jenredstar - is trying to get back to this

June 17, 2008

Hows it going?

Well, thanks for asking. Its going pretty well! I started feeling movement and kicking a few weeks ago, May 21st was the first official major kick. The boy is pretty active. Now I feel him kicking all the time, all day. It has become a welcome regular connection that I feel with my son. I know he's in there and doing well enough to be moving around often, so I feel good.

I've gotten into using our recently acquired Wii Fit to get some exercise, but mostly I enjoy the balance games and some mild aerobic activity. If you are considering getting a Wii fit, go for it. We love ours. I its kind of a cross between Brain Age and Wii Sports.

In the last week or so, I've been without my wii fit because Ryan and I are staying at my parents house while we get our hardwood floors refinished. We did the living room a year ago and finally had the determination to do the rest of the house. We had to move every single thing from the three rooms, guest/baby, bedroom, and office into the living room. It was no small task, and unfortunately because of my "condition" my ability to help was somewhat limited. Ryan did it almost all by himself, with help from our friend Warren for the big items.

We are really looking forward to being able to use this as an opportunity to not only go through the crap we keep and throw stuff out.. but just to have a clean slate is so nice. Especially when planning a baby's room. I love that the space will now appear more "finished" and that everything we put back in those rooms will be there with purpose. Anything we don't need to use or decorate with will be cataloged and put in storage. If we don't miss it by next year then its out of our lives.

June 5-8 Ryan and I went on our "last vacation" before baby and flew up to Portland, OR. We stayed at a nice hotel/spa, and relaxed while taking in the sights of Portland. We really like it up there. Not only is it green and lush, but the city is very cool, with old style charms, great public transport, a strong creative scene and most of all it is affordable! If we ever decide to move out of Santa Barbara, we'll have Portland at the top of our list.

Teresa got to feel the baby kicking at lunch today! She is the first person who got to feel him in action. He was kicking a bit and so I suggested she try to feel it and as soon as she put her hand on my belly he kicked really hard over and over again and calmed down about a minute later. It was intense! Its nice to finally start to be able to share this with others. Ryan has yet to feel him, but I think its because he kicks more frequently during the day when I'm sitting down and much less in the evening. Soon... !

Lately Craving: Sweets
Lately Reading: 25 ways to Simplify Your Life with Kids

Posted by jenredstar at 4:22 PM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2007

One Year Anniversary & Updates

Just about this time last year, I married Ryan. (yay!) This year has gone by rather quickly but I am impressed about how much has changed. We traveled so much this year, to Thailand (for the honeymoon) Ryan went to Amsterdam, I went to France. We did a number of small trips together or apart to Plymouth, Napa, Paso Robles, Florida, Texas, San Francisco, New York, Arizona, and Ryan drove across the country with Josh. I am sure I might be leaving some out. My family welcomed a few addition with Danika last March while Miles has taken up Golf. I got a new Job in January working for the local ABC station, editing and shooting video. Ryan accepted a new position with some old clients and we got a puppy.

Recently, I also got a Vespa scooter. I ride it to work every day and have even started attending the weekly scooter ride with the vesparados. I'm enjoying seeing my town from a new perspective. I was freaked out at first to ride the thing, I really don't want to screw up my body or die! I've been extremely cautious on the thing and as I get more experienced as a rider I am less freaked out - but still cautious. So far - no near misses.

Santa Barbara's mountains are on fire at the moment with the Zaca fire. I get to see it all unfolding from my window on TV hill overlooking all of Santa Barbara.

This past weekend (Aug 12) Ryan and I celebrated our first year anniversary with a weekend trip up to Paso Robles for some socializing and wine tasting. We decided to go there because our good friends Sam & Jen were in the area for a wedding and we couldn't pass up an opportunity to hang out with our favorite NC residents. We met up Saturday August 11th at the Madonna Inn and with a map in hand headed into the Paso Robles farmland to visit Justin Winery, from there we visited about 3 more places before not being able to see straight. Jen and Sam treated us to a very nice dinner at Mc Phees Grill in Atascadero where we dined on sweet potato fries and drank the best Pinot Noir (from Jack Creek Cellars 2005 Estate) that I may have ever had.

We met up later for a tequila tasting (dangerous as it sounds - yes). Sam does not drink wine so we had him drive while we drank and then that night was his turn to taste something he likes. I definitely prefer cazadores & patron over all the other options we tried. It was a fun, very late night!

Next morning, minus a small headache Ryan and I enjoyed a Madonna Inn breakfast and then toured around downtown SLO with no particular plans (just the way we like it). We ended up driving through the back country again and decided to stop a Peachy Canyon winery to exchange some of our gifts. Ryan brought out a big nicely wrapped box while I took out my Trader joes bag wrapped gift (I'm recycling!). It was a lovely warm afternoon with a ample breeze.

We checked in to the Paso Robles Inn to find that our Jacuzzi room had been stocked with a generous gift from my family of Champagne, Chocolate dipped strawberries, cookie, fruit plate, cheese plate, and hearty wheat crackers! It was a very nice surprise and we were ready for a stinky sulfur smelling natural hot spring soak and a nap before dinner. We dined later that evening at Artisan in Paso Robles. It was a very tasty modern meal, where I tried venison for the first time.

After, we met up with Sam and Jen again for a drink and a few rounds of Apples to Apples while drinking our wedding gift from Teresa (a very nice Cab). We also broke out the top of our wedding cake (packed complete with little pink cherry blossoms). It was actually really tasty. If someone had sold me that cake in a restaurant I would have been pleased.

Happy Anniversary, honey. Cheers to forever!

Posted by jenredstar at 2:58 PM | Comments (0)

June 6, 2007

Eating Noodles Makes us Feisty!

Ryan and I took Miles to eat noodles last week and we ended up goofing around with his camera phone. Miles is getting so big these days! Danika is also growing like a weed and I finally took a few new photos of her getting a bath yesterday.

I also have been spending a lot of time with Erin and her daughter Etta this week. It is hard to remember that Etta is only just now turning 4. If I didn't know any better I would assume she was about 5 years old. She uses big words and has a maturity to her already that comes close to intimidating me. Smart as hell, that one. I always think of how that will translate in her teenage years. Its gonna be crazy.

