread as a birthday cake substitute.

When asking about the people there, and making the obligatory tease about the available men, she says, " the women here tell me the odds are good...but the goods are odd - I don't think I'll have a distraction from my work."

If she read this, she would think I was being over-indulgent and sappy. All the more reason for me to say it.

Wanja, you are beautiful and strong and wonderful. You are taking a path that will be trying and will give you back what most would find little repayment. This, among many other reasons, is why I love you and miss you. May God bless you and may He give you the ability to access the strength that I know is already yours.

Now excuse me while I go get my weekly dose of Hugh Laurie. I will let you know what happens.

Paris, je t'aime

I sit here watching The 9th Gate, a Polanski and Depp classic, for about the thirthieth time, and have just now realized that as of this month, this will be the first year in the last five that I have not been in Paris.

Forget the fact that I am not French, have no French in me, and am not even completely competent in speaking the language - I consider Paris to be in strong competition for being "my city". Don't ask me how this happens. But as a very wise, beautiful and classic Frog once said, "sometimes home is just a feeling." (that would be La Deneuve herself, Catherine).

On that note, I am finally committing to attending the French language group that meets Wednesday nights in Santa Barbara. Watch me get a job and start Wednesday morning, now that I've said that....

ZZzzzz....

In a mixture of boredom and self-pity, I stayed home last night (a Saturday), even while my parents had made the generous offer of going out to dinner, to instead dine on the second half of my lunchtime sandwich and buy a movie on pay per view that turned out to be another waste of my time.

After retiring to my bed at a reasonable hour, coming 15 pages closer to wrapping up the 1000 page brick of a book I have been embedded in for a month, I decided it was time for sleep. Cut to 4am, and I am still lying awake. I don't think that I have ever had a problem sleeping, and doing it well at that. Something must have messed with the cogs and cranks of my system, because now, on a beautiful Sunday morning, I feel as if I have been out raging all night. In fact, that's the story I'm sticking with if any of my friends under the age of 45 ask me why I am so tired.

I am disgracing the entire race of 20-something single women in America. I will work on correcting this shortly

....And thus, I begin my blog.