This holiday kind of snuck up on me, so we hadn't made any big plans. Saturday my stepson had a little get together with some friends for a belated bday thing, so it was a bunch of 17 and 18 year-old boys in the house talking smack and playing Rock Band. I slipped out later in the evening for a game and wine night with some friends in Long beach--that was a lot of fun. We were originally supposed to play scrabble but there were too many people so we ended up playing Catchphrase instead, which is much better for a group (and more raucous). Didn't get home til after midnight, and that made me sleep in on Sunday. After a leisurely morning, Curtis and I met up with an old friend of mine for a pool party at 1pm, and then it was back to the house to meet up with a Yelp friend for dinner at Kappo Sui in Costa Mesa (good, but it didn't knock my socks off--plus, i was expecting more of an izakaya place, like Kappo Honda, and it really wasn't). I got to introduce her to Joe's Italian Ice--another convert!

This morning Curtis and I went for a long walk at the Back Bay in Newport Beach, and almost got into a fistfight with another motorist on the way down there. I was exiting from the 73 fwy at Irvine Ave, and didn't see this black mustang coming up really fast on my right. I'd looked over there a second before and didn't see him, so he must've been going pretty damn fast, or cut over from another lane or something. Anyway, we both had to swerve to avoid hitting each other, and he honked at me and did all this stuff, and then got in front of me and braked hard, just to be an asshole. So of course we're both getting off the fwy, and we're at the light, and Curtis is all pissed off, and we look over and it's this young-ish guy who's all acting like he's tough and shit, and Curtis takes off his seat belt and is totally ready to go over and there punch this guy out. I was really afraid he was going to do it! When the light turned green we made a right and he went straight and that was that, but man, I was really glad Curtis was there. This looked like the kind of jerk who wouldn't mind totally terrorizing a girl. With crisis averted, we had a pleasant walk and got back to the house by around 9:30am. I had all kinds of ambitious plans to do a lot of work on these paintings and stuff but didn't really do a whole lot. Instead, I took a nap in the backyard under the big umbrella and ended up knitting and watching the Star Trek TNG marathon all afternoon. Well, I think it was a holiday well spent--I feel relaxed and almost ready to go back to work, :P

So I'm eagerly awaiting the last book of this saga, Breaking Dawn, which hopefully i'll get from amazon tomorrow. At this point I'm not so much looking forward to closure, but apparently ridiculous closure, judging from the reaction to this last book! The backlash has been huge, starting with one of my Vox friends' crushingly disappointed assessment of the book. She's a total Twihard--got the book at midnight and everything, and she HATED it. So I was like, whoa, then I started reading articles in the LA Times and reviews on Amazon just lambasting this thing. Apparently a lot of REALLY WEIRD stuff happens in the book, and a lot of people are wondering if someone kidnapped that Stephenie Meyer's brain, lol. Well, so now I'm really looking forward to reading it just to see what the hell happened! I got this link to a really funny review of all 4 books--this girl's right on it and merciless. The movie still looks good, though.

Stole this from Cin's site--I think it's pretty accurate!

Determined Realist (DR)

Determined Realists like to bear responsibility and welcome challenges. They are stable, reliable persons. External contacts are very important to them; they mix well and are very active. They are excellent organisers and are very happy when things are done correctly and punctually; they can quickly react impatiently if others are not as conscientious, orderly and dutiful as they are. They prefer structured work which produces visible results quickly to abstract, long-drawn-out processes. Determined Realists have no problem with routine as long as it serves efficiency. However, they very much dislike unexpected and unpredictable occurrences which mess up their careful plans. Once they have committed themselves to a cause they do this with dedication and are willing to make considerable sacrifices for it.

Determined Realists do not avoid conflicts and criticism but face up to them and look for solutions. As they have a keen eye for the errors and shortcomings of others and are often quick at expressing criticism, they sometimes rub people up the wrong way especially when they lose their temper and jump to conclusions. Due to their marked sense of justice they are quickly willing to correct themselves and never take offence if someone speaks to them frankly. You do not have to seek hidden motives with them; you always know where you are. Determined Realists are often found in executive positions as they combine commitment, competence and the ability to assert themselves. In their spare time, they often also accept responsibility in clubs and other institutions.

Traditions rate highly with Determined Realists. They attend every family event and never forget a birthday or wedding anniversary. Family and friends are very important to them. With their open, communicative manner, they find it easy to get to know people and have a large circle of friends and acquaintances. They are never superficial, but reliable and loyal friends who are always there when they are needed. Determined Realists take their relationships very seriously - they dream of finding a partner for life. In a love relationship, they seek above all stability and loyalty and here, too, they are willing to invest a lot in a harmonious togetherness. Determined Realists master crises or difficult phases with composure; they would never think of breaking a promise given. As a partner, one can always rely on their support.

Adjectives which describe your type

extroverted, practical, logical, planning, direct, structured, conscientious, responsible-minded, self-confident, critical, honest, orderly, reliable, controlled, objective, able to concentrate, resolved, purposeful, communicative, with a sense of duty, tradition-conscious, stable, able to deal with conflicts, solution-oriented, relationship-oriented, efficient, impatient, warm-hearted, competition-oriented

These subjects could interest you

clubs, associations, going out, sport, travel, music, trekking, camping, hiking, cooking, handicrafts, nature, strategy games, politics

( Take the free test and determine your personality type!)