Leslie's Place: News

shopping among celebrities

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:08:00 -0500

Last night, after having dinner with my friend, Matt, I decided to stop at the grocery store near my house on my way home. As I was standing in line at the check-out, it turned out I was standing right next to Mike Bibby . I wasn't even paying attention and probably wouldn't have noticed it was him had Matt not said something to me. Upon inspection, I did realized I recognized him; the huge diamond in his left ear kind of tipped me off. I guess it's true; he lives in my neighborhood. I think he owns one of the mansions across the street from me. It sure is tough, you know, living among celebrities. I wonder if he'll ever have a garage sale... ;)

infamy

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 03:12:09 -0500

Yeah, everyone at work knows who I am, but now apparently I'm famous... and not for the right reasons. Gossip... Don't believe everything you hear. I'm no floozy!

Check out this guy's music... Matt Nathanson

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 01:09:40 -0500

Hey, I logged onto Myspace today and noticed the featured artist on the homepage is Matt Nathanson! Way cool. I first saw this guy on YouTube several months ago; I watched a video of him performing one of my favorite Patty Griffin songs "Forgiveness." I was intrigued... so I watched a few more clips of him performing, and I was totally hooked. He is amazing. I just found out that he released his latest album last week: "Some Mad Hope." Check out this guy's music.

Check out this video: All We Are

Add to My Profile | More Videos

vacation... Keith Urban and sleeping in

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 17:06:48 -0500

Vacation over. Back to work again. But, man, did it ever feel good to do whatever I wanted for a week. I'm now sitting in the Denver airport, waiting for my connecting flight back to Sacramento. I don't board for another hour, so perfect time to reflect on last week.

Saturday, July 28th, I went to gluten-free day at Whole Foods, picked up a few samples, some snacks for my trip. Then I went to Davis for the annual American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. I walked an hour in the scorching heat, and then performed on the little stage. I got to play four songs, and I was really proud that I did my best (even though hardly anyone was paying attention). Then I was off to see Carrie Underwood perform at the Dixon Fairgrounds. Man, I had no idea the traffic was going to be that bad! It was rediculous! I ended up parking by some construction building and speed-walking about a mile to the fairgrounds. I missed the opening act (Carolina Rain) but made it just in time to see Carrie perform. I had a second-row seat, so it was pretty nice. She was terrific.

Then Sunday morning I was off to the Sac airport to fly to Des Moines. With no sleep, I was pretty tired. But that didn't matter because that night my sister and I saw Keith Urban at Wells Fargo Arena. Man, was that an awesome concert--by far the best large-venue concert I've ever been to! You can see pics from both the Carrie and Keith concerts on my flickr site or my myspace page.

Monday I visited Iowa city with my sister and took some silly pics. Then I spent the rest of the week doing random things around Adel and Des Moines: saw the movie "Once" (I highly recommend), went to my sister's bead store and made a couple bracelets, went to a cool vintage clothing store downtown, saw the movie "Hairspray" (not as good as the live show, but still a great movie), helped my sister with her friend's baby shower, had a coffee at Caribou Coffee, walked my dog and ran with him out in the country, was forced to watch WAAAAY too much CNN, and slept in a lot.

Overall, it was a nice trip. I kind of wish I had just a little more time, but then I'm not sure how much more CNN I can really take. So, I'm glad I'm headed back. I need to make money. And take care of my animals. And escape Iowa's crappy hot and humid weather!

I got a hole in one!

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:13:28 -0500

Weekend Update:

Friday night was fun and scandalous (just the way I like it). After work I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday at Press Club. Disco night fever, dancing, singing, partial nudity... Maverick, I hope you had a good time. ;)

Now some sad news... While I was out carousing about town, Shirley Baker finally bit the dust. It was a long, slow death, and I'm just very grateful she's finally out of her pain and misery. I felt so badly for her, but there was nothing I could do to help her anymore. I had tried everything possible, and she was definitely a fighter... the hardiest fish I've ever had. Now she will swim freely in the big river in the sky. Now I will focus my attention on my recent additions to the tank: Mike and Carol Brady, two neon tetras. They make a cute couple. Too bad Mike's gay...