Ryan and I have finally finished the crazy back to back months of traveling! Yay! Normal life and resume. We are both thrilled to be able to settle into our home together again. Alfie is practically a dog now, rather than a puppy! I need to post a few new ones of him too... He is such a great dog. We really lucked out. He is cuddly and kind and I think he listens pretty well too.

This week we plan on working on the house a bit. I'll be visiting a pack of golden retriever puppies with Dad. The parents are hoping to get a puppy soon and I'm helping with the search. I love that nothing major is on the calendar for the next few months. So nice to just be.

Posted by jenredstar at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2007

Quick Update

Here is a list of things I've been doing lately in no particular order.

1. Working: I have a new job! I love it. Great people. I love working.
2. In December, we moved into our home in Santa Barbara. Its cute! (I've lived there before)
3. Gathering things to decorate our home. (Couches, appliances, cleaning products, sheets)
4. Painting walls fun colors
5. Helping my sister Lara register for gifts for the new baby, yes she is having another one! (a girl this time)
6. Ripping up the nasty carpet in our house, exposing the hardwood underneath. It is in terrible shape and needs to be refinished so that is scheduled for next month sometime.
7. Going out on dates with my husband. We like sushi and the movies a lot.
8. Playing the Wii. I was recently subdued by Zelda. Finally that is over after about 120 hours. It was a bittersweet finish.
9. Planning a possible coachella experience.
10. Finding some really good wine. 2003 Sunstone Syrah is my current crush.
11. Hanging out with good friends. (guest room is now operational)
12. Furniture shopping. (Finding myself attracted to modern style with a vintage flair (1950s - early 60s).
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13. Spending time with Miles. He is 15 months old now and I do need to post more recent photos. He is going to be a big brother in a month or two!
14. In December I went to NYC. Photo evidence coming soon to a flickr feed near you. (top right to be exact)
15. Reading my sister Lara's new blog. Yay!
16. Watching the new L word, Heroes and looking forward to Lost. (how did I get hooked on 3 shows? I blame TV for getting better)
17. Looking for the perfect sweater/jacket to get me through generally common 50 degree weather.
18. Cooking as much as I can, baking more than usual. (I made over 150 red velvet cupcakes for my dad's belated birthday celebration/ Christmas party in December.
19. Missing music. I need new tunes. Inspiration. Have any suggestions?
20. Researching dog breeds. I hope that Ryan and I will decide to get a dog in the next year sometime. I don't think my usual favorite (golden retriever) would really fit in our new home. (small yard!) So we need to find one that is a bit smaller but suits our personalities well. This will be Ryan's first dog and I'm excited for him!
21. Missing Plymouth and my friends there.
22. Trying to organize my stuff in the new house. I need to get rid of old clothes that I never wear anymore.
23. Sipping a glass of port in the evenings.
24. Ryan and I went down to Los Angeles to see David Lynch and Donovan. I think I may take up meditation.

Posted by jenredstar at 7:22 PM | Comments (1)

October 31, 2006

Uh oh... I got festive (and political) tis the season!

Yes, it happened. I read a few festive magazines and suddenly I launched into a crafty AND delicious holiday season. I baked pumpkin walnut praline pies, carved pumpkins, made mint almond bark, caramel apples and pears rolled in everything from chocolate to toasted coconut. Ryan and I had our pumpkin carving /going away party here in Plymouth, MA. I took photos for proof of our craftiness and they are on flickr for your viewing pleasure.

This is a time of change and transition. Ryan and I will be headed back out west to get settled back in Santa Barbara (my home town). We will get to settle into a more long-term living space too and I can't wait. The notion that I could paint a wall and actually live with it for years is exciting! I am flying out this weekend while Ryan will be leaving Plymouth a week later, with the Honda Element and his best friend Josh in the passenger seat. I am not sure what route they will be taking, but however they get there is fine with me as long as they take a week to do the trip!

I am mildly bummed that I won't get the experience of traversing the country on a different route than before, but I have more pressing things to attend to. My father is running for public office in Santa Barbara County and I am going to help with the last push to get him elected. It has been a large family effort and everyone is working so hard. My dad is a special guy and we all stand behind him. Local politics can be pretty brutal... even more brutal when you are in the minority as far as being a political force. My father is first a doctor, and second a community member with 17 years of experience in local government. He absolutely loves Santa Barbara and wants this job so much.

Personally, I can't stand the local politics of the election. Even on this small supposedly non-partisan election front, the people are nasty. They lie, they misrepresent, and they twist the truth and ignore information as it suits their cause.

If everyone knew what I know, about how some people just bend over and take it, how some people will do whatever they need to do to not get politically shunned, how some people will stoop to such low levels, and say, 'hey if you don't support this person...well... remember that project you need approved? Well, maybe I won't be so helpful on that if you don't do this for me...' That’s what we're dealing with here. The worst part is, without proof there is no recourse. There is no loyalty in politics. There is however power, fear and lies.

On that note, don’t forget to Vote on Tuesday November 7th!
Just do me a favor and make sure to do some research on the people who are running in your local race, and think about their endorsements, why do people endorse others? Is it because they represent their interests, or because they promise them the things they need.

What do these people have to gain? Maybe it's because the people who have power over their interests have told them who to endorse, "or else". That's the level we are at, folks. The good news is, you can count on the fact that nobody has my dad in the palm of their hand. The bad news is, that most reasonable people wouldn't put themselves through the stress and strain of running for public office. Luckily enough for the people of Santa Barbara, my dad isn't a candle in the wind.

Posted by jenredstar at 3:58 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2006

I'm Married!

This is serious folks, I've taken myself a husband! Ryan and I are thrilled to announce that our wedding last Satuday August 12, went off without a hitch. All of our glorious friends showed up and we partied until 2am.

CLICK HERE to see wedding pics I posted to flickr

My good friend Sam Swift-Bennett did photography (click here for the link to his favorites) and we will have photos up by mid September (I hope). I can't post until then because tomorrow afternoon we head down to Los Angeles to catch a flight to Bangkok, Thailand. We are seriously excited to embark on this relaxing and interesting journey freely exploring Thailand as a happily married couple. Wish us luck.

Posted by jenredstar at 6:23 PM | Comments (3)

April 4, 2006

By Plane, Train, Gondola and the Tube

My lord, that vacation was a whirlwind of experiences. I am so thankful to my mother for carting me and all my excess baggage all over Europe. I am just about to crash (its 5am for me right now) so I can't get into details yet.

