OMFG. Pollen counts are currently through the roof! Consequently, I have not breathed through my nose in the last three weeks. And I am all jacked up on Zyrtec and Flonase. Wtf! Burning eyes, swollen nose, itchy face… Fucking A. Thankfully, there was a cancellation, and I am going to see the Ear Nose Throat doctor tomorrow. I mean, already I have seen the family practitioner, an allergist (twice), and you know what? It’s now time for the big guns. Seriously. I cannot live like this. It’s screwing up my productivity, not to mention cramping my style. Who can be seen in public with a swollen nose? I feel like a goddamn elephant seal. Ok fine. Enough groaning. I’m just sayin’.

Anyway, in other news, after my parents left, John and I jetted to Atlanta the very next day. I was in town for a tech conference that was– as always– so energizing and inspiring. I learned so much in the three days. Outside of the sessions, John and I walked around downtown in search of tasties, and we spent a couple hours at the world’s largest aquarium. Super impressive. Yeah, ticket prices were definitely steep, but that 6.3-million gallon tank containing 4 whale sharks is pretty damn cool. Good times. I came back and cranked out a shitload of Yelp reviews for ATL. The bummer about the conference? No Anderson Cooper sighting, damnit. Some friends insist he is gay, but like I said, he has never confirmed either way. In other words, shut the hell up and let me have my fantasy encounter. As an AC stalker on Twitter informed me, he’s actually based in NYC. Well fuck.

So this week, I’m back at work feeling ready to take on new challenges. I already have a million ideas floating in my head. I had a meeting with the head head honcho today– it went ok. The one thing I can’t stand about my workplace? Conservatism, fear, and stodginess. Seriously. And I don’t mean political conservatism. I mean that they are so damn out-of-touch and out-of-date. Like telecommuting is still a novel concept. Really? In 2010? Like we aren’t even debating true telecommuting… we’re still stuck on the VPN sub-policy. The biggest concern? People will log in and their kids will hop on the computer and delete agency files. Give me a fucking break. The insane level of fear is so damn paralyzing. It really is painful to observe. And unfortunately, it only exacerbates those stereotypes about government workers. Ugh.

Ok well I’m drifting off to sleep now. More this weekend hopefully.

Omg, I am so freaking tired. Parents came in Wednesday morning. I worked from home after picking them up at the airport. Thursday, I went to work. Friday, I took the day off. I had forgotten that yesterday was Good Friday, so we went to the California Academy of Sciences and omfg, it was like entering a Chuck E. Cheese. Holy shit, there are a lot of kids. I have no idea where they all came from… And people aren’t just having like one kid. They are having like 3+. Seriously, I saw several women lugging around 3 little ones each. Honestly, is life so boring and unstimulating that kids are needed to crank things up ten notches? I mean, a double stroller, a baby sack, monster diaper bags. Insane. Why?

The museum was a frickin’ mad house. I mean, sure, nice, “innovative” museum with some unusual exhibits but way. too. crowded. We were in and out in 1:45. Would I recommend the museum to others? Sure, why not. But only in the middle of the week. Otherwise, just watch Life or Planet Earth in HD. Way more comfortable and probably even more compelling and informative.

Long story short, yesterday was all rush, rush. After the museum (damn, SF was drizzly, windy, and cold!), we hit a dim sum place in Millbrae. Flower Court or something. Place was so damn packed, they only offered valet parking. Rip off. And the food wasn’t even that good! I hate dim sum. So overrated, and who gets full on tray after tray of just bite-sized morsels. I know, I’m sounding like a cantankerous geezer now. I’m just sayin’, dim sum is lame.

After lunch, we then scurried down to Mountain View to check out some properties with a realtor. Saw four places. Two were pretty nice but after all was said and done, John and I still didn’t feel compelled to give up our current rental to buy a newer place that lacked a yard, a pool/hot tub, and next door park access. But we found an agent who seems totally on the ball, so at least that’s a good thing.

After 2.5 hours with the realtor, we headed farther south yet– down to San Jose. I know, who ever goes that far south, right? Met up with my parents’ friends who used to live in Frederick like 25 years ago. Yeah, was a crazy reunion. The last time I’d seen these folks, I was probably 7 years old. Ancient history, man. It was the weirdest thing though, being in their house. It was so characteristically Chinese. I can’t even explain– it’s just that sometimes, when you step into a home, you just know Chinese people live there. It’s a certain kind of decoration, the slipper cabinet at the door, the chaotic placement of things… Is it fair to say that the Pottery Barn/Crate and Barrel look is characteristically American? I mean, everything just always has to go, you know? Every time I enter my American friends’ homes, there’s just such Martha Stewart perfectionism. I dunno how people do it, really. It must be exhausting making a perfect home. Anyway, yesterday was a long day.

Today, thankfully, the weather warmed and dried a bit. We took mom to the farmer’s market this morning. Then the Chinese market. More seafood. I made Vietnamese spring rolls for lunch, and dad kept asking where the meat was (uh, they’re salad rolls– get over it). As if giving me a compliment, he said, “Well at least I finished it.” Gee thanks. You ate one vegetarian plate. Let me give you a medal. My dad is a goof.

In other news, John has hung around home most of today… waiting for his iPad to arrive via UPS. He must have checked UPS tracking every 5 minutes. They made him wait until 4, but now he’s getting the thing all set up. Completely enthralled by his latest toy.

I finally replaced my laptop battery… the original had lasted about 4 years, and then it was starting to cause random shut-downs and blue screens. I went for a generic replacement. So far, so good, but the true test remains to be seen. Hope the blue screens finally go away.

I spoke to my paternal grandfather the other day. He’s sounding a lot older than I remember. I’m trying now to arrange a quick trip back to Taiwan in May. I’m such a vacation hoarder, but I’m afraid about waiting too long… Ek, too much going on.