snippets, nibbles and scribbles

If you read my blogs with any regularity, then you know that I freakin' live for the small town holiday festivities that go on around the county throughout the year and that two of my top 3 favorite public events are in December: the annual big town holiday parade; usually the first friday and the lighted small town boat parade; always the following night. I missed both this year, due to the never ending flu virus that has been going around for the past few months and has been seriously kicking my ass for weeks.

I plan to make up for it by volunteering to judge one of the holiday parades in a neighboring small town this Saturday morning, but I still feel a bit as though I have missed out...

On the wacky weather front, yesterday was blue skies and low to mid 70's - just. beautiful. Today, not so much, it is currently raining and pretty chilly. Still lovely though, nothing better than the crisp clean smell that follows the first good rain in a while.

I find myself quite tempted to go for a long walk in the rain, on the beach. Which reminds me...

Rumor has it that epic swells are on the way, if the current waves and the hight of tide are any indication, then yup, its going to be monstrous out there - leaving me both happy I am not skilled enough to ride them yet and a little wistful that if I was, I could be out there...when it is like this out there - the ocean surging and waves sucking into towering curls its both frightening and totally seductively inviting, it makes me wish it was 2 years from now and that I was soaking wet, shredding and commanding those waves, scared and thrilled at the same time, grinning from ear to ear - ya, I clearly never think about that... ;O)

Spent most of this week up at work onsite and it now looks like I am headed back for a little longer than first signed up for, so probably all of next week. I like being onsite, it is good to bond with my co-workers, get some in room collaboration time, and just be in the environment. But it's also a bit challenging to be away from home, especially this time of year when there is sooooo much that needs to be done and when traveling, so much harder to accomplish. It should be another good trip though, we are getting a lot done right now, working well as a team and of course have our company holiday parties this week too!

All joyful, but to be honest it is already making me a little tired just thinking about it! :O)

I am WAY behind in my correspondence have at least 5 emails I want to reply to, but need a chunk of time to do it right...so if you know I owe you one, please know I have not forgotten and am looking forward to getting back to you just as soon as I can.

Peace and Love!

Belated Happy Thanksgiving!

I have much to be thankful for this year, I received many blessings, too many to list. But about a month ago I made the following list of things that I am very grateful for and I will post it here in honor of the holiday. I hope that each of you has much to be grateful for and that your holidays are happy!

Gratitude:

every breath, every heart beat, every day

good health

the abilities to experience, observe, remember, see, feel, hear, smell, taste and feel life all around me

the ability to think, feel and be creative

beautiful, amazing friends full of soul, passion, dreams, inspiration and insight

a loving crazy family that gave me my foundation and sustains me

all of my loved ones and all the love that fills my life

laughter - rich deep and booming or happy little giggles

the most comfy bed, ever

chocolate banana smoothies

a good haircut that feels clean and fresh

new lights in the kitchen that brighten it up

a clean sink - all dishes washed and no more worries about the disposal =)

hot showers

fuzzy blankets

green jasmine tea

colors

luminescence

natures beauty and bounty

organic fruits and veggies

tasty homemade meals from scratch and the way the scents fill the whole house

chocolate - dark chocolate

the toys and tools that help me express and manifest my visions and adventures

that which inspires and moves me

small kindnesses and simple joys

impromptu conversations and connections

a good book or a great story

music (listening to the hawaiian music channel today)

a great glass of wine

beach bonfires

long walks

making music

heartfelt hugs

delicious kisses

a long overdue but so treasured true and deep apology

genuine compliments

peace and comfort in my own skin

soul bearing intimacies shared

seeing trust in another's eyes

earth angels

a child's smile

hope

knowing someone's thinking of me

synchronicities

quiet moments of solitude

busy moments of community

memories

dreams

wishes

fun

each of you

~ many thanks and lots of love!! =)

THE wahine

got some interesting news yesterday, the day I bought my surf board was a total comedy of events and unbeknown to me, the story has become quite the local legend - huh, go figure...so, apparently the owner of the shop thought it was so great that he would like me to be in their upcoming advertisements - I find this funny for two reasons 1) I am probably the least skilled local female surfer 2) no matter how I try to avoid the ad business, it always finds me and sucks me back in!

So the board buying story goes something like this...

