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Ha! Love this: “A Full Calendar” (Diesel Sweeties, via pylduck). And the pixelated Canadian flag shirt is nice. I may have to get one. (The hipster T-shirt is currently a woefully underrepresented category in my wardrobe.)

Last weekend our quickie home-decorating project was to put up shades in our kitchen window, which happens to face the kitchen window of the house next door. (As we had no covering there at all when we moved in, we’ve had to take care not to put on a show for the neighbors; anyway, their vertical blinds seem to be closed most of the time.) Until we come up with some cool retro window treatments, we decided to put up temporary paper shades made by Redi Shade, which we found at Home Depot. After trimming the shades to the correct width, we secured the top adhesive flap to the window frame, and then the pleats just fall into place. They can be opened to any height using the clips provided. Easy peasy!

In this photo, you can also see our shiny refrigerator, and a set of yellow canisters that Thom won on eBay and received today in the mail. The kitchen is coming together!

It’s been over a month since my father died. Everything is still a bit surreal. On the surface, life goes on, but the feeling of loss comes in waves. For the last few years, I had lived across the country from my parents, and although I spoke to them often on the phone, I got used to seeing them only a few times a year. That’s what it feels like sometimes: that my dad is just somewhere else, at his house, on a trip, in the hospital, or wherever. More and more, however, the truth is sinking in.

One of the last things my dad said to me in the hospital was, “Do you think you and mom can manage?” Without him, that is. We both smiled a little, as if it were some kind of joke.

“Of course,” I said. And that’s what I have to remember now and then. Yes, he is gone, but I can draw inspiration from him to keep moving forward. Over the years I learned that his outlook on life was not to dwell in the past, but to think, what do I need to do today?

In Filipino culture (as well as some others, I have learned), there is a tradition of holding a special prayer on the fortieth day after a person’s death. In my dad’s case, that would be today, but for practical purposes my mom and I had the gathering this past Sunday, and about sixty-five people came. It was at a local restaurant, where we held Mass (one of my mom’s friends had brought a priest) followed by brunch. The various funeral events have brought so many people together. On the evening before the burial a few weeks ago, there was a prayer service for my dad at the funeral home, and dozens and dozens of people showed up, mostly relatives and friends we hadn’t seen in months or years. After the prayer was over, the otherwise somber mood broke into a loud and lively din as everyone chatted and caught up with each other. It was overwhelming but heartening to see so many people there.

I’m so thankful for all the support around me: lots of friends and family, and my wonderful partner, Thom; and I should also mention the readers of this site, some of whom I have met in person and others I haven’t met (yet), but many I have gotten to know through the power of the Internet. Or rather, the Internet is merely the means; the power is of course in our own ability to touch each others’ lives. Thank you.

(The photo above is of Dad at home with the Christmas tree in Nov. 2004.)

Last night we bought a DWR sofa that Thom had found on craigslist (via Apartment Therapy). He saw the listing at around noon, and by evening we were in Menlo Park, with our money and a rental van. (Thom has the scoop on his blog.)

Right now the sofa is an oasis among the moving boxes in the living room. It definitely has that mid-century look. I love the clean lines and oh, the tufting. I’m all ready to be Mary Tyler Moore à la The Dick Van Dyke Show and dance around the living room.

Alex seems to like it:

We had put a blanket over the sofa to shield it occasionally from Alex’s clawing and shedding, so moments after I took that photo, I re-covered the sofa. Alex, why can’t we have nice things?

I’ve had my laptop computers set up on the dining table up until a few days ago when I moved them to the second bedroom, or what will become our home office and library. We don’t have much new furniture yet, so I used empty moving boxes–which also serve well as nightstands–to prop up the computers. On the left is my company-issued Dell, sitting on its dock rather than in it, until perhaps I get a new monitor; on the right is my iBook.

Just-moved-in chic. It’s… a look.

So you’re looking through the IKEA catalog the other day, and you notice that they make a chair named Jeff, which is pretty cool at first, but then you realize that your namesake piece of furniture is basically a cheap, plastic folding chair.

Sigh.

Today is Thom‘s birthday, so yesterday we celebrated by going to see Like a Dog on Linoleum, the one-man autobiographical show starring Leslie Jordan, perhaps best known lately as Beverly Leslie on Will & Grace. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time. He is hilarious! And I had no idea he had such a sordid life (to use a phrase from one of his memorable movies).

Afterwards, we walked around Union Square and Market Street for a bit, and then came back to Daly City for dinner at Boulevard Café, Frappucinos at Starbucks, and then a walk along Thornton Beach (photos). We didn’t go down to the water per se (it’s a long way down), but we jumped the fence at the vista point, and hiked on some of the trails. I love having the ocean so close by!

Happy birthday, baby!

Today for lunch I needed to fill a fast-food craving, and I was all ready to go to Burger King, when I remembered that mere minutes from our house–maybe even seconds, if you happen to take stop signs only as suggestions–there is an In-N-Out. Score!

It’s almost dangerous how conveniently located that place is. Must… not… get… addicted.