I took hundreds of photos... endless photos.
It is going to be a major immediate project to get them all ready and put them on flickr.

The Depeche Mode shows were awesome, especially London. It was great to see the guys relaxed, happy and on their home turf. Martin & Andy both expressed that the London crowd would probably be relatively mild, but from where I was it was anything but! The air was electrified; there was a lot of love in that room.

Martin was cracking jokes on stage, Dave addressed the audience more directly saying, "you guys still out there?" Andy was so animated and when he saw me in the photo pit he pointed to me and blew me kisses. It was one of the best DM shows I've seen (and I think I've seen a lot, I stopped counting at 15).

I can't wait to share photos & stories. I will probably write one entry (at least) on each city/country we visited. Starting tomorrow, with Zurich Switzerland. Stay tuned.

Posted by jenredstar at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2006

Finally crossing the Atlantic

I’m currently full of pre-travel anxiety because this Sunday (drum roll please) I will be headed off to Europe for the very first time. My mother is traveling east to meet me here in Plymouth and then we’re off to Zurich (because of the alps, and some friends), Venice (because it is sinking) and London (because I know I'll love it).

I am also excited to report that I will be taking a lot of photos on this trip because I am told that I will be getting a photo pass for the two Depeche Mode/ The Bravery shows that I am attending. I'll just be working for myself... so if anyone knows a publication that might want to accuire photos of DM in Zurich and Wembly… point them in my direction.

I decided that with such a special photo opportunity coming up that I needed to invest in a longer camera lens. I got myself a Canon 85mm 1:8 at the suggestion of my good friend and extremely talented photographer Sam Bennett.

I got the lens today and I’m really excited, I think it will work wonderfully. I’ll be in “the pit” with god knows how many other photographers snapping away for the first three songs of each artist. I picture myself transferring the shots to my ipod once I get back to my seat. I’m prepared!

So I’ll be out of touch for nearly two weeks. No AIM or compulsive internets surfing will do me some good. I’ll be busy anyway, getting intoxicated on European wine and fancy foods furnished by my generous and adventurous mother.

But OH the pressures of packing! I’ll be gone for so long, and yet I will have no laundry facilities. I basically have to plan out every outfit I am going to wear for those “special occasions” and then make sure not to wear them before their time. I’m going to inspire my own “NERD ALERT” commentary when opening my suitcase to reveal labeled airless ziplock bags containing specific outfits. I have no shame.

Also, before my mom and I jet off she will finally get to meet the other Gantz siblings Jeremy (also my housemate) and Alyssa. This is exciting since I know she will delight in their company as much as I do. Our family is going to expand once Ryan and I tie the knot and I feel so thankful. I love these people.

Posted by jenredstar at 6:41 PM | Comments (2)

March 9, 2006

I'm Goin' to Texas Ma!

Lately, I've been bouncing back n forth across the country, usually between Santa Barbara and Plymouth. However, tomorrow I am excited to announce that I will be visiting a far away state that is NOT California. Hooray! (no offense to californians, I am just pleased to interject some variety)

I am pleased to announce that I will be attending SXSW interactive in Austin Texas. Ryan has been attending for many years in a row now and this year I finally get to go meet all these friends I've been hearing about for years. I'm especially excited for a lot of reasons. I'll get to go hang out in some nice warm Texan weather, Learn some webby stuff, lay eyes on people I only read about on the internet, and of course... lots of parties and playtime. Ryan always said it "feels like camp" and that sounds good to me.

In other news: Crash???? WTF?
I'm still in denial that Brokeback Mountain and Heath Ledger didn't win. However, Phillip S. Hoffman is completely amazing and totally deserves it for that role and dozens of others he always nails. I remember leaving the theater after watching Crash and thinking to myself... "well, that was kinda good... at times moving... but ultimately didn't live up to the hype... AND... boy it was just "so LA" yeeesh!"

I don't think I've ever been so disappointed by a choice for best picture as this one. Granted I've only cared about the outcome of the oscars for the last 15 years or so. I guess I'll go rent it and see if I still think it is mediocre. Also, I recall being pissy about the title choice from the beginning because of that other movie “crash”. David Cronenberg's Crash, starring James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Deborah Unger, and Rosanna Arquette. While not exactly oscar material, the 1996 Crash really owned that title for me.

On to laundry, cleaning, coffee, post office and packing.

Posted by jenredstar at 1:48 PM | Comments (1)

February 25, 2006

Lots of Love & Alcohol

So I went down to Los Angeles from my two week visit to Santa Barbara. Jason picked me up on Wednesday and we had the best time. Wednesday consisted of an afternoon of drinking and Mexican food. Our friend at the local Mexican joint here has known us since forever so he would occasionally stop by with the tequila to just top off our strawberry margaritas. I got drunk at lunch for the first time in years. It was awesome. Jason, Teresa, Lara & I sat there and chatted the afternoon away.

Eventually we all parted ways, Lara went "drunk shopping" and found some really cute clothes while Jason, Teresa and I lounged for a while back home. Jason and I headed out to Los Angeles later that night. I was exhausted! It was a treat.

Los Angeles was fun times. I hung out mostly at Jason's apartment, watching DVDs of Ali G and Lost. Thursday was nice and Teresa came back to spend some more time with me n' v-jay jay (Jason). We ended up talking most of the night and hitting up the donut shop. I saw Teresa eat a donut, it was a rare and special moment (she is a healthy girl). I have such a good time with these people. Jason is in my bridal party and so I call him my "bri-guy" or "brides-man." I feel blessed to have such amazing people in my life, loving me as much as they do. I'm a lucky girl.

Friday was even crazier. I went to a late night visit to the Getty with Stephen Judge, who I hadn’t seen for years. We ended up talking about llamas and embracing narcissism. He said he had not had much fun in since his freshman year of college (which was about 7-8 years ago) This sounded pretty sad to me.

Later, Teresa ended up coming back that night to join Jason and me at a fantastic (as usual) party at Phil’s house. We stayed there late, and I ate two different kinds of meat. This is only mentionable because I kind of went vegetarian there for awhile and eating both beef and chicken is kind of an overload! It was yummy anyway I was malnourished. I started the evening with a bottle of wine and my fist. I wasn't rockin the cup that night. I was there to party. The only reason why I even glorify this is because I almost never do this anymore. It was great, liberating debauchery embraced. I have no shame. The good thing is, I've been drinking tons of water to make up for it.