I started boogie/body boarding early this year with a good friend. We went several times and were really enjoying it. It made me really want to surf. Then one day, her husband joined us, and we were having this great day until he and I got sucked into a nasty rip tide. I was totally trapped, no matter what I did, I would get pulled back - although the boogie board was keeping me afloat, it wasn't really helping me get anywhere and made it difficult to swim. I started to get really tired, was definitely getting scared and started to take in water gasping for air, I honestly don't know how I finally got out of it, but was shaken up when I reached shore and not sure I ever wanted to go back in.

Meanwhile over a few months before this, I saw this beautiful board in the window of one of the local surf shops, it had metallic green rails and belly and the deck had the most beautiful Hawaiian floral pattern, it was a 9ft long board, and I fell deeply in love. I would have bought it but the price was over 700 and I just couldn't justify it, so instead I would walk by it as often as possible, practically licking the window.

About the time of the rip tide incident, I started my new job which was a bump in pay and realized that I would probably never get back into the water unless I had really good incentive and a water craft that helped me, as opposed to worked against me. So while some friends and I were enjoying adult beverages at the bar down the street and we started talking about all of this, I jumped up and said "if the shop is open, im buying it tonight!"

The shop was open and here the 3 of us come blazing in the store a little buzzed, so excited they were open, very happy and ready to purchase! So I tell the guy to pull it out of the window, I kiss the damn thing and I am so excited that I can hardly even think! Everyone in the store seems pretty impressed that I have decided to take up the sport, since I am both female and no longer a teenager. So my friend (a much more experienced board buyer than myself) jumps in and begins haggling for the price and accessories. I walked out with everything I needed for just the original price of the board. We installed my fins and leash right on the spot and loaded it into the car, then invited the salesman to come celebrate with us, telling him the story of how long I wanted the board, my weekly window shopping ritual and why I wanted it now.

It worked, I spent so much on the board, and so many people were excited for me and offered to take me out and give me lessons, I knew it would override my fears, and it did. I surfed all summer and although I haven't gotten very good yet, I really enjoy it. If I can find a warm enough wetsuit I may even surf all year round!

One of these days I will get around to taking a picture of the deck and posting it - it may even bei n the ad and I can just scan it, but in the meantime you can see the belly of the beauty below in the "pictures" post.

season: autumn

chilly gray day
heavy clouds hang
soft drops splash
as they hit the pane

fire crackles in its place
fragrant tea steams my face
candles flicker as they flame
a good book stories fortune and fame

cuddled up in flannel and down
the music of nature the only sound
cinnamon spices scent the air
warm and dry the only care

its the season of quiet and calm
the twilight before the night
descending into winters dawn
and the festivals of light

~ copyright 11/2006~

writing inspired by nature

I have been writing a lot lately in my "down" time and decided to add this piece inspired by the electric storm last month:

flashes illuminating the night sky

cracks and sheets snap the clouds

lighting up the moment

etching the sillouette of the hills

streaks leaping and branching into the ocean

salty electric air thick and damp

thunder grumbling against the sea

drops begin to splash

power surges and gaps

disrupting home comforts

delighting all senses

Gods show

breathe it in

watch it glow


~ copyright 10/2006~

pictures

I have been taking more pictures again lately and going through the ones I have taken over the past year, here are a few of my favorites so far this year:

The green one is mine!

glorious!

I almost can't believe it is November because it has been sunny, clear and in the high 70's for the past three days! The sunsets have been full of deep reds, pinks and oranges against the blue sky and green/blue sea. Butterflies are everywhere, floating above the creek and hanging in the trees. The offshore winds are blowing warmly through the trees and the hundreds of wind-chimes hung around town. It's more like a spring or summer day! I have all the windows and doors open to let the breeze flow through the house. A perfect day for an evening walk, I think!

Get out, get some fresh air and please vote today!

All Hallows Eve

Boo!

Halloween, what Halloween?!

This year has to be THE least eventful, most quiet Halloween I have ever experienced!! Typically my favorite holiday, and barely even noted! How did I miss Halloween, how could this happen???

Well...my street is too remote, rural and slightly dangerous for kids to trick or treat on, working at home now - it's not like there is the whole "office festivities" to rely on, being both ill with the flu, under major project deadlines and doing combined work and personal travel the past four weeks leaves no time to really think about it or prepare and then add in the braces...yup, no Halloween.

