EARTHQUAKE!!!

We had a lovely earthquake today! I've never been in an earthquake that large during work hours. It was fun. We took an early lunch to celebrate.
These are my favorite kinds of earthquakes - short and sweet and no one gets hurt.

Hey Matey

I got a promotion last week! My new title is:

Alexis Altoon Yemma, LEED AP, Project Captain

the GLOWness - Videos

Here are some good videos of us at Glow.

the GLOWness

Last night was GLOW - an art and music event at the pier in Santa Monica. It was so much fun!! They had all different types of interactive art installations that mostly revolved around lights and the ocean. It was also the running of the grunions - which was funny to watch. The event started at sunset and went until sunrise. We didn't last that long. Around 2am we decided to go home - but there were still tens of thousands of people roaming the streets. The city estimated around 20,000 people at the event, but I would say it felt like double that amount.

We started the night out at a friends house with a BBQ and some beers. He is a friend that I went to school with and never see (even though we live 2 miles apart - it's kind of ridiculous) Him and his girlfriend have a boxer named Sukki and they were house sitting their neighbor's dogs - the little one is named Ziggy. So freaking cute! Derek fell in love with him immediately. He is only 5 months old and is the sweetest puppy ever.

It was a really fun night. I hope they decide to have the event again next year.

more new yardwork

I am helping my Uncle Butch and Auntie Jan fix up their front yard. They live in a nice older neighborhood with cool houses from the 50's... the problem is that most of the houses haven't had a yard make-over since they were built.

We decided to tear almost everything out: the old landing, stairs, railings, concrete walkways and planting. We extended the patio to make it larger and built an overhead trellis to match the house detail. We also constructed large flat concrete pads that step down to the street. They just poured the concrete on Thursday and did a great job! Next, they will paint the house, install a new irrigation system and then we buy all new plants. I can't wait to see it all come together.

Keep you posted...

vroom

I want to drive a kick-ass old El Camino. One with sparkley brown paint and camel leather interior and gold rims. Do you think I can get one with a hybrid engine?

Little Known Fact?

I don't drink soda and I hate squirrels.

Fireworks!

Derek and I spent the long weekend in San Clemente hanging out with friends. On the 4th, we met up with some friends in Newport. They had a roof deck that we partied on most of the day. When it came time for fireworks, we could see 5 different cities from the roof. Here are some of my drunken, taken-with-out-a-flash, semi-blurry photos of the fireworks.
I love 3-day weekends. I think they should be mandatory at least once a month.

Merekats are the coolest

Merekats are fun. They dig. When they're tired of digging, they sit. When they're tired of sitting, they sleep. Sounds amazing.
I get to leave work on time today. My 5pm meeting was canceled which is good because we have some Canadians staying at our apartment tonight. They are on their way to Thailand on a month long backpacking/ honeymoon trip. Good times.
Looking forward to the long weekend... it's like tomorrow is Friday already.

Gorrrilllaahs

Funny story - Did you know that gorillas eat their own poo? It's true! They poo into their hand and then eat it. We saw it happen with our own eyes. Nasty. I lost some respect for gorillas that day. I'll never look at them the same again.
Things have been crazy around here lately. I'm ready for summer to kick in.
Happy July 1.