After Phil’s house Teresa and I drove back to Jason's and we had such a frickin awesome time. I was originally really tired, which is why we left the party. Once I got home though I just put on the music, Terry and I slipped into our undies and we just danced around grabbing various lighted blinking beeping laser guns and flashlights that were within reach. Jason & Jody walked in and we jumped under the bed blankets and claimed to be practicing yoga. It was silliness galore. I should do this every weekend.

Next morning, Lara arrived early and we went to breakfast/lunch with Conor and Jason. We went to IKEA after that and figured out what we wanted the wedding table arrangements to look like. I was challenging but fun to get ideas and come up with ways to save money. I think I was missing a few hours of sleep. I went to bed at 3:30 and woke at 8am.

On that note... Good night

Special shout out to Lara, Jason and Terry for being the most lovable people ever.

p.s. Happy birthday Corina!

Posted by jenredstar at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2006

Old School Meme

Ryan tagged me and so now I feel obligated to continue this chain of information sharing which ends up feeling like a chain letter in some regards. Its fun to do, as long as you people enjoy reading it. Perhaps you will comment and leave your lists for my pleasure.

Here goes...

Four jobs I've had

1. Assistant in a huge art monotype-printing studio
2. Office manager for the surreal life & my fair brady on VH1
3. Personal chef
4. Photographer

Four movies I can watch over and over

1. Amelie
2. Pippi longstocking
3. Rubin & Ed
4. Airplane!

Four places I've lived

1. Santa Barbara, CA
2. Pebble Beach, CA
3. New York, NY
4. Plymouth, MA

Four TV Shows I love

1. Six Feet Under
2. Good eats
3. Twin Peaks
4. Freaks and Geeks (avec pom frites!)

Four of my favorite dishes

1. All Health food, lately my own hummus & baba ganoush
2. Pho Tai
3. Tuna Maki (sushi)
4. Lamb Korma with Aloo Gobi

Four places I've vacationed

1. Snowmass, Colorado
2. Thailand
3. Hawaii
4. Driving across the country

Four sites I visit daily

1. sixfoot6.com
2. flickr.com
3. lately - expedia
4. Santa Barbara News Press

Four places I would rather be right now

1. at the gym
2. Playing with my nephew at my sister’s house
3. at my parents house, an hour before my wedding
4. going to pick up a new puppy

Four bloggers I'm tagging

1. Eric Filipkowski
2. Nicole White
3. Mighty Mc Pilgrim
4. Those are the only people I know who haven’t already been tagged.

Posted by jenredstar at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2006

Piece of cake

My sister Lara has generously offered to make our wedding cake. This is no small task. She and I have been conversing via AIM and telephone for at least two weeks and at least half of the time we are talking cake talk. There are round cakes, square cakes, sugarpaste cakes, buttercream cakes, ugly cakes, pretty cakes and my personal favorite: inspiring cakes.

For the past three weeks I have changed the way that I eat. I cut out all meat and dairy (except for the occasional clam chowder) and have been going to the gym every other day. I start the day off with a freshly squeezed veggie juice and most of the time I snack on raw foods and homemade hummus. Unfortunately this leaves me in a confusing situation when it comes to cakes. I have been so healthy, and yet I am constantly thinking about cakes.

Ever since Lara and I made my birthday cake for new years I have wanted to bake more cakes. There is something incredibly satisfying about slapping some layers of cake together and covering them with frosting. Decorating is even more fun, with so many interesting designs to be inspired by.

The book we like best so far is the Borders book "The Essential Cookbook Cake Decorating", List Price: $9.99 unfortunately I can't find a link for it online. But you know the ones. Those large Borders brand paperback books that have large photos through out? That’s them. Anyone interested in baking and cake design should really pick this book up. They have amazing children’s cake designs too. Their wedding cakes are actually pretty average looking so we have been getting inspiration from theknot.com and their wedding cake gallery. Martha Stewart has some pretty designs too.

Lara also posted some more photos of her son Miles on her flickr page, so go check out how cute he is!

# of times the word "cake" is seen in this entry: 21

Posted by jenredstar at 11:00 AM | Comments (1)

January 12, 2006

bigger than yourself

Six feet under.
I am on the last season, a few episodes in, and it just overwhelms me.
I feed on it like fire to dry brush.
The characters and their stories file past me and I feel like I can't get enough. I always want more, and there are only a few precious episodes left. The only other time I felt like this about a television show was when watching David Lynch's Twin Peaks, but even that show declined in potency in its last season. Six feet under burns strong. Unlike Lynch's surrealistic landscape, I find myself close to believing these people actually exist. I have never felt quite this way about a show. It isn't easy; it feels so real that when something goes terribly wrong, I feel the emotions swell. They had me at their first death.

My friend Jennypenny had an interesting week. She had a brush with celebrity whilst in the bathroom at a bar in NYC. Lohan apparently had the need to write something and Jenny suggested it be something nasty. Now it’s a news story. Look for her in Star Magazine.

Posted by jenredstar at 11:36 PM | Comments (1)

January 10, 2006

Setting the date

So, this whole business of weddings and planning is a funny one. Last Friday Ryan and I decided on a date to get married. We decided on a date in August of 2006 and that is SOON! Personally I prefer to work under pressure so it suits me just fine. The act of setting a date set me into planning mode in such an intense way that I have only now (five days later) been able to fall asleep without the aid of some type of sedative. That first Friday, I slept only four hours after tossing in bed for two hours with no success.

The truth is, I am so excited that I can hardly contain it and my mind is constantly polishing ideas and plans for how this is all going to come together. We have some limitations to work with and a lot of family to contact. I have also been designing like a mad fiend. Save the date cards and a website are going to be up shortly. Ryan has been working a lot during the past week so I took the initiative to get going on the site and cards while he did the other work.

I had an idea of what "my colors" were already and I incorporated that in to the designs. I am particularly fond of the website and sometime later this week Ryan will help me cut it up and get it online. I really like the initial creative Photoshop phase of design. I need to work more on figuring out how it all gets programmed. So if anyone has any CSS studying suggestions, pass them on.

