The Ice Box

I'm So Excited....Yeahright....

2009-07-14T23:11:00.007-07:00

....really I'm just apathetic. Physically, I'm not feeling 100% these days, and except for the fact that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens in US theaters Wednesday (yippee!), I'm not really feeling it either. You know what I mean? Those of you who live in climates where there is snow and ice and dark clouds in the winter months will know the feeling - that feeling of.....well, blah. Summers in the desert, as I've said, are times of hibernation. We haven't even had a good storm to stir things up.

Now that Bonnie Lass is done with her summer camps, the only reason to leave the house is to run back and forth to the martial arts academy, get blood draws, or go grocery shopping. We did go see the new Transformers movie this weekend; like the first one, I enjoyed it more than I expected. My days are spent in bed resting, watching lots of television and reading blogs. The kids are getting loads of down time, too, but there are books to be read for school and board games to be played as well. I'm also directing them in the sorting out of outgrown clothes and shoes. Ah, the life of a mother is never dull, is it?

Here are some "highlights" from my past few weeks:

I'm still trying to convince hubby to let me go to Memphis in a few months. Gotta make a decision quickly, but it's not looking good.
I made an appointment for my daughter to get her braces, FINALLY!
I got a new battery for my laptop because my old one bit the dust.
I finally upgraded my crackberry Pearl for a Curve. Didn't want to wait for the second generation Storm; I'm having enough challenges working the touch keyboard on my iPod. I tend to fat-finger a lot.
I got beat by my son in a very close game of Battleship this afternoon. Surprisingly, he was a gracious winner. And a gracious loser when I beat him TWICE at Connect Four.
I passed down my ice skates to my daughter. I finally owned up to the fact that I'll never hit the ice again. Sigh.
I cleaned out my Google Reader of blogs that have gone away. Some have been gone quite a while, others have changed addresses, and still others have gone private. Oh well, now I can read other things. Like books, you know?

See? I told you my life was quite boring lately. Mundane and monotonous and blissfully uneventful. Hubby still has a job (thank God for the defense industry!), the kids are healthy, and I'm not in the hospital. So all is well, right? Now, if I didn't have to go to choir practice Thursday night, I'd be in good shape. Our music director is on vacation, and I'm not really enamored of our assistant music leader. Eh. Oh well...could be worse. Practice could be lead by his wife.

Aaaaaaaack! Run for your lives!!!!!!!

Manic Monday - Fountain

2009-07-13T11:58:00.005-07:00

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Like you, I often get jokes and other "touchy-feely" forwarded e-mails. Most of the time I give them a quick perusal and then I delete them. Once in a while, a gem comes through. This video clip came to me from my church music director. He's such a font of knowledge and humor; our weekly rehearsals often include quick history lessons on a piece of music or a brief scripture lesson. They also include invaluable instructions for vocalists and instrumentalists alike.

Today I toss this video as an offering into your personal fountain; may you appreciate the donation.

Shuffling Along

2009-07-10T00:01:00.001-07:00

I don't have access to a program that will allow me to post audio clips the way Bond does, but just for kicks, I thought I would post the first ten songs that come up on my iPod when I shuffle play:

U2, "Another Time, Another Place" - Boy
Genesis, "Illegal Alien" - Genesis
John Mellencamp, "Again Tonight" - Whenever We Wanted
John Mellencamp, "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." - Words & Music
The Pretenders, "Cuban Slide" - Pirate Radio (Digital Version)
Van Halen, "Right Now" - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Peter Gabriel, "Shock the Monkey" - Security (Remastered)
Wild Cherry, "Play that Funky Music" - Wild Cherry
The Power Station, "Some Like it Hot" - The Power Station (Limited Edition)
The Pretenders, "Day After Day" - The Singles

So, what's playing on your music player of choice?

Thursday Thoughts - 7.9.09

2009-07-09T00:01:00.007-07:00

A few things have been zipping through my mind lately:

What would possess a man in the year 2009 to sport a mullet? I was never that enamored of the cut when it was considered the thing to do; now? It just seems pathetic. A father at basketball camp sports one, and every time I see him, I have to stifle my giggles.
How is it that a 13-year-old girl does NOT know what her father does for a living? My daughter's best friend was hanging around with us us one day last week, and when I asked her what kind of work her dad was seeking (after she said he was looking for a new job), she replied, "I don't know. I just know he uses a computer for his work." Huh? Both my kids can tell you not only that their dad is a software engineer, but they can also tell you some of the projects on which he has worked and/or the industries in which he as worked. Are my kids the norm, or do kids just not care what their parents do for a living anymore?
Stove Top stuffing is sooooo bad for me (laden with sodium that it is), but it is sooooooo good. Ditto for Nacho Cheese Doritos.
I think I could live on strawberries, peaches, watermelons, and cherries.
Mark Harmon is still one of the sexiest men on television. (Don't believe me? Check out his photo on the right there.) He could carry a gun for me anytime. Of course, the fact that he played football at one time is just a plus. *grin*
To answer a question from Jay, yes, our heat is a "dry heat" - our average humidity levels this week are under 20%. But when it's this hot, it's just plain hot. The fact that sweat evaporates immediately really seems inconsequential. This is hibernation season; hence, the reason I'm watching massive amounts of NCIS.
While watching television, I've taken to shouting the word "demon!" whenever I spy someone who has played a demon on the now out of production television show Charmed, a show for which Starrlight and I share a not-so-secret addiction.

Okay, just for kicks, I have to include one more gratuitous shot of Mark Harmon. *big cheesy grin*

Photo credits: Sports Illustrated, TV Guide

Later daze....

Wednesday Wonderings - Volume 2

2009-07-08T00:01:00.004-07:00

So I've been wondering where my brain went. I mean, my kids' schedules are so empty these days, and I've been very relaxed all summer. It makes me wonder if I've gotten too lazy about things. Nothing seems to spur me to action these days. It's probably just the heat. Take a look at the forecast for this week.

Extended Forecast

DAY	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed

SKY
HI TEMP (F)	104	106	108	110	110	109	108
LO TEMP (F)	83	81	83	83	84	83	82

Nice, huh? No wonder no one wants to come visit.

I was a bit tetchy Tuesday. bemoaning the fact that we rarely get visitors. In fact, the only visitors we get are my in-laws, and they don't come every year. Granted, hubby and I chose to live so far away from our long-time friends and family, but for years I've heard, "Oh, I've always wanted to visit out there! Now I have someone who can show me around!" And then what happens? Nothing. No one comes. I've heard all the excuses: "I don't get enough time off from work," or "It's too far to fly out there!" or, "It costs too much!" Sigh. Sorry; just blowing off steam. Could be worse; I could live in Hawaii where everyone really does want to visit, but no one can afford!

Anyway, just to chase away the blahs and for sheer shits and giggles, click over to this article that hubby sent me. If you're not too squeamish, watch the video. It's all just tooooooo bizarre.

*evil grin*

And for one more giggle fest, I offer this:

Friday, July 03, 2009

MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities say two professional wrestlers found dead in a low-rent hotel in the capital may have been drugged to death by female robbers.

Autopsies are being performed on the two midget wrestlers, one of whom went by the name "La Parkita" — or "Little Death" — and wore a skeleton costume in the ring. The other was known as "Espectrito Jr."

Authorities say two women were seen leaving the men's hotel room before the bodies were discovered.

Prosecutor Miguel Angel Mancera said Wednesday that gangs of female robbers are experienced at using drugs to knock men out and rob them, but they may have used too strong a dose.

That may have been because of the wrestlers' small stature, although larger men have also died in similar crimes.

Later daze...

Manic Monday - Country

2009-07-06T19:27:00.005-07:00

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If you've been reading my blog for the past week, you have a general idea of how I feel about my life as a citizen of the United States. To say that I'm grateful would be an understatement, as evidenced by my post of last Friday.

I have driven across this country approximately six times, and each time I gained a new appreciation of the beauty and diversity not only of the people of this land, but of the natural resources as well.

The following slide show is representative of some of the things I love about this country. I offer no explanation or interpretation of them; I hope that they speak on their own merits.

Enjoy.

Too Weird Not to Share AGAIN

2009-07-04T00:01:00.003-07:00

Another one from the archives:

This story actually happened in June 2006 while we were back east for my sister-in-law's wedding, but The Engineer encouraged me to commit it "pen and paper" so that it would not be forgotten.

The kids and I spent several weeks with their grandparents before, during, and after said wedding, the first of hopefully many such visits between the generations. A few days after our arrival, I was sitting in the sun room, drinking my tea and gazing outside at Mom and Dad's gorgeous backyard when I spied some rabbits heading towards Mom's flowers. This in itself isn't that unusual since Mom and Dad live in a suburban area near a major city that is almost but not quite rural, but this time there quite a few bunnies. Naturally, the kids were ecstatic. And, naturally, Mom was not as these dreaded rabbitos love to munch on her flowers. After the kids had oohed and awed them for a bit, we summarily chased them away from the yard.