And tonight I got a hole-in-one at Scandia at the famous windmill! Yeah! Sorry, Adam, you showed a valiant effort, but you just can't compete with a mini-golf champion. :)

Theme of the weekend: options. It's funny how sometimes life gives you so many options all at once. It's very liberating to know you're not stuck. On the other hand, it has proven to be very difficult as well. I think indecisive is my middle name. And although all these choices are great, I can't help but feel that the real thing I truly want is still out of reach. And I don't want to settle.

Settlin' by Sugarland
I ain't settlin' for just gettin' by
I've had enough so-so for the rest of my life
Tired of shootin' too low, so raise the bar high
"Just enough" ain't enough this time
I ain't settlin' for anything less than everything.

ballooning and rafting

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:56:21 -0500

Wow, have I had a wild couple of days!!! Seriously, this has been the craziest and best couple of days I've ever had, experiencing so many new things. I'm sunburned and exhausted, but it was all totally worth it.

Yesterday started at 4am, when my fellow managers and I left the store for an adventurous yet relaxing day. First we took a hot air balloon ride over Winters and Dixon. That was really amazing! Then we did some wine tasting in Napa, first at a castle and then at Sterling Vineyards, where we also had a private tour. After a stop for some "frosty cones," we arrived back in Davis around 6pm. I was totally exhausted since I hadn't slept much the night before, so I managed to crawl into bed super early at 9:30pm.

This morning I got up at 3am and drove to Woodland to have breakfast with my friend before boarding the bus in Davis for the Nugget rafting trip along the South Fork of the American River. Thanks to Starbucks and a Go Girl, I had enough energy to last me the day. Paddling down the river rapids was hard physical work, but it was totally fun. I'm so glad my friends and co- workers convinced me to ask my boss if I could go because I had such a great time.

I won Nugget Idol!

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 02:35:12 -0500

Last night was the night... the night for which I had been preparing for nearly three months. Last night was Nugget Idol at work, a combination associate talent show and 7th birthday party for the store. I was so excited to perform at the show. I had been practicing so hard over the past few months, debating which song to play with my family, duet partner, and guitar teacher. Finally, I chose to sing "I Was Meant for You" by Jewel. I wasn't very nervous before the show; I had been practicing so much I was pretty confident with my performance. I was very happy to see that my duet partner even showed up to support me! Luckily I was selected to go last on the list of performers. As I was waiting for my chance in the spotlight, I watched the other associates perfom. I was really impressed by the talent, so I knew I really had to put everything I had into my performance. I decided to change my song choice to "If You Ask" by Faith Hill. My friend and co- worker's band was there as post-show entertainment after, and luckily his lead singer/guitar player arrived just before I was set to go on. When it was my turn at the mic, he helped me set up the amp and audio settings to make everything just right. I was able to plug in my guitar, and it sounded absolutely beautiful!!! I was so happy with my performance, and it looked like most everyone else liked it, too. The three judges selected both myself and another associate, who sang a cappella, as the winners. Mostly, I was just satisfied that I did my very best and that I was acknowledged by my co-workers for something that is really really important to me. But the prize money wasn't too bad, either. :)

Fun in Frisco

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:30:16 -0500

After work last night, I took a last minute trip to Frisco to celebrate my friend Matt's graduation. Oh, yeah, good times were had by all. Watching Jericho and Joe dance in the front seat, entertaining other drivers while waiting at the toll booth, drinks and dancing at Badlands, dinner at Orphan Andy's, deep conversations between dry heaves outside with Matt, being forced to move by the cops (we didn't piss in the yard, we just barfed a little), a completely random visit from some guy from Alaska (rubber necks and Rubik's cubes... wtf???), can't forget about "marra lishense" (yeah, Matt had a bit too much '7-up'... and why he talks like he's from Brooklyn when he drinks I'll never know)... I didn't make it home 'til three, got very little sleep (I worked at 9 this morning), but it was worth it. I'll never get the chance to celebrate like that again. Life's short. Live it like every day is your last.

