I almost feel guilty that I didn't go more places, do more things, drink more cocktails...mostly I puttered - one of my most favorite things in the world. I am an excellent putterer, seriously world class and I could have won a gold medal this weekend.
There were only two major diversions: The Blues Festival & The Neighbors BBQ
The Blues Fest was rockin'! An entire day of great music, beautiful weather, good company & cold beer. Yup - fabulous!
The neighbors BBQ was sunny, smiley and oh so yummy! New favorite bread for BBQ's is sourdough covered with butter, bleu cheese and garlic - heaven! New favorite blender drink - mangoes with rum - tasteEE!
It was like being on vacation without having to really go anywhere!
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
best quote of the day
AJB to MM: Wow! You look pretty good for a Vegas weekend! When I come back from Vegas, I come back all older and thrashed. I mean, all you have to do is just sit there and play cards and they just keep brining you drinks, it's awesome!
Monday, May 23, 2005
kayaking
things I learned from kayaking on the ocean this weekend:
Tie your kayak to something before you leave it somewhere, this ensures you will not come back from dinner to find it floating away.
Also tie your paddle to something, like maybe your kayak - its odd how fast those two items can get separated from each other and how fast those little paddles can sink and/or float away.
Do not attempt to do very much other than paddle while in choppy water, your devoted concentration will keep you dry....well um dry-er and nearer to your group but most importantly - away from large moving watercraft.
The pier posts are actually much narrower than they appear from above.
Be sure to borrow a Kayak you can actually carry and that you can afford to replace in case it does float not into the retrievable back bay when you don't tie it down - but actually out to sea.
Apparently there actually is a graceful way to get onto shore through the waves without flipping you and your kayak over, if you are wearing a white shirt, a woman and plan to go anywhere in public immediately following, you may want to have someone show you how to do this before you go out...or bring cash to buy a new shirt once you get there.
If you must bring anything with you, put it into a waterproof container, especially your towel which becomes rather unusable once wet.
There is little else so peaceful and beautiful than floating on a wave in the hot summer sun! :)
Tie your kayak to something before you leave it somewhere, this ensures you will not come back from dinner to find it floating away.
Also tie your paddle to something, like maybe your kayak - its odd how fast those two items can get separated from each other and how fast those little paddles can sink and/or float away.
Do not attempt to do very much other than paddle while in choppy water, your devoted concentration will keep you dry....well um dry-er and nearer to your group but most importantly - away from large moving watercraft.
The pier posts are actually much narrower than they appear from above.
Be sure to borrow a Kayak you can actually carry and that you can afford to replace in case it does float not into the retrievable back bay when you don't tie it down - but actually out to sea.
Apparently there actually is a graceful way to get onto shore through the waves without flipping you and your kayak over, if you are wearing a white shirt, a woman and plan to go anywhere in public immediately following, you may want to have someone show you how to do this before you go out...or bring cash to buy a new shirt once you get there.
If you must bring anything with you, put it into a waterproof container, especially your towel which becomes rather unusable once wet.
There is little else so peaceful and beautiful than floating on a wave in the hot summer sun! :)
Thursday, May 19, 2005
characters
js: the parade is classic also
jc: what kind of parade is it?
js: umm well, its kinda like a "normal" small town parade, but then also full of characters and sometimes town drunks, and well, its just sort of a spectacle
jc: haha, i'm trying to figure out if you are one of the characters or one of the town drunks...
Now THATS funny!
jc: what kind of parade is it?
js: umm well, its kinda like a "normal" small town parade, but then also full of characters and sometimes town drunks, and well, its just sort of a spectacle
jc: haha, i'm trying to figure out if you are one of the characters or one of the town drunks...
Now THATS funny!
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
update: random bit
Well, thanks to a very observant reader (you know who you are)- I actually can provide an answer to what happened to little Elian:
"Elian Gonzalez addresses Cubans"
One note though, after reading the article its tough not to think, "hmmmm, propaganda much?" But hey, glad the kids alright.
"Elian Gonzalez addresses Cubans"
One note though, after reading the article its tough not to think, "hmmmm, propaganda much?" But hey, glad the kids alright.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
soundtrack
the two most annoying, recurring but somehow addicting songs right now are
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
Lonely - Akon
if you hear one of these songs, prepare to find it haunting you for several days...you will be assiimilated, resistance is futile :)
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
Lonely - Akon
if you hear one of these songs, prepare to find it haunting you for several days...you will be assiimilated, resistance is futile :)
random bit
Occasionally I catch myself thinking of the oddest things!