A few minutes later, Dad noticed not one but two squirrels. Again, not unusual, but this time they had managed to actually climb up the bird feeders and were quite content to consume and spill most of the contents of said feeders. Dad sprung out of his chair like a spring and chased those varmints out of there pronto!

After he came back inside, Dad told me that days before our arrival, while he had been doing lawn work, he came across a mama duck and her nest of 12 eggs hiding in a bush in the front yard. He quickly left the bush so as not to disturb her. Our first day there he showed the kids the mama and nest, and they dutifully admired her from a distance. On this particular day, Dad and the kids went to check on mama duck's progress, and lo and behold! Mama duck now had 10 babies! The kids squealed and clapped, but again kept their respectful distance. Naturally, they bounded indoors to tell me and their grandmother, and, naturally, Mom and I HAD to go check this out.

A few hours later, we had to set off on wedding errands. Mom was taking the kids to shop for party favor stuff, while Dad and I were heading downtown to practice with the church organist (I was the soloist in the wedding). Walking to the garage and following closely behind, I looked up at my MIL just as she turned to me with a look of bewilderment on her face. She fiercely whispered my name, and motioned to something in the garage. I froze in my tracks, fearful that she had spied a snake.

Urgently she whispered my name again and gesticulated wildly. Summoning courage from deep within, I walked slowly to the door and looked in the direction to which she was pointing. There, huddled in the corner, shivering and panting, was a young fawn. I looked over at my kids who were enraptured.

Quickly I walked back into the kitchen and summoned my FIL, urging him to come quickly. Dad took one look at the fawn, declared it a newborn, and went back into the kitchen to call the Fish and Game department. While I listened to him get the runaround on the phone, I told Mom and the kids to get in the car and get going while I kept an eye on our guest. Slowly Mom backed her car out of the garage while our spotted friend stayed shivering in the corner.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I hear my FIL on the phone: "Ah yes, I have a baby deer in my garage....[silence].....No, I did NOT put it there...[sigh, pause]...Yes, I would like it to leave."

After several similar conversations with various departments of the Humane Society, the ASPCA, and the Fish and Game Division, Dad came back out to tell me the results. I had turned to him to listen to him, and when I looked back in the garage, the fawn had decided to leave the corner and lie down AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEPS OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN DOOR.

Great -- NOW what do we do? We had to get to the church, and time was not on our side at this point. Fish and Game told Dad that the best way to get rid of the fawn was to chase it out and back into the woods where its mother would find it. Huh. Okay. As he's telling me this, our little guest decided that he would leave on his own rather than be evicted; he jumped up and scurried out to the yard.

Dad ran off after it, but it was quickly around the side of the house and into the wooded area behind the house.

Dad and I looked at each other, laughed, and then, shrugging our shoulders, got into his car and left to go downtown.

On the thirty minute drive into town, Dad and I kept discussing and laughing about our visitor, when I decided to gaze out at the passing scenery. Just then, I spied someone's pet grazing on the lawn of their expansive property. I started to snicker, and Dad wanted to know what was so funny. "Oh, just that pot-bellied pig over there, on a leash, eating that grass."

Huh? Okay, whatever.

We made it to the church, avoiding baseball game traffic, and my practice with the organist was uneventful. We managed to avoid rush hour traffic leaving the city and returning to the 'burbs (I don't know how we managed that), and were just pulling off the interstate at our exit when we noticed traffic piled up for about a half mile.

"Must be an accident," I said. I craned my neck, spotted a tow truck's flashing lights, and said, "Yup. It's a wrecker truck. We're moving, but very slowly."

We waited a few minutes, and then the cars in our lane started to move forward slowly. As we made the turn by the mall, we noticed traffic stopped in the opposite direction. "What's going on?" Dad asked me.

I looked over, and almost spewed the mouthful of water I had just ingested. "Oh. You. Are. NOT. Going. To. Believe. THIS." I said deliberately.

Dad looked over at the road, and the two of us started laughing hysterically. There, in the middle of the lane of oncoming traffic, was a gaggle of Canada geese, chatting away to each other, oblivious to all around them, and taking their sweet little time getting to the other side of the road.

