WTF Jamie?

Hey that title is like a poem or something.....

Ok lots to get on here so I will do some bullet recaps and if there is any question then I guess ask away.

1. So I went back to the derm to have my tumor removed and he told me that in fact it was not malignant but it was a tumor that needed to be removed because they often mutate into maligantesy (is that a word?) so either I misunderstood the assistant or she wasn't clear. I still had to have a cube of my flesh removed and then get stitches and now I have this narley scar. So the biopsy they ran on the large chunk still had some growth in it but the edges were clear so that means all good. Thank you all for your nice emails and calls and such during my melt down and dealings with this.

2. As promised I took my sister to NOCAL as a graduation gift this summer. The timing was perfect because California's heat wave had just ended and ours was just beginning. This was my first trip to California where I was the experienced one so I was a little nervous but very excited too. So Jen and I flew into SFO on a Wednesday morning and grab a car and drove immediately to Twin Peaks. As expected it was a bit cold for her and we did not stand out there too long. So back in the car and off to Sonoma Valley. I drove across the Golden Gate for the first time which was exciting and were torn threw the ever changing landscape. We decided to hit a few vineyards in the Russian River Valley and then back track to our hotel in Rohnert Park. As expected the places in Sonoma were less intimate as the ones I had visited in Napa but I would strongly recommend a stop a the J winery if you are out that way. The people were extremely friendly and the wine was really good. Next door to J was one of my favorite big vineyards, Rodney Strong, which I was very excited to visit. If you are there DON"T waste your time. The people were extremely rude and almost bothered by our presence. As we drove back to our hotel I realized the great deal I got came with a small price, it was a dump but we sucked it up because it was only for one night and we were heading out very early the next morning. That evening we decided to have a drink and a snack at the Chili's across the street from the hotel. As we were finishing up our meal we received a special welcome from California in the form of a four second earthquake. It was small and just rattled the place and made our seats shake and the menus fall down, it was over before I realized what it was. Of course my sister is a bit disturbed but I assured her, with my earthquake expertise, that it was ok. Of all the times I have visited California never has this happened but of course my sister's first trip there and this small little fault in Sonoma Valley has to burp. We laughed it off and went back to the hotel where the news said it was a 4.4 and had shown where one house had some minor structure damage. We finally relaxed and went to sleep. The next morning we headed out towards Napa. The drive over the hills and mountains to Napa was so pretty and a bit fun. We stopped in Calistoga for a great breakfast on the main strip and then made our way down Napa Valley stopping a several outstanding vineyards. We drove back to the city that afternoon and the whole way I was praying for a better hotel. Taylor had found this great deal about a week before the trip and I decided to cancel my hotel and go with this deal. Well the hotel was outstanding. It was also very close to the MUNI bus stops and right beside the California Cable Car turn around so we played tourist on the cable car a lot but it made getting around so easy. So I drug Jen all over the city, The Haight, The Ferry Building, Chinatown, North Beach, The Castro, Nob Hill, etc.. We had a blast, had some great eats and even witness two street people had a knock out fist and spitting fight on a bus...ah the land of the crazies and I feel right at home. Jen really enjoyed the trip and through everything that made it worth wild to me.

3. In other news I quit my job at the nursing school. The time was regretful because two other people from our office had quit in the three weeks before but I was ready to make a change and a great opportunity presented itself to me and I jumped. I am staying here at the university and working in fundraising but in a different capacity that makes me excited about going to work again.

So that is a quick update on me. I am sure to be back really soon to discuss the approach of football season, my October concert schedule and maybe even a few more rants about what irks me the most...The Bush Dictatorship of America, but until then.
Take care of yourself and each other.