My maid of honor bought her bridesmaid dress today!
This is really happening, and I'm so excited.

Posted by jenredstar at 3:51 PM | Comments (0)

January 1, 2006

Happy Birthday to Me!

Seriously, I'm 28. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Partying it up in Santa Barbara this year.
Everything is wonderful.

Posted by jenredstar at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2005

Some Sad News

Welcome, since it is officially not Christmas anymore… I feel as though I should share some recently learned terrible news that lately has consumed my thoughts. My father is a pilot, in his spare time. For as long as I have been alive, he has co-owned a fantastic little blue Beechcraft 36 Bonanza airplane. His partners in the plane and him, share its use and the costs of upkeep etc. and for the last twenty years or so it was wonderful fun and convenience to use it to fly all over California for vacations and visits to see family.

This past Friday, December 23rd at 3:20pm one of my dad’s partners was flying the plane into Livermore Airport and had a terrible accident that took his life along with his wife who was flying with him. This, is a shock of course. It is such a terrible thing to happen, especially before Christmas. My thoughts are with the Mack family this holiday. I don’t know what else to say. Just terrible. I found this article online with photo & video.

I grew up in that plane. Like any old artifact of your childhood, nothing about it changed. The seats were always scratchy wool, the color blue, and the smell faintly of engine oil. That plane held so many memories from my youth. After sitting in the back seat my whole life, staring out the window at the ground below. Always looking at this big red bar that said OPEN IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY. There was this pin and lever also that I was never aloud to touch. You can see where this is going… but you can’t put a hyperactive child in a plane for hours with the equivalent of a BIG RED BUTTON that says DO NOT PUSH. One day, (I think I was about 6 or so) I guess I wanted to test the waters.

So I had never opened this window before and I didn’t know that you could open it WITHOUT pulling the red pin out of the lever. So that day, at about 9,000 ft. I learned that you could open it easily just by pulling up! Instantly, the cockpit filled with tons of air and papers and all sorts of things went flying everywhere. My mom reached behind her and somehow managed to close it (from what I recall). It was only open for a few seconds, but boy was that classic young Jenny. I’m sure I scared the crap out of everyone that day. Leave it to me, never boring.

Also, I hate spearmint gum. Forever and always it reminds me of taking off in the plane. I guess my mom must prefer it. She used to buy us gum and a drink for the plane (often the kind of gum with the oozing gel center) and she always got spearmint. When you takeoff in a small plane the forces at work often make your stomach swoon with displeasure. So chewing spearmint just makes me nauseous.

Every time we took off, the propeller blasting, noise and wind blowing in the cabin she would reach behind her from the front seat and hand me gum by yelling at the top of her lungs, “DO YOU WANT SOME GUM? ITS FOR YOUR EARS!!!” Then she would make this motion that looked like exaggerated chewing while pointing to her ears, I assume, to highlight the benefits of chewing to clear the pressure that builds in your ears during takeoff and landing. Sometimes, when I got older the routine was so classic that I would say “WHAT???” a few extra times just so she’d keep gesturing back to us. It was always hilarious.

I wanted to share those two stories, because they are my fondest memories associated with my relationship to that plane. I sat up front with dad, helped navigate, pushed buttons and listened to tower communications. I am so sad that it crashed, and even sadder that two wonderful people lost their lives in the process. It’s the kind of news you hope you never hear.

R.I.P Bonanza 5942 Sierra

In other not so depressing news:
My father Dan Secord is running for Second District Supervisor for Santa Barbara County. I am going to be helping on the campaign remotely, from Plymouth. Specifically, Ryan and I have been collaborating on his campaign website: www.dansecord.com
Ryan is doing a fantastic job of it, and it is really fun to actually be doing work with him. Hopefully this is the beginning of more future webby fun.

Posted by jenredstar at 12:55 AM | Comments (4)

December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas everyone

Merry Christmas to all my friends and passers by. I'm here with the fantastic Gantz family, in Plymouth. The Secords are celebrating in Santa Barbara and I will be joining them on tuesday for more clebrations for the new year (my birthday).

I hope everyone has a happy, safe and plentiful holiday.

Posted by jenredstar at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2005

Holiday festivities in Plymouth

This past weekend, we had a nice day of family festivities. At home, we trimmed the tree that Ryan put up in the living room. Nancy heated up some cider and put out crackers and cheese. Almost all of their ornaments are handmade by Ryan's grandmother on his father's side. Some of the family favorites are ornaments that the kids made over the years, Alyssa's classic "bisnse" ornament, Jeremy got a cute one too (see flickr).

After tree trimming, we all went to Edaville. Down the road about 10 minutes is essentially a mini theme park. Little rides, little animatronic people and animals, ferris wheels, merry go rounds, and a huge train that circles the property that is covered with lights. They have light shapes of all sorts of creatures in the woods, Christmas themed and otherwise. Upstairs in one of the old factory buildings on the property they have a wonderful little cranberry museum. Harvesting cranberries is a pretty interesting thing and definitely part of the local history. Ryan and I rode the Ferris wheel and we saw the most amazing moon rising in the sky. Just on the horizon, it was deep red with small dark grey clouds passing in front. It was a magical evening. We capped it off with a fancy dinner at a place called Boca Tu in Kingston. Excellent food, if you ever get in that area.

I'll be missing our tree trimming this year in Santa Barbara. I will miss the sights and smells that go along with carefully unwrapping each ornament. Peeling off the ancient tissue paper from grandma's ornaments, Lara's delicate collection of glass ones and my collection of horses (that in the last 5 years changed to collection of star themed ornaments).

Yesterday Ryan, Josh and I went walking on the golf course. We had a whole lot of fun doing something that is completely new to me and an old standard for them. Ice puddle smashing! Playing on shallow formed ice is a satisfying in the weirdest way. As Ryan says, "all of the thrill of falling through cracking ice with none of the danger"

The average temperature here is about 25 degrees right now, but currently there is no snow. I hope it snows soon because when I walk down the street all bundled up with no snow or ice in sight it makes me feel like I'm overdressed. I enjoy being surprised by things freezing in the car.

I think I am beginning to understand how weather humbles you in a way. You cannot control it at all. The California lifestyle (beachside) is generally used to getting what it wants when it wants. Some type of immediate gratification is available all the time. But here, there is a flow that you have to roll with.