Recently the following item crossed my mind:
What happened to Elian Gonzales? Remember the poor Cuban kid whose Mother died trying to bring him to freedom and he was given back to his Father in Cuba? I don't pretend to have any idea what the right thing to do was there, but man did it take up the TV for days and days, and now, nothing - nada. Where is he, how is he? Its odd, our total obsession with something that ultimately we must not care about all that much, or we wouldn't just entirely forget about it...
Recently the following item crossed my mind:
What happened to Elian Gonzales? Remember the poor Cuban kid whose Mother died trying to bring him to freedom and he was given back to his Father in Cuba? I don't pretend to have any idea what the right thing to do was there, but man did it take up the TV for days and days, and now, nothing - nada. Where is he, how is he? Its odd, our total obsession with something that ultimately we must not care about all that much, or we wouldn't just entirely forget about it...
Mother's Day
I had not visited home in a pretty long time, my Mother was thrilled that I was going to visit for the holiday. She brought my sweet little Grandma out to brunch with us, who has been suffering with dementia at the least and Alzheimers at the worst.
I have gotten pretty used to her relentless repeated questions, heartbreaking and frusterating at times, but manageable. However, I was not prepared for the newest symptom, where sweet little granny says something absolutely outrageous.
For example, at one point she leans over to me and says"Hey, I have to tell you something Grandma to Granddaughter" (that should have been my first clue - she has never called herself grandma ever) when I leaned over she motioned to come even closer and said "this isn't for them" waving at the rest of my family.
The she says, completely matter of factly, "You know, you are gorgeous and you could make a lot of money, if you know what I mean..." then she winked and laughed, as I tried to process that my Italian Catholic Grandmother just told me I should probably get a job in the oldest profession in the world! Priceless
I have gotten pretty used to her relentless repeated questions, heartbreaking and frusterating at times, but manageable. However, I was not prepared for the newest symptom, where sweet little granny says something absolutely outrageous.
For example, at one point she leans over to me and says"Hey, I have to tell you something Grandma to Granddaughter" (that should have been my first clue - she has never called herself grandma ever) when I leaned over she motioned to come even closer and said "this isn't for them" waving at the rest of my family.
The she says, completely matter of factly, "You know, you are gorgeous and you could make a lot of money, if you know what I mean..." then she winked and laughed, as I tried to process that my Italian Catholic Grandmother just told me I should probably get a job in the oldest profession in the world! Priceless
Friday, May 13, 2005
flickr
So, I have been slowly uploading my mass of photos into flickr, working my way mostly from most recent backwards, its definately fun, but it makes me realize how many pictures I have and I am not even that good about taking pictures!
I posted a little flash app that Flickr offers, that show some of my uploaded pictures but it doesn't seem to show them all (and it said it would so I am confused) only the first 20 or so most recent...a bit frusterating...
Anyway, you may enjoy taking a look or may find some fun creating your own account, explore and enjoy! Happy Friday
- Love, me
I posted a little flash app that Flickr offers, that show some of my uploaded pictures but it doesn't seem to show them all (and it said it would so I am confused) only the first 20 or so most recent...a bit frusterating...
Anyway, you may enjoy taking a look or may find some fun creating your own account, explore and enjoy! Happy Friday
- Love, me
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy
I think I must put a warning here: this is not a lighthearted entry, so read at your own risk.
As I was walking back to my car the other night, I passed a house which had a sign out front that read "Journey's End." As I read it, it literally felt like I had the wind knocked out of me, and could not shake the thought that what that sign really meant is: "this is where we have come to die." It freaked me out, and not just a little.
I do not consider myself a morbid person or one who is overly concerned or focused on death, (in fact it is entirely possible that I actually unconsciously go out of my way to avoid any thought of death at all, mine or anyone else's) so it seemed odd to me that it hit me that way and that hard, but it did. I have never given any thought to where I want to die, I am always much more focused on where and how I want to live.
