10/21 - Yellow Jack wonders why my meetings don't have toys

I guess if you have to have a lunch meeting, it should involve Lego blocks.  The cookie platter looked nice too. I only have meeting in my meetings.

These blue flowers want to be jacks!

Tonight was a fundraiser for my roller derby team.  I have to say, I kinda like being on a poster in a bar.

10/13 - Gio thinks Popo might be a lollipop. And fun with BART.

Popo tried to blend in at my desk.  He found this jar of pens and markers on my desk and tried to camouflage himself. Do you think it’s working?

We had lunch with Gio today.  Do you remember when he brought a motorcycle to our old house for you to sit on?

Popo liked watching the workers paint new street stripes. He wanted the workers to paint some on him, but I told him the paint was too hot.

I called out of derby practice today because I suspect I'm getting Lil Gal's cold.  (I had a moment where I considered trying to skate so fast it couldn't catch me, but I reconsidered.)  Clearly, the responsible thing to do was to go home and take it easy.  Here's where my partnership with BART shows its true colors.

I was able to get a seat without having to ride a few stops back -- clearly suspect.  As I settled in and started to nod off, I noted that the train was moving slowly, but I wasn't trying to get to work or derby practice on time.  All I had to do was make bedtime -- a full 2 hours away.  (Insert evil laugh here.)  So the train limped through the under-bay tunnel, and immediately went out of service in Oakland -- everybody off.  (Bonus points for an additional medical emergency and my phone crashing unexpectedly - not pictured.)

I was able to catch the 4th train out, heading in my direction but not to my destination.

Transferred after taking some pix of the sunset.

And made it home just in time for bedtime -- 2 hours later.  Thanks, BART.
Bay Area = yes.  Transit = yes.  Rapid = Compared to what?

10/04 - Brittany and the box of better binders

It’s a tongue twister!  Can you say it 5 times fast?  I can’t.  My coworkers will think I’m strange(r).

Brittany bites! She didn’t bite me, but this poor ice cream treat got to see how sharp her little chipmunk teeth are.  NOM!

Tonight's derby practice was doubly thwarted by a BART delay and a rain storm.  I like to call that a bingo.

10/03 - Pokemon Pencils and prominent pillars

The columns of the Union Bank building were inspirational to the Pokemon Pencils. They think when they grow up, they’d like to be so important.

Here, we admire the lines of tall buildings and like the line drawing of a sweet little bird.

In derby news, I did not pass my skills assessment yesterday.  However, I did learn the following things:

• Cramming for a physical exam is not such a great idea.
• If you can't do a one-foot glide around the turn before the test, you won't pull it off in the test.  (Right foot glides may surprise you, however.)
• The local roller rink gets extra groovy on Saturday nights.  Also, you can wear a pink princess super cape, and nobody will pay you any extra attention.  (That wasn't me, but watch out for next time!)

Thanks to all my loyal supporters, who wished me well for the assessment.  Let's do it again next month?

9/29 - Wheel steers me in the right direction

Wheel found some “wheely” good stuff this morning:  coffee!!!!, granola bars for Lil' Gal, and moleskin padding for that poor ankle that rubs against the seam in my skate.

We met wheelie friends for Wheel at lunch break, but all those circles started to make me dizzy!!

My sad BART vs. derby practice story continues.  Today, just as I was leaving, a power outage in West Oakland caused major delays and caused me to miss the last practice before skill assessments this weekend.  I'm doomed.  (Also, there was a small earthquake in Oakland around that time, but I guess we can't blame BART for that.)

9/13 - Tigger finds the car of his dreams

This car is a “Hop Rod” instead of a hot rod.  What a great car for someone who loves to bounce!

We found this fabric version of San Francisco at the bank.  Tigger made himself blurry to fit in! I bet Mama can point out some of the famous city spots to you:  Pier 39, the painted ladies, Transamerica building, etc.

In other news, I don't know if it's the full moon or what, but there was such an element of FUBAR today.  I had to call the help desk 3 times to get my long-awaited software installed, my boss found a green screen of death on her laptop (yes, green!), and BART broke down on the way home, causing me to miss derby practice.  At least I got to spend some extra time with the kiddos.  Now, let me post this before something else goes wacky.  Was your day funky too?

9/04 - Roller Derby Boot Camp, Day 2

No froggies in this pic. Just derby girls...  Sonia and Jax are in the center of the photo.

Pink Frog and Blue Frog took Sonia's skate for a little ride. Whee!

Here we are with Bonnie D. Stroir, our derby coach for the weekend.  (Swoon!)

9/03 - Roller Derby Boot Camp, Day 1

It was 100+ degrees when we started skating at 9am.  We were glad for a lunch break and the chance to take off all our sweaty gear.

Can you see Pink Frog and Blue Frog on one of the kneepads? They skated around all day with me in my pocket. :)

Here we are waiting for Mexican food to take back to the hotel.

9/02 - Orange Jack appreciates art and a good egg salad sandwich

Lil' Guy tells me that today, OJ is a doggie.  He met a nice (albeit kinda creepy) M&M at Walgreens. I think the M&M was grouchy because someone put a sign on his mouth.  Maybe he was too chatty with the shoppers?

OJ and I saw this bus station poster (“Fog”) and liked it.  We also like how you can see the city street (and not me) in its reflection.

I had to indulge my Sentinel craving at lunchtime, and got the wonderful egg salad sandwich (with garlicky pickle).  NOM!

After work, I was off to a 2-day roller derby boot camp with Bonnie D. Stoir.  The kids gave me 2 froggies to take with me.  Here, we have our supplies... Now -- just need some sleep...