Posted by jenredstar at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2005

New York City 2005

See, it is so late in the year that adding 2005 is reasonable since it was my first and last trip to New York for the whole year. I'm definitely not going back to NYC before Jan 1st. Huzzah!

Moving on.

Ryan and I took the Fung Wah bus from Boston to New York last Wednesday Dec 7th. We arrived early in the afternoon, just enough time to find Brendan's apartment and start getting ready to go see Depeche Mode at Maddison Square Garden. We shopped, ate falafel and got ready in time for Carlos to arrive downstairs with a car to take us to the show. Carlos's brother Ricardo met us there and he started off his birthday evening well with a nice Depeche Mode show.

Before the lights went down I was looking into the audience and somehow managed to see my friend Leah aka "Neen" or "Neener". I had no idea she was going to be at this show but there she was! It was a nice surprise and a nice treat to meet her lovely boyfriend during the after party. Kristin and Garry (look I spelled it right!) were sitting a few sections away and we had a quick chat before the show. I had not seen Garry for almost five years (exciter tour) and Kristin and I hung out only a few weeks ago at the LA show.

The seats were far stage left (it was my first time on this side) so we got to see a lot of Dave coming out on to the walkway and Andy shaking his bootie. It was a great show as usual but the crowd was not entirely inspiring (not such loud singing this time). Dave had to encourage them a bit and even then I think the people in Los Angeles still did it better.

After the show, Carlos, Ricardo, Ryan and I took a cab downtown to the meat-packing district where we went to a bar or "night" called sway. I can't remember the actual name of the bar, but I guess on Wednesday nights its called sway. Carlos's friend was the DJ and he set us up with a fantastic spread of vodka and various accoutrements. Other friends, Paul and Jason joined us part of the way through and we ended up going to yet another bar for some pool before last call, which is in fact... at 4am. So I was toast by the time it was all over, and still we went over to Jason's pad for a quick sit on the couch as everyone awaited more beer and watched Liquid Sky for a while.

It was a great night, and hopefully an excellent way for Ricardo to spend his birthday with his big brother and some new friends. Yay!

Next night, we did it all over again, but with different people! I called my friend Ramona to invite her to the show and she zipped over to MSG (only a few songs in to their set). Ramona and I are old high school friends, and although we don't see each other too often, or even keep in touch all the time I always love seeing her. Its nice to have such spontaneous casual "always good" hangout time with her. Brendan showed up after coming in from JFK where he flew in from the Dominican Republic for photo assisting on a Victoria's Secret catalog shoot. Brendan has a rough life! Well, he sure does travel a lot and I definitely envy that, he also works his ass off and was kind enough to let us crash at his place while in town. Thanks Brendan!

After the show, this time we all went over to a bar near the hotel DM were staying at (their local haunt) and just hung out for awhile. It was a nice night, not too late either thank god. I was kind of pooped from the night before. It was really good to finally have a bit of a chat with Andy and Martin, they have been in their usual tour mode... busy, lots of people, distractions etc. It was a more mellow place and I'm now very much looking forward to meeting up with them in Europe especially now that Andy has pledged to "take better care of me" while we're there. Apparently it is easier in Europe. I guess that means perhaps he'll give me a tour? I dunno, but it sounds good. Perhaps I'll start in Spain.

The rest of the weekend was spent with friends, Ryan's friends met us for dinner friday at Cafe Charbon. I got to have my steak and fries. Aimee and Bryan took us all out to a karaoke bar where Aimee and I sang Bohemian Rhapsody for everyone.

Santacon was Saturday and I will be posting photos soon from that. We met up with Oscar and he joined us for dinner with Jonah and Cristina. Afterwhich I nearly passed out from being so tired from all the walking and that martini.

Later we went to Brooklyn for a few beers with Lisa and Todd, and finally on Sunday afternoon we took the bus home. Ryan has a wicked case of Poison Ivy and has since spread it to me in a few small places. Yikes. Now we're home, working on design stuff, cooking fancy meals and enjoying the winter so far. I miss my family back in Santa Barbara, and I miss seeing Miles's little face in particular. I will be home from Dec 27 - Jan 3. So if you're in Santa Barbara or Los Angeles and you want to see me... let me know. I'm getting a crowd of people together for New years somewhere in Santa Barbara. So far, Robert, Lara, Alex, Tina, Terry and I are set to hang out... anyone else want to get in on it?

Posted by sixfoot6 at 7:05 PM | Comments (0)

November 26, 2005

Leaving Little Miles for Depeche Mode

Last week, I left Santa Barbara on Monday morning. I stopped in to say goodbye to Lara, Robert and Miles. He gave me the best parting gift I could have hoped for, He SMILED! Lara tried to make him smile for a while while getting changed, and he looked sooo close! It was adorable, and then I picked him up and we both coo-ed over him until he cracked a nice grin. She had made him smile the day before, and has apparently done it a bunch of times. Hopefully we will get it on camera soon. These are exciting times.

After getting on the road, I called my friend Jason who I hung out with the whole afternoon until I met my friends Jane and Kristen at the hotel they so generously let me crash at for the evening. Once together, I was introduced to Melanie who had befriended Kristen and Jane only the night before. So the four of us hopped in a limo and drank our way downtown to Staples to see Depeche Mode!

It was a fantastic show for their "Playing the Angel" tour. Of course, we hung out after and I got to see tons of friends who I had not seen in a long time. It was so much fun. We met up with everyone at Dm's hotel after and had the usual "last call at the hotel bar" drink before heading upstairs to a room for a somewhat short after party. The security let us know that the cops were on the way since they had complaints from three floors down! Ha. Well, I guess thats what happens when you hang out on the balcony.

Kristen, Jane and Melanie got up early the next morning to get their hair done for the AMAs they were all going to that evening. I met up with Melanie in her suite and helped her straighten her hair as we swapped everything from beauty tips & nutritional guidance, to coping with Attention Deficit Disorder! We hit it off. She lives in Seattle and someday I will make it up there and we will hang out.

That afternoon I met up with Nicole of Mighty Mc Pilgrim fame and enjoyed a succulent Chinese chicken salad (my favorite) from the illustrious California Pizza Kitchen in beautiful Burbank, CA. We shopped around a bit after that until my mother called from the train station, wanting to be picked up.