We crept by, both of us lamenting the fact that we didn't have our cameras with us. We were still laughing about it five minutes later when we drove down their street and approached the driveway. Spotting Mom's car in the garage, Dad remarked that she and the kids must have finished their errands quickly, and that he couldn't wait to tell them the story of the geese.

Just then, I noticed a small shadow under one of the tires of Mom's car.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. "Dad, look!"

I pointed, and there under the tire was a chipmunk!

Dad and I just looked at each other, wide-eyed. We walked silently into the kitchen, where he opened the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of wine, and poured us each a glass. I guess he figured we both deserved it.

(Postscript: I forgot to mention this part -- after dinner, all five of us decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. Who do you think we met in our travels? Yup -- mama duck and her ten babies! She was coming back to the nest, quacking in full-voice at us to get the heckoutta her way! The next morning, we noticed she had abandoned her nest, probably taking up residence at the small pond at the local park.

Oh, and to answer your question, the chipmunk was not squished; he was hiding under the tire. He ran off before Dad pulled his van into the garage, so you can stop your sniveling.

To my fellow US readers, Happy 4th of July!

Walk Tall

2009-07-03T00:01:00.003-07:00

"Once we are self-aware, we must choose purposes and principles to live by; otherwise, the vacuum will be filled, and we will lose our self-awareness and become like groveling animals who live primarily for survival and propagation."

From Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People; Stephen R. Covey, Fireside Books: 1994.

I have difficulty handling patriotic and military holidays. I can't say the Pledge of Allegiance without getting a catch in my throat, and I have to disassociate myself when I sing the National Anthem lest I dissolve into a puddle of free-falling tears. My family's connection to the military runs deep and wide. The blood that was shed for various reasons is much.

Some of you know the story of my family's history. For those who don't, let me give you a very brief synopsis:

My parents were Dutch-Indonesian. Born and raised in Indonesia back in the day when it was a Dutch colony (as it was for over 400 years), they were forced to flee Indonesia in 1949 with my two oldest sisters (who, at the time, were approximately 2 1/2 years old and an infant, respectfully) or face extermination because of their "mixed" blood. My parents made their way to The Netherlands and settled there until 1961 when they immigrated to the United States. They chose to live in the US to provide more educational opportunities for my four sisters and me.

As a child, knowing the sacrifices that my parents made for my siblings and me was a heavy burden. Each of my parents had been imprisoned in their homeland, and my father was tortured by his captors in retaliation for his part in a resistance movement. I found it difficult to live up to their expectations, and, consequently, chose to live my early years getting by on charm and luck. I discovered when I was in college, thankfully, that the legacy that was left to me by my parents was not a burden, but rather an honor. I now proudly carry their honor within my soul; it is my core. I gladly regale tales of my parents' heroism and determination to my children, who were born so many years after my parents' passing. My children are now beginning to understand what it means to be the progeny of Al and Winny.

My parents chose their purposes and principles, and then they gifted those to me. This weekend of independence, as I do every day, I live my life joyfully and humbly with those purposes and principles engraved on my heart.

A blessed and peaceful weekend to you, and to my fellow citizens of the US, I wish you a happy 4th.

Dear Under 30 Crowd...

2009-07-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning

Uphill...barefoot...

BOTH ways

Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!

And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, We had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen!

Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! No where was safe!

There were no MP3' s or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!

There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished and the tape would come undone.cause that's how we rolled, dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and Asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens; it was just one screen forever!

And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel! There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove ... Imagine that!

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!

Regards,

The over 30 Crowd

Is There Anybody Out There?

2009-07-01T00:01:00.004-07:00

It seems as if I've been abandoned for the likes of Twitter, Facebook, more interesting blogs, or just more interesting things. Is there ANYONE out there who is still reading me????? I ask because so many of the blogs that I had been reading have gone dormant either due to the new "say it fast craze," or the bloggers have just plain ol' stopped blogging. That, and the fact that I posted last Tuesday, and a total of EIGHT people left comments. And that post has been up all week!

Okay, I'll admit, I've been slow in catching up on my reading, but c'mon people, throw me some love! Leave me a comment (or two or twelve). I don't bite - honest. Well...that is...unless you request it...

So for this week, I'm pulling a Miss Bee and exhorting you to comment. And I'll try to post something every day the rest of this week, even if it's ridiculous. That way, you'll just have to see what's going on around here.

Ruby Tuesday #12

2009-06-30T00:01:00.001-07:00

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On my one and only visit to The Big Apple, we had one day to sight see, so we took a two hour tour on a double-decker tour bus. Here's a shot of our drive through Chinatown.