And the kicker is that I actually went to a Halloween party sunday afternoon, only no one told me it was a Halloween party and no one was dressed up and it was daytime, so other than the themed cupcakes, it didn't really fit the bill.

I truly find this much more amusing than bummer. Although I do feel like I need to do something about it, either go out in costume or throw a costume party or something, and soon. There are aspects of the associated celebratory traditions that are purely good for the soul! I feel a plan coming on! =o)

I must note that last Halloween I did get in a little celebration but I also had one of the freakiest nights of my life, and I am happy to report that there have been no new instances of those events!

And last but not least, Happy 1st Birthday to Samantha Jane!! I finally got see her a few weeks ago and she is absolutely gorgeous, so smiley, sweet, observant and determined! if she is this cute already, man, she is going to be a heart breaker by 2! =o) It is going to be very hard to resist the temptation to spoil her rotten!

You know what all this means don't you? THE HOLIDAYS are fast approaching and 2007 just around the corner...just amazing!!

Happy Fall!

plastic mouth

it's official, i got my braces yesterday...the orthodontist decided to go with invisalign, so unless you catch the gleam off the plastic or hear the new lisp i have suddenly developed, you can't tell nearly as much as with traditional braces.

things i had not anticipated:

• how weird it would feel to have plastic over my teeth ALL the time
• having to remove them to eat anything or drink hot liquids (since you don't with traditional braces)
  
• which also results in having to create a whole routine around eating (and cooking since i can't even taste something with them in)

• how soon and how much i would anticipate the day i would be done with them
• how much my mouth would hurt

smile!!

a beautiful calm

serenity so sweet flows

anchored from a certainty

one thats new but also old

returned, releasing or returning


and not just the one

but the others too

that were the glue

in the absence grew


clear horizon visions

lovely dreams in sight

treasures and adventures

all directions right


no hurries, no worries

all in its own time

no charts, no maps, just guides

joys in the journey and the ride


~ copyright 10/2006~

top 10 signs you might be a surfer...

10) if a wave has ever broken on your face or your melon
9) if you know why a rash guard is key
8) if you have ever driven off with your board on top of the car (but not tied down) or left it alongside the car while changing and drove off without it
7) if you can devour a table full of food even though you only weigh like 100 pounds
6) if you suddenly find yourself only able to speak two or three words at a time and sounding at least a little like Jeff Spicoli
5) if words like: pummeled and epic have an entirely new or very deep meaning
4) if you have paid the ocean gods in either blood or hard to replace merchandise
3) if you know the answer to: "booties - yes or no" has nothing to do with calls or bottoms
2) if there is sand in and on everything you own
1) if Dick Dale suddenly seems like the most brilliant musician of all time

electric storm

I haven't seen a lightning show like the one tonight since the last time I was in Arizona - rainless thunderstorms happen there all the time, but here thunderstorms are rare in rainy weather let alone dry!

It was so beautiful! I went to watch it from a local beach access spot and found a nice little bench to watch the show from. I saw a lot of people along the way, but oddly enough, no one was at the spot I found, it was kind of like getting a private screening. I watched for about an hour, until it got too cold and the the storm began slowing down and moving south.

Its still playing havoc with the electricity - and one of the local tv stations went off the air for about 20 minutes. Pretty crazy but totally awesome!!

changing seasons

it has been pretty foggy the past few days, especially at night. Today is a bright clear day, but the chill of Fall is definately in the air. It has been a very full summer and I am ready for the slowdown that Fall brings with it. The one downside to this is that I am not sure I can force myself to brave the icy cold water to surf, even with a wetsuit. I guess I will have to pursue a tropical destination soon!

Tourists say the darndest things

"When I grow up, I want to be a surf bum!" (start saving now kid!)

"Does the sun set like that every day?" (well, yeah - it sets everyday, but its kind of different each day...)