I picked up my mom and took whopping 1.5 hours to get her to our hotel in West Hollywood. I bathed, she ironed, and we ordered room service with our champagne. It was nice. Terry arrived later than expected, and we hurried out the door to drive at brake-neck speed down to the Staples Center for one more fantastic evening of DM festivities.

Posted by jenredstar at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2005

3.5 Weeks Old and Getting Cuter!

Yay Miles! You're the best baby in the world!
What a fun filled time this is. I've had the joy of spending time with tons of friends lately and it has been good. Lara and Robert are doing very well and Miles is growing so much that he changes a little bit every time I see him.

I changed my hair a bit with some bleach and some low lights. Heather at Salon Blais of hotel Mar Monte (1111 Cabrillo Blvd) did the hair. She was very affordable and fun to work with. I recommend her stylings if you are in need of some color. Just make sure you tell her who referred you!

I can't wait until Miles starts smiling. Lara and Robert got a sweet imac that has a camera built in so we can video chat while I am across the country.

In a few days, Ryans mom Nancy visits Santa Barbara and I am looking forward to having her meet everyone. I just hope the weather remains perfect.

Posted by jenredstar at 1:05 PM | Comments (1)

October 24, 2005

Day 5

Since I wrote last, miles has gained almost a pound! He eats and poops like crazy and that is definitely a good thing. I had a fun weekend hanging out with good friends, and making some new ones also.

Friday was Lara and Robert's five-year anniversary! Congratulations to the happy and well blessed couple. Since Lara is essentially still on bed rest, I opted to help them celebrate by serving them a nice dinner in bed. Mom shopped for the dinner and champagne while I made the mix CD and brought the candles. They were pleased with the effort, and I hope that it gave them a chance to relax and enjoy their anniversary amid the chaos of adjusting to their new addition.

Saturday I woke up very late and went over to Lara's for about four hours before heading down to Los Angeles. My friend Leonard (& Ryan's former co-worker from USC) threw a party to celebrate with his creative partners Andy and Gordon at the Broadway bar downtown. Their success with upcoming.org has them moving up to San Francisco this week!

I drove down for what I would call a "quickie" Los Angeles visit, because there will be more coming. I stayed downtown until 11:00 then headed over to Matt's house for some ritualistic SNL in support of our friend Bill Hader. Needless to say, Bill is really kicking ass on SNL (perhaps I am biased) he seems to be the best thing they have going... next to Fred of course. Gotta love Fred, I've known him for eleven years now and it is truly a "trip" to see him and Bill on TV together. It is a small world after all.

Sunday Morning Jason, Matt and I went out to breakfast. It was really nice to hang out with them again. Its just been awhile and they are my closest friends to come out of my time in Los Angeles. Ha... except for Ryan of course! Ryan was such a favorite I had to keep him! I get to see Ryan next week and I'm very excited.

This evening, I spent time with Robert, Lara and Miles. Robert brought over some really amazing old family photos that we were looking at on the couch. His whole family is so beautiful. Robert's family came to the USA when he was seven years old and most of the photos were from before then. There is almost no possible way that Miles will not be the most attractive young man on the planet with such amazing genes at work!

Since Lara is basically on bed rest, I'll mostly be spending my days and nights with her. I will try and take some more pictures of Miles tomorrow for those of you who are coming to get a look at him. Its so late so I'm off to bed... after I finish watching Pippi Longstocking "Pippi Goes on Board".

Posted by jenredstar at 2:44 AM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2005

Holy crap! She is in labor!

Stay tuned.
Lara just called at 3:15pm and said that she was officially in labor and dialated at 4cm! So far her contractions are about 15 minutes apart and so we're all getting ready to head down to the hospital. I'm bringing my camera, video camera and ryan's laptop. Some movies, bottled water, ice pack for my ankle, emergen"c" packets, and a xanax. Haha... I'm bouncing off the walls.

So instead of the expected Scorpio, they'll be having a Libra. This is interesting because just the other day, my friend Ben (who is an astrologer) reminded me that I have four major planets (and a moon) in Libra... so I'm a super libra. Whatever that means. My sun sign is Capricorn. I'm sure everyone is dying to know this. Pah! I take astrology with a grain of salt, and yet it somehow seems to pretty right on a lot of the time.

I'll keep coming back here with more information as it becomes available. Unfortunately, they do not have wireless at the hospital (as far as I know). So I can probably report again later tonight.

Posted by jenredstar at 4:14 PM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2005

Ankle, oh ankle how do I love thee? Let me count the ways

I did not get too much sleep last night, as one could imagine. I had an early morning followed by a total of 4-5 times of getting out of bed! Mostly for more ice, water, food, or the bathroom. I watched Arrested Development, talked on the phone to Jason for hours, got frustrated with my gimp status. My mom is taking good care of me. She stocked the fridge with easy to transport and eat salads from Trader Joes and bottled water for my bed side. Getting to the kitchen makes me work up a sweat. Crutches are not as easy as they were when I was a wee tot.

I did get in and out of the bath tub on my own, which I was somewhat impressed by. Baby steps I guess. I miss Ryan a lot today. Terry is staying for a sleep over and I'm enjoying my post bath glow.

The coming weeks are going to be exciting. I'll be seeing friends, Liz is coming up from San Diego, Leonard will be passing through, and Jason promises to pop up at some time as well. Then on the 24th or 25th Lara will go into labor and deliver this baby we're all excited about. It will be a special time. Then one week later Ryan will arrive and oh what a joyous time that will be.

I do hope I am walking comfortably by then. Nighty night.

Posted by jenredstar at 1:19 AM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2005

Never Boring

Today was great. Found out that Lara is going to be induced into labor in a week and a half... so it gives us all plenty of time to prepare! Yay! So exciting. Baby is coming.

I hung out with old friends today, Ben for the afternoon and Aspen and Terry for the evening. The short story is: I'm suck in bed, literally crippled by the bulging ankle I am sporting now, after twisting it while decending my second flight of dark black stairs in a club we went to tonight. The stairs were not lit and I thought I had reached the last one, but oh yes, there was still one more to go. So I went down slowly and gracefully (haha), and Terry offered me a hand up... but I didn't take it. I said, "oh no, I'm not going anywhere for a minute. I hurt myself."