Manic Monday - Rock

2009-06-29T11:11:00.003-07:00

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Y'all know I'm a rock 'n roll girl at heart, but when I sing from the heart, I sing church music. Sorry if this is not to your liking, but you know what? Today I'm in an introverted, introspective kinda of mood.

Buzzing in My Head/EDITED TO ADD

2009-06-23T19:20:00.008-07:00

Some random thoughts going through my mind and some various actions happening around me...

The heat has finally come in earnest. Well, sorta. We had a record-breaking 14 days of sub-100 degree days to start the month, the first time that has happened since 1913. Then it immediately soared to 105 for two days...before becoming cloudy with temps in the 90s again today. Don't get me wrong - I love the cooler temps, but my skin is really freaking out.
What is the deal with people not washing their hands after using the bathroom? Yuck. I had to follow a woman out of the ladies' room during a break in the music camp concert Friday night, and she hadn't washed her hands. And the door was one I had to pull to open. Thankfully, there was a towel dispenser right by the door.
I think I should have taken Travis and his lady Pam with me to my daughter's dance recital this past Saturday. He would not have had been playing on his Nintendo DS or reading the news on his Blackberry as certain male members of my family were doing to pass the time. And for them I paid $12 per ticket? The ten-year-old I can understand, but the 48 year-old should have known better. Dammit. I must admit, though, it was getting pretty annoying watching seemingly endless lyrical routines to mindless generic female ballads; I was much more entertained by the tap routines (and of course, my daughter's class which is a jazz/musical theater group). The hip hop groups were fun, and there was this one teen boy who danced a solo who blew me away. Wow. Talk about height and stretch on a Russian split.
As much as I love watching my daughter dance, I really swell with pride when I hear her sing. Damn, that girl has a voice, and her ear for music has really gotten tuned.
I love my now annual beach vacations to Coronado, but for next year, I'm thinking we need a change of scenery. Unfortunately, that probably means getting on an airplane, and you know how I feel about airplanes. Sigh. Still, I'm envious of my friend Laura's upcoming trip to San Francisco, and I would love to go to Seattle, too. Memphis is calling me (though sooner than next year), and Washington, DC too, but I must not forget that a trip to Ohio next June is probably a given since my parents-in-law will be celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. So many choices...
Trying to get my ten-year-old to do summer reading for his gifted class is like trying to get my 13-year-old to do the dishes. Both take a lot of cajoling, needling, wheedling, and whining. If only the books could be fashioned into a Wii game...
It's only mid-June, and we've already taken our one summer trip. Dammit.
A few weeks ago, I read an article about a teen in Maine who was denied his high school diploma because while crossing the stage to shake hand with the principal (or superintendent, I can't remember which), he took a bow and blew a kiss to his mother. When asked if he should to be given his diploma, the young man replied that he should because he had worked hard for it and deserved it. The principal/superintendent told him, no, he wasn't going to receive the diploma because he had broken the rules of conduct for graduation which stated that there would be no "fooling around" during the ceremony. Since when is showing love and gratitude TOWARDS ONE'S OWN MOTHER considered "fooling around?" Jackass school district. Would that my kid shows that much public affection toward me when they are 18.
Addition made Friday, June 25, 6:17 MST - so that makes three: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and now Whacko Jacko...er, Michael Jackson. That was quick.
Um....that's it. That's all I got. Whatchyou got?

Manic Monday - Pop

2009-06-22T14:19:00.002-07:00

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I was given the idea of doing something with Pop Goes the Weasel for today's theme, which kinda threw me off, but then this video popped up in my inbox, courtesy of my hubby. I got a kick out of, so I thought I would share it with you.

I present to you, the world's shortest horror/slasher flick (the volume is really too soft to hear, but I don't think you'll need it to understand it):

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Please leave the link to your Manic Monday post in your comment, and I'll try to visit you.

Did You Know...

2009-06-20T19:50:00.003-07:00

...that my "day job" is being a mom? Yeah, I kinda thought you did. So you can guess that the reason I haven't been around much is that Bonnie Lass has been hard at work at music camp the past two weeks, and last night was the concert. Today, she's dancing in two performances of her studio's recital. Monday she dives headlong into three weeks of basketball camp. And let's not forget to mention that Little Man has martial arts classes three nights a week, and I went back to singing at church (after THREE MONTHS OF NOT HAVING A VOICE!). Of course, I've been spending my days catching up on reading (gotta get ready for next month's cinematic release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you know) and sleep, too. Blog writing and reading have been low on my list of priorities of late.