"Do you have a bowling alley or mini golf here?" (uhhh dude, look around, we barely have a town here)

"Why does the water come up so high sometimes, what makes it do that?" (that would be primarily the moon)

flickr pix & some updates

loaded some new pix up on Flickr - 1/2 were taken on a roadtrip I took with friends along the Big Sur coast Sunday which was a beautiful funny sunny day that left me with almost no voice at all from singing, rapping and generally yelling random crazy things at the top of my lungs for the heck of it and a stomach that ached from laughing so hard - the other half are random "U" shots I have taken here and there over the past few months. Most of the posted Big Sur pix are actually the handy work of a friend - who has a great photog eye, and who initially tried to help me up the gravelly hill to get the shots myself, but upon realizing it was me, who has been "miss graceful" this year, we just decided that he should take my camera and take them, good thing too, they are lovely and it is nice to have a different perspective.

I have been working a lot, trying to establish myself at the new job, there is just so much to learn and perhaps in my quest to insure diligence and attention, I have been a little too focused. I thought I would have all this extra time, and in some ways I do (catching up on laundry during the day, etc) but in some ways there is even less time. For example, I can't remember the last time I was able to log into and actually chat on IM, since my new job has an internal one they have us use and I don't really have personal chats with them, just business. I have also been doing a fair amount of side work and just trying to catch up on loose ends as possible, so hopefully I will find the right balance sooner than later. But it is still just WAY less stressful than the last place.

In the free time I have been able to create, it has been an incredible summer, full of so many fun random adventures that I often forgot to take pictures and sometimes didn't even know and/or remember to bring my camera, so there just haven't been that many pictures this year. We had a beach bonfire at least once almost every weekend this summer (excluding road trips to the bay area for work and family gatherings) I golfed a lot, spent a lot of time walking the beach and in the water surfing and boogie boarding, caught up with old friends from home, made treasured new ones unexpectedly, made peace with difficult things from the past and myself, learned so much, created a ton of artwork, attended many tasty BBQ's, just hung out, entertained many "framily" visitors and general tourists, tasted and consumed so much great wine my mouth might be permanently stained purple - essentially, whenever possible I have been outside and truly living my life. It feels full, rich, happy and I don't have the words to convey my gratitude.

As much as I am a sun girl and love the summer, I can just start to feel the stirrings of fall in the air and am looking forward to it, both because it is a beautiful time of year and because the tourists will finally go back to where they came from and give us our town back. But also because fall is the best time of year here for sunsets (and thus sunset pictures) they are gorgeous and set right into the ocean.

And, if I get the new house I just applied to rent, I will have an (only slightly obstructed) ocean view from the deck and will be only a short block to the pier, beach and heart of town. This would be epic for so many reasons...taking pictures, walking to town, (walking home if consuming adult beverages) a better set up for working from home, a kitchen I can actually cook in...so much goodness! I do love the little hobbit house on the creek, but honestly less so now that I am in it 10 hours a day working and have been in it for over 2 years. plus, I have already done the creek living, the mountain living, I can live that way and there are things about it that appeal to me, but I am kind of over it at the moment, I want electricity and plumming that work right regularly, I want a kitchen that allows me to create delicious meals, I want less spiders, less wild vegetation taking over my yard, less icky things that live in my laundry shed that i don't want to think about too much...ya know!?

I'll keep you posted =)

Happy Birthday MTV - 25 years!

Dude! 25 years? I so remember the launch of MTV, it was like the greatest thing to ever happen, music television, music videos, a whole channel made just for me and my friends - and we watched it almost constantly, somehow at that age, it didn't get old seeing the same things over and over. I lived for martha and MTV news, news I cared about, again seemingly just for me. Those were the days...Happy Birthday MTV!

it all happened on willow creek

ok, seriously - the weirdest stuff happens at my house!

so about a month ago, very late one night, I had two friends over and as we were sitting around my livingroom chatting, I hear a womans voice cry out "please help me, I need help!" I leap out of my seat and go to the door to find this chick bawling and kind of freaking out. Turns out she lives in town but was driving from visiting family in the valley and her car broke down a little ways from my house. We get no cell signal on this road, so she couldn't reach her husband for help. I agreed to take her home and only realized when pulling back into my driveway that she left her car in the middle of the road! There are no streetlights and people hall ass on that road, someone is going to hurt. So, not knowing what else to do, we grabbed a super flashlight to shine on the car should someone drive up and called the police to have it towed out of harms way. Before the police could arrive the woman and her husband finally showed back up and we all helped to move the car off to the side of the road. - so random

then, I come home on a sunday evening about 2 weeks ago, after being at the beach all day and there are two sherrif cars blocking my driveway - my first thought is "uh-oh someone broke into my house again" then i notice a car pulled to the side of the road so I figure they are arresting someone for DUI or something. The officer (who is my neighbor and who helped me when I did get robbed) apologies profusely for blocking me and askes if I would mind parking down the road until they are done...2 hours later they finally left.