And here I am two hours later, four Advil and a pain pill later I'm still in pain and unable to walk. I've never twisted my ankle this badly before. I think maybe I've twisted it a little, to the point where it was uncomfortable to walk on, but this is something new all together. Its been awhile since I was physically incapacitated like this. Perhaps it will be like a fun exercise in being still! I give myself three days of limping around, tops. I have little paitence for this kind of thing. Lucky me that today was the day that the ethernet hubs arrived for to spread the internet through the elecrtical outlets. So I'm typing this in bed. So if I fall and can't get up, I can send out a mass email for help. Ha!

I hope this heals soon. I have lots to do. Hopefully Lara can come over so we can be on bed rest together. Funny isn't it? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

I wish Ryan was here.
I think I need a hug.

Posted by jenredstar at 3:06 AM | Comments (0)

October 9, 2005

Hello Interweb

Here I am, finally. With the help of my fantastic web guru/fianc� Ryan, I Jenny have my very own place to call internet home. See, I've been so busy lately that I need a place like this to keep it all organized.

Currently I am:

• engaged to be married
  
• staying in Santa Barbara until Thanksgiving (Ryan and I moved out to Plymouth MA, via road trip in August)
• waiting/preparing for my sister Lara & her husband Robert to have their first baby due Oct 30
• cooking up a storm (will share recipes too!)
• decorating a nursery
• hanging out with good friends
• cuddling my golden retriever
• taking long hot baths
• reading the entire Harry Potter series
• starting my own jewelry studio
• taking photos
• missing Ryan who is back home in Plymouth for another 3 weeks!
• planning future travel to europe
• trying to learn how to knit little hats and booties
• finishing up the six feet under series on Netflix

This is a terribly exciting time.

Today was busy. I awoke at 9:30 (much later than I had hoped) because I needed to take our sick rat Emma to the vet. Got to the vets at about 10am with my friend Jade. Jade is my friend Teresa's 10-year-old daughter who has been kindly rat sitting Emma while I was away over the past two months. As Jade and I waited in the vets office for over an hour, we encountered two dogs who ate a box of decon rat poison after one of them chewed (to the point of bloody gums) the iron fence off of its hinges to get inside the shed where the rat poison was. A loud and uncomfortable cat who wasn't using his back legs anymore after his owner fell while carrying him.

A woman who came in to walk her dog who seems to live at the office after what had to be a terrible car accident that left him with at least one broken leg and hardly any fur over his tired old body. And a woman who had decided to put her sixteen-year-old cat to sleep. She said, "You know, sometimes I wonder if I can even think of still having more pets when it is so hard to watch them go. It just hurts so much." I replied, "Yes, its true they do not live as long as we'd all like them to. But I know it�s worth it. When I think of how much love they had, and what a good life they had with me. I know no matter how much it hurts to let them go. I'll always go back for more of those connections, they are just too special to miss out on."

It was still only 11am. Once the vet saw Emma, he suggested that it wasn't too much of an emergency because she was still eating and acting like her normal self. I'll be taking her in to a specialist tomorrow.

While Emma napped securely inside her comfy towel filled carrier Jade and I stopped into the sojourner for brunch. One chicken tostada and some rice and avocado later I dropped off Jade at home and headed back to my parents home to load up my car with Lara's baby shower gifts and painting supplies.

The next few hours were spend painting the bottom half of the room a nice light cafe brown (which will compliment the "handsome blue" top half). Lara informed me, that her doctors� appointment that I thought was on Tuesday was in fact tomorrow. This being the appointment where we find out if they would like to induce labor early, or keep her on bed rest for another few weeks. So all the things I had planned to do before the due date suddenly might have to be done before tomorrow. Though we try not to expect the most complicated scenario, we certainly have to prepare for it.

Tired and ready for a nap, I headed back to the parents home with a long "to do" list handed down from Lara who can not do anything but lie on a couch until the doctor tells her otherwise. Mom and I sit down to divide up the list at 6:30pm. We both suddenly feel the weight of the possible complication of tomorrow and realize that we really can't waste any shopping hours. After an unsuccessful trip to both Ross, Robinsons and a drive by of Sears we head out to the local Kmart. Neither of us is excited about this. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm remembering how impressed I was by their baby section. So after only 1.5 hours we spend almost $500 on various necessities including a sewing machine for mom, baby thermometer, breast milk storage bags, and a modern area rug for baby�s room (to name a few).

Feeling rather accomplished and proud of our selves. I saunter out of Kmart and say to mom "Well, I won't say I told you so! You were shitting on Kmart before we got here and now look at us." She agrees and we load up the car. Driving home at 9:30pm, we feel relieved with less stuff to do the next day. We even called Lara to give her to good news, that her list is all taken care of except for the crib bumper.

She is pleased and says, "Thanks you guys, you done good." Very tired now, and happy to be home we start emptying the car and mom instantly asks, "Where is the sewing machine?"

Two minutes later we are racing down the highway back towards Kmart, knowing full well that the hundred-dollar sewing machine the clerk carefully placed in the bottom of the cart was likely gone already. Mom on the phone with the manager, me going over 100mph in her satisfyingly sporty BMW. We arrive 15 minutes after leaving and its gone, all the carts are inside the store. The manager says, "no problem, we'll give you another one" Mom is nearly dumbfounded. Not only did they supply us with almost all of our baby needs, but now their customer service policy is getting us out of a sorry jam that was completely our fault?? This leaves mom a bit shell-shocked. I have modestly mixed feelings about it all. Its so good that we didn't suffer at the hands of our own sleepy forgetfulness but I know... that no small business selling us a sewing machine would have been able to afford to give us another one. Thus, is this one more customer swayed by the corporate safety net of expendable losses to keep the customer loyal?

Driving home, from Kmart again, but this time with a sewing machine mom says, "wow, I know I'm dwelling on this but this all happened so fast its just overwhelming. I think I've just have enough excitement for one evening" Just then, we round the corner at las positas and see the cars stopped in the intersection, people standing over a motionless body. She spoke too soon.

While calling the police on the cell phone to report the accident, the fire truck pulls up and we head home. Hoping the bicyclist who was hit by the car would be okay.

So now, at 1:10 am after the hot bath, Harry Potter,
cuddling the golden, chatting with Ryan,
and my first official post I am definitely ready for bed.
Goodnight*

Posted by jenredstar at 1:10 AM | Comments (1)