the town of danville

i spent what was left of my vacation in danville, ca. it's a pretty cute little town if you ask me. i went and saw national treasure, watched a million episodes of monk, saw pride and predjudice, sense and sensibilty, and gone with the wind. i explored shopping opportunities in pleasonton and dublin and got my make up done at the clinique counter just for fun.
i also went to the jelly belly factory in fairfield. it was pretty interesting. it smelled like sour apple when we drove up. i learned all about how jelly beans are made and even got a free bag of jelly bellys! i had to prove that i had gone, so i bought a jar of assorted flavors and a bag of belly flops ("irregulars"). its been fun making all the recipes on the side of the bag and inventing a few of my own.
ARF was another incredibly memorable event that i attended in walnut creek. i can't believe i went, in fact. ARF stands for the animal resuce foundation and was founded by Tony LaRussa (manager for the Cardinals). people are giving thousands of dollars a year to benefit other people's pets. the whole time i was there, i not only felt like the poorest person, but also that these rich people should be spending their time and money on something else, like saving poeple? now maybe i'm a little biased (since i wouldn't say animals are my favorite thing in the world) but really? this benefit made me laugh quite a few times.
performing at it was; Aja Vu (Steely Dan tribute band), Brian Copeland (not a genuine black man), Craig Chaquico (really good guitar player from Jefferson Starship and he stood on the seat next to my mom and started playing with his teeth), random dancers (only in the show because it was Tony LaRussa's daughter), ZO2 (random band from brooklyn), Marty Casey and the Lovehammers (who i had actually heard of before), Dana Glover (who no one has ever heard of before but was quite talented), Rob Schneider (my favorite part of the night, but was totally unprepared which probably made it a lot funnier) and Kevin Cronin and Dave Amato (former members of REO Speedwagon). It was a memorable show to say the least. i don't think i'll be going next year, but i hope Tony LaRussa's dogs continue to live more comfortable lives than most people in Africa...