then today, as I am walking out to get my mail, this dude just walks up and says "excuse me maam, I am so sorry to bother you but my girlfriend and I are staying at the RV park down the street, trying to find a place to move here and we ran out of water, could we pull up the RV and borrow your hose, I will gladly pay you." I have to say this really goes down as one of the stranger requests I have ever received. It seemed the neighborly/good samaritan thing to do to say yes, so I did. And he and his girlfriend are out there now filling up the water tank.

Apparently there is a sign somewhere above my house that I can't see that says "hey, stop here." so random, so funny!

found

azhiaziam lost...wandering i wonder

the paths left behind - they had their time

but reminded, thick foggy memories shifted dimensions and destinations

for a moment the compass spun

i forgot to find the sun

those who love me let me see

those new trails we blaze by land and by sea

simple unexpected moments of joy

grains of sand thru the hand

mates of soul those in the know

eye to eye so much in the ride

in and out goes the tide

the right ones by my side

i am home

thank goodness for monday

I don't think I would survive an additional weekend day, I am worn out!

It began Friday evening with one of my friends calling and screaming my name into the phone with pure joy and following up with "i'm at 'the office' and we are having adult beverages, all our friends are here, you gotta come down!!" That is a hard invitation to pass up.

What he failed to mention was the tourist to local ratio (with this crazy heatwave we have been totally inundated with visitors trying to get cool - it is like we tripled our population -at least- overnight and it has been quite a challenge to get anywhere, to park, or even to be most places - we are a really small town and we just aren't set up for long term, large quantities of vistors) and our little bar just doesn't hold that many people well, so we didn't stay long.

Instead, we gathered a bunch of folks and created a pretty delicious impromptu BBQ - which included rice, salad, chicken and sausages. Yuuuuummmmmmmeeee! In fact, the only downside was that at some point my cellphone became a casualty, we still don't really know what happened, only that it worked fine up until around 9pm, and then later when I went to use it, none of the keys on the keypad would work except for the off and on switch. I can answer incoming calls, turn it off and on, but thats it - so it is being replaced with a working one ASAP.

Saturday morning, I met up with several friends and took my new surfboard out into the water for the first time - she is such a beautiful board, seafoam metallic underside and rails - 9 foot walden wahinie longboard with a beautiful hawaiian floral design on deck and I freakin' loved it. I got lots of pointers from the pro's which helped a lot. I can already catch my own waves and was already easily surfing on my knees, but I can't stand up just yet. Pretty epic! There were two other newbies in our group and they did awesome - one of them was standing by Sunday - it was such a beautiful 'family' surf day, followed by much merriment on the beach until we were all just too sunned and surfed out.

Oh and I cannot forgot our beach bonfire Saturday night, we regrouped after a late afternoon respite and it was truly lovely. It was a warm evening for us, perfectly clear - the stargazing was delightful, there were lots of locals out that stopped for a while to say hello every now and again, and our little core group was out there for a good 4 hours. We really could have stayed there all night. We roasted marshmellows, melted glass in the bonfire, walked the starlit beach, made wishes on falling stars, laughed out loud a bizzilion times and talked about how much we cherish this place and each other.

However, despite all the 'cumbaya' lets be clear about one thing - every muscle in my body hurts right now and until I get back into true longboard surf shape and can comfortably carry my board from parking to beach and back - golf before surfing is going to be key, because golf after surfing: pretty damn painful. Yeah, a friend called for a spur of the moment golf game yesterday afternoon and of course I said yes, it was golf! But that first stroke - wow, all those muscles I worked surfing the day before are the same ones screaming while back swinging...It was not my best game, thats for sure, but still a blast.