Anyway, this coming Monday's Manic Monday theme is "Pop," and I'm seeking ideas. Leave me a comment and let me know what comes to mind when you hear the word "Pop."

Have a great weekend; see you next week.

Later daze...

You Lookin' at Me?

2009-06-16T00:01:00.005-07:00

Scroll down for my Ruby Tuesday post

Yeah, well, he's not from South Philly or even Jersey, but since he's one of my long-time readers (in fact, one of my original readers!) (should I now say OLD? - *snigger, chuckle, snort, cough*), I thought I would take this time to wish a very special person a very happy and blessed Natal Anniversary.

Go ahead, you big galoot. Blow.

Now, click on his photo above (you know, the one with the Italian guy in the leather jacket), and send him good wishes. Tell him Guido and Bruno sent ya.

Ruby Tuesday - Gaslamp District, San Diego

2009-06-16T00:01:00.002-07:00

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Manic Monday - Shower

2009-06-14T20:02:00.009-07:00

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Freshly Showered

Showered in laughter

Showered with good wishes

Showered with blessings

Shower me in love and kisses

Shower me with hope

Happy 10th Birthday, My Darling Son

2009-06-12T00:01:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 was my son's 10th birthday. *long heavy sigh*

Where have the years gone?

Finally, My Vacation Recap

2009-06-10T10:21:00.002-07:00

I realize I've been negligent in getting my photos and videos up for sharing. It's not that it's been all that busy, but....well, life just gets in the way of blogging sometimes, you know?

Anyway, I mentioned that we experienced gray, cloudy, cool days. This in no way prevented us from enjoying the beach; in fact, we rather like it when the weather delivers days like this on beach visits. It makes for sitting at the beach for hours much more comfortable, and, therefore, enjoyable.

Every year we experience something a bit different. Our first year, we saw dolphins swimming just offshore. Last year, we visited Point Loma, and the "boys" explored the tide pools. This year we saw three submarines (a rare sight, I've been told); we saw the USS Ronald Reagan putting out to sea, and we walked (including me!) the eight block length of the historic Gaslamp District. We also rode on a pedicab from the ferry dock over to the Gaslamp District. We ate Mexican food, seafood, and used our suite's kitchen more often. We slept a lot, drove up the coast and saw La Jolla and the seals, and walked up and down the island more often. It was a fun, relaxing trip, and I was sorry when it was over. Luckily, we've been experiencing a bit of a cool snap here in the desert lately; today, temps should start climbing again.

I did manage to get more beach time this year, and when we weren't on the beach itself, we were near or on the water, including the ferry trip from Coronado to San Diego. We saw a competition among three lifeguards (not that exciting), and we observed a group of military personnel running on the beach (clothed this year, unfortunately). All in all, a great trip. Enjoy the photos and the video clips.

Manic Monday - Shine

2009-06-08T15:54:00.003-07:00

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The sun did not shine much on our recent trip to California. In fact, it was not only chilly and breezy, it rained one day. On our last day of sight-seeing, we drove to La Jolla and found some seals "sunning" themselves on the beach.

Check, check...

2009-06-03T18:06:00.002-07:00

I'm having internet problems (damn that Cox!), so not able to upload my photo albums or my videos. Just letting you know that I'm not ignoring you.

I did manage to get a couple of other photos uploaded (with requisite cussing and swearing) on my photo blog; no vacation photos, though; just "slice of life" shit.

Ruby Tuesday

2009-06-01T18:20:00.004-07:00

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I swear, I won't tease you with vacation photos one by one, but I'm just too tired to write a vacation wrap-up post right now. I'm catching up on my blog reading, and I just finished downloading my photos to my computer.

This is a photo of my son, Little Man Warrior, on our first full day at the beach. Check out the destroyer in the back that just left port.

Manic Monday - Spice

2009-06-01T10:58:00.005-07:00

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I'm back safely from my California vacation; the weather was very cool, cloudy and even rainy a couple of days. It was HEAVENLY for these desert dwellers!

We ate at several different restaurants near our hotel, and the meals were hit and miss. For our last dinner out, hubby and I decided to share an order of Pad Thai from an Asian bistro. It's been a long time since I had a meal as spicy as this one; it's flavor was pretty good, and the heat factor nearly rivaled that of my own mother's cooking!

On Vacation

2009-05-26T00:01:00.001-07:00

See you when I get back next week!