And then the following occured to me:
I consciously chose to live where I reside currently and aside from the possibilities of some occasional travel or winning a villa in some exotic country, I plan to live here always...uhhh, for the rest of my life...and man that is HUGE...the friends I have made so far and will make here are likely the people I am going to grow old with, share the events of my life with, attend weddings and funerals with, that I am going to bury and/or they are going to bury me. THIS, IS MY LIFE, it may change by unforseen events or people coming into it, sure, but just as much as that house and those occupants, I have generally seemed to arrived at both my journey's new beginning and also perhaps its end.
Like most people, I expect that I thought I would grow old with my husband and children and probably not very far from where I was raised, while staying connected to my family and friends.
Reasonable yes, likely to happen? No.
Why? Because, I don't have a husband or children, and realistically I may not ever have them.
I don't write that in a self pitying way, I write it as the simple fact that it is. At one time that statement was too painful to even utter, but recently I have come to not only accept how things have turned out but even to embrace them enough to wonder if they might have been a blessing.
I have a loving, but fractured family, that has been plagued by loss and illness and does not have many members left. And I have some wonderful friends that I cherish with all of my heart as much as my family. There is no dwelling that exists from my childhood that really feels like home, so in that way, I do feel a bit like an orphan. So I created my own home, in a place that feels like a part of me, and have been trying to carve out a life for myself here that I am excited about living while filling it with people and experiences that are good and meaningful, even without "the American dream".
Journey's End - huh.
As I was walking back to my car the other night, I passed a house which had a sign out front that read "Journey's End." As I read it, it literally felt like I had the wind knocked out of me, and could not shake the thought that what that sign really meant is: "this is where we have come to die." It freaked me out, and not just a little.
I do not consider myself a morbid person or one who is overly concerned or focused on death, (in fact it is entirely possible that I actually unconsciously go out of my way to avoid any thought of death at all, mine or anyone else's) so it seemed odd to me that it hit me that way and that hard, but it did. I have never given any thought to where I want to die, I am always much more focused on where and how I want to live.
And then the following occured to me:
I consciously chose to live where I reside currently and aside from the possibilities of some occasional travel or winning a villa in some exotic country, I plan to live here always...uhhh, for the rest of my life...and man that is HUGE...the friends I have made so far and will make here are likely the people I am going to grow old with, share the events of my life with, attend weddings and funerals with, that I am going to bury and/or they are going to bury me. THIS, IS MY LIFE, it may change by unforseen events or people coming into it, sure, but just as much as that house and those occupants, I have generally seemed to arrived at both my journey's new beginning and also perhaps its end.
Like most people, I expect that I thought I would grow old with my husband and children and probably not very far from where I was raised, while staying connected to my family and friends.
Reasonable yes, likely to happen? No.
Why? Because, I don't have a husband or children, and realistically I may not ever have them.
I don't write that in a self pitying way, I write it as the simple fact that it is. At one time that statement was too painful to even utter, but recently I have come to not only accept how things have turned out but even to embrace them enough to wonder if they might have been a blessing.
I have a loving, but fractured family, that has been plagued by loss and illness and does not have many members left. And I have some wonderful friends that I cherish with all of my heart as much as my family. There is no dwelling that exists from my childhood that really feels like home, so in that way, I do feel a bit like an orphan. So I created my own home, in a place that feels like a part of me, and have been trying to carve out a life for myself here that I am excited about living while filling it with people and experiences that are good and meaningful, even without "the American dream".
Journey's End - huh.
Monday, May 02, 2005
Whiskey River Take My Mind...
Willie Nelson played at the Pozo Saloon yesterday, it was a beautiful day and a great concert. He sang my favorite songs, and my most favorite song and it was a little slice of heaven on earth.
I got to dance with 4 year old Orion, one of the cutest children I have ever seen, who decided upon meeting me that we were going to be friends and hung out with me all day. I bought a Willie tank top and I got to wear the cowboy hat Willie Nelson gave my Dad 30 years ago that my Dad finally gave to me...EPIC!
Pozo is out in the middle of nowhere, a historical landmark because it was once a stagecoach stop, several of us locals decided to rent a bus so we wouldn't have to worry about driving, getting lost, or drinking. I really hardly knew most of the people who took the bus with me, but I made a few new friends with a few of the gals who live in my town and went.
It was an amazing Sunday!
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