Then after golf yesterday, we went to get some Thai food and grabbed a bottle of wine and headed to the beach for sunset. That too was just lovely, beautiful colors melting into the sky, delicious noodles, fabulous wine, and great company (in fact that pretty much sums up the whole weekend - fun, beauty, nature, and community) When the 20 scary cultlike people showed up, we decided to bail and take a motorcycle ride up the coast, hiked the bluffs and then stopped off at 'the office' to say hello to some friends. The ride was so much fun but when I went to dismount I hit my bare leg on the tailpipe (because apparently I am not capable of going a whole week without bruising or burning myself right now for some unknown reason - aack!!) that part was not so much fun, but it at least looks like it is going to heal nicely. Lesson learned : if you are going to go on a motorcycle wear freakin pants, not shorts - no matter how hot it is!

After all that, I managed to get home and asleep by midnight, but this morning it felt more like I had been up for 3 days straight! :O)

See why I am glad it's monday - a day of work but also a respite from the many weekend adventures! Seriously, I feel so blessed, I am so living the best dream!! :O) Happy Monday!!

Where is that girl? Many updates...

Well, I am still settling into the new job and trying to create some type of routine I can plan around. I have been to the bay area 4 times in the past month, which in some ways has been great but also I am a little sick of driving, being in the car generally and of not sleeping in my own bed.

This will be only my second full week of working at home. I do however, really like the new job, the team is made up of a group of very talented folks that have been really nice. I am struggling a little with learning all the new internal stuff, but feeling more competent as each day passes. Since making the transition, the reduction of day to day stress in my life is definately the biggest bonus.

In my free time when actually home I have been golfing like a doctor, surfing like I'm sponsored, walking the beach barefoot as often as possible and just started Tai Chi classes again. Always the busy girl, and now that I work at home, I have a strong urge to be out of the house in my off time.

4th of July here this year was beyond fabulous, although the thousands of people who came to visit for the occasion were a little hard to deal with. Tourists, we love them, and we don't...but seriously, the sand castle contest was really cool this year, lots of great entries, the parade had a great turn out, lots of parade folks and lots of spectators. I actually got to be in the parade this year, which was so much fun, a totally different perspective than watching it from the sides - mostly that there are so many people that come to watch and line the streets, it was amazing. I enjoyed throwing candy out to the many kids along the parade route and seeing so many people smiling and waving. The only drawback is that when you are in the parade, you don't get to see as much of the people parading, so I wouldn't want to do it every year. The fireworks were great this year too, and not as many people set off their illegal ones on the beach so there was a lot less smoke to deal with and a much better view.

The weather has been wacky - the first two weeks of June were gorgeous, no gloom in sight and then it came back with a vengence and has been pretty gloomy through the rest of June and most of July so far (it was pretty clear on the 4th though). Now we are having monsoon weather, so even though in the valley just an hour or so away it is over 100, it has been raining here off and on all day, mostly cloudy but not as chilly as it normally would be when raining, staying at about 70 degrees. It actually reminds me of Hawaii, now if the water would warm up so we didn't have to wear wetsuits, well that would be paradise!

Lastly, I did post a few new pictures on Flickr since my last blog post, so check them out if you haven't noticed yet, and would like to. I have'nt been taking as many pictures lately, but I do have a few I need to get onto the computer and out to Flickr, and will soon post those and start shutterbugging again.

So thats the latest public news. Hope you are all having a good summer! :O)

alive and well

What with leaving the old job, sneaking in a little R&R time and jumping head first into the new job, there hasn't been much "spare" time for anything, let alone blogging. So this is just a quick post to say hello and that I should be posting more regularly soon. Hope all of you are well! :O)

Multiple identities - memory lanes

Those of us in front of a computer all day with internet access most likely have at least one instant messenger client open at all times - in my case I often have at least 3 open - since I have needed IM to communicate with team members in meetings and located remotely and have never worked anywhere that there has been an enforced standard. Of course I also use it to chat with friends and family on occasion too. Typically, as soon as I start a new job I create IM accounts specific to that job, across mutiple applications - so I can stay focused on current work and keep the side chatting to a minimum.

Since I will be starting my new job soon, I began the process of creating new IM accounts and while doing so, realized that I already have an account that would be perfect for this role - I just had to remember the login info. I couldn't remember my password, or when I had used this account last, but once I got logged in, wow. It was created in 1999, for a job I had for barely 6 months during the dotbomb era and it still had all of my "contacts" from that time and account listed - (mostly old co-workers) some of them, because they are only "screen names" I can 't even remember...so many thoughts of things that haven't crossed my mind for years.