Come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:21:36 -0500

Today marks the end of a television era. Today Bob Barker tapes his very last episode of The Price is Right. The end of a 35-year legacy. No more long, skinny microphone. No more, "Have your pets spayed or neutered." No more Barker's Beauties!

I have many a fond childhood memory of staying home from school, curled up on the couch, eating minestrone soup (picking out the garbanzo beans), and shouting out prices along with the television audience. My sisters and I would often re-create and play the games at home. Janice, Diane, and Holly were well-known names in my house. Sometimes I would dream about building my very own Plinko board. I loved The Price is Right. In fact, it may subconciously be the reason I ended up working in grocery...

What makes TPiR so great? It's the only tv show that truly bridges the generation gap, bringing everyone from children to grandparents to college kids together for one common goal: to watch someone win the Showcase Showdown. It's the gameshow where it doesn't matter if the contestants win or lose; they all have fun anyway. I mean, what other game show encourages cheating, aka audience participation?! It's the way Bob builds excitement as he cleverly delays the reveal of whether or not the contestant wins the new car. It's the way Barker's Beauties lovingly caress coffeemakers and loveseats. It's the dorky little skits created for the Showcase Showdowns. It's the groovy theme music and set design that have stayed the same after all these years. It's the energy of the contestants and the roars from the audience cheering them on. But ultimately, it's all about Bob Barker. He is a television legend, a daytime TV icon. What other gameshow host has the timeless class and good looks that make women of all ages fight each other in contestant's row for a highly-coveted chance to kiss his famous cheek? (And can we ever forget the days when the contestant who bid exactly right got to come on stage and reach into Bob's pocket... to pull out a $100 bill?)

My only regret is that I didn't take the opportunity to see the show live or get a chance to play Plinko or spin the Big Wheel. So what if I really don't need a sailboat or a year's supply of Seabond denture adhesive? I got to meet Bob Barker on The Price is Right!

So farewell, Bob Barker, and best wishes for a well-deserved retirement. And farewell to a long- standing mainstay of daytime television. Although the show will still continue, as a new host will be chosen to carry on Bob's legacy, The Price is Right as we know it will never be the same. I guess I will just have to tune into the Game Show Network's reruns to get my daily fix of nostalgia.

For those of you life-long TPiR fans like myself, you'll love these websites:
The Official CBS site devoted to The Price is Right
and
It's the fabulous 60 minute Price is Right site!

Plinko, the Dice Game, Punch a Bunch, One Away, the Shell Game, Three Strikes, the Race Game, the Clock Game, Cliff Hangers, Hole in One... or Two! Relive all your favorite TPiR games here:
The COMPLETE Pricing Game Directory

no more drama, and some ASL

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:43:18 -0500

Why does drama always follow me wherever I go? I mean, it seems that on every trip I take or major event I attend, it is almost a guarantee that something crazy is going to happen. (And do not assume that the drama is due to the one common variable in all these instances, as I do not usually play a part in the cause of it.) Recent examples: the shrimp incident at Nathan and Sothy's wedding and the brakes problem on my recent trip to Disneyland. If there's ever a trip that actually goes smoothly and as planned, it's a miracle. On the upside, I guess it makes for some pretty funny stories.

Today at work I saw one of my deaf friends again. He came through my line, and I got to meet his little daughter who was with him. It was so cute signing with her. First I asked her if she was deaf or hearing; she signed "hearing." Her dad signed to her to tell me her name, but she was confused about whether to sign or use voice and whether or not I could lipread. He told her to use her voice, so she said and spelled her name very softly. It was so cute, signing with her and watching her sign with her dad. I learned that she was in town to meet her new baby brother, who was born yesterday. I was so excited to hear the news! Just the other day I was thinking about that deaf couple, knowing that the baby would be born soon. I'm willing to bet that my friend wanted to come in today not just to shop but also to tell me of the exciting news. Today's conversation again reminded me of how much I miss using ASL and taking ASL classes. Actually, just a couple of days ago I was looking at the ASL class schedules on the Sac City website. I've already taken all the basic ASL classes, but I think I'm going to take a Deaf culture class this fall. It'll be good to get back into it.