One screen name was a bit of a surprise though, I didn't realize it was still being used but it allowed me to say hello to an old friend, who was probably pretty surprised as well! :O)

My futures so bright...I have to wear shades

I received an incredible job offer yesterday and I have accepted. Although I will be working for a company in the bay area, I will be able to work from home 95% of the time, the work is good, the people are nice, the hours are reasonable, the money is fabulous and I am so excited. Now I just have to tender my resignation at my current job, something that feels a little scary to do...Hopefully they will recognize that this is a dream job offer, too good for anyone to pass up and wish me well. It has been a really challenging few years, I am extremely grateful for the good things that seem to be flowing my way. Wishing all of you, dreams come true! :O)

Addition to: my new baby

I forgot a few details:

The "new baby" has a black exterior with charcoal leather interior and it does look pretty damn good on me :O)

I am particularly excited about the fact that the seats that warm up because I am so often cold in the mornings and evenings here.

Giving up the little honda is a bit hard to do, although I was really ready for a new car, I did get attached to the old one, it is so full of memories, some of them very special and precious to me, but luckily I will have those always in my heart, so I can let the little honda go...I think :O)

priceless

brand new car - $27,000.00
replacing already lost brand new car key - $125.00
laughing at yourself with friends - priceless

meet my new baby

ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my new baby, I am sooooo in love:



Cute, huh!?


the car I am replacing was a snap decision used car purchase, bought soley for practicality and was only ever supposed to be an 8 month commuter car just to help me save gas until I could move closer to the job I had at the time - that was 1998. The "little ghetto civic" as it is affectionately known, now has over 160,000 miles, has been broken into 3 times, was almost totalled in an accident, is full of memories, needs more work than I want to pay for at this point, and has an identity crisis trying to decide if it is a race car or a truck. It has been good to me but it is time to let it go. I already have a buyer for it, and I really love the new black beauty, but I still feel a little sad thinking about giving it up, but hey it is going to a really nice kid who will take good care of it.

The brand new car, although practical, is also somewhat of a luxury. I have never even really considered buying a brand new car, the whole losing value as soon as you drive off the car lot thing...but this is both form and function. I decided as long as I was going big, I might as well go huge, so I got the special edition with the extras, and since its new and interest rates are decent, it will end up costing about the same as a used one, so bonus for me.

Sunshine!

The drenching we have been getting is finally beginning to disappate, the proof is that I actually have a slight sunburn on my face! We have had something like 30 days straight with either little or no sun and plenty of rain, so I am just more than ready for a warm spring and hot summer. Bring it on!

Today is supposed to be 75 degrees and clear and it is doing wonders for my general disposition! I love the sunshine. I can see why people once worshipped the sun with all its golden glorious blazing. If I could, I would be playing on a beach somewhere sipping mimosa's and watching the waves, the surfers and the tourists and thinking how truly blessed I am to live here.

Wishing you bright sunny days ahead! :O)

smile!

I went to see an orthodontist today, because ever since my car accident a few years ago I have noticed that one of my front teeth has been slowly moving out of place. My regular dentist suggested I have it checked out to make sure there isn't something more serious going on. It turns out that it was very good advice, because it could eventually lead to nerve damage if untreated.

But, in order to correct the problem, I am going to have to get braces, as soon as possible. Braces...I am getting close to 40 years old and I am going to have braces like a freakin' teenager - As it is, I get carded now almost every time I go out, somehow I think this is going make it worse.

My brother is going to be so amused, he had to wear full braces for a few years as a teenager, and was quite irritated that I never needed them too. The funny thing is that when I was younger, I really wanted braces, because in my total stupidity, I actually thought it might make me cuter, since it seemed like the most pretty and popular girls had braces. But I got over it, and seeing what my poor brother had to go through, I was pretty glad that I hadn't needed them afterall. It never occurred to me that I would "get my chance" as an adult!

What is not yet known is if the ceramic braces will suffice or if I have to go full metal bracket...I suspect there may be a lot less smiling for a year or so if ceramic won't do the trick. Ultimately it is the difference between Braceface and Metalmouth, because I am pretty sure that I am not getting through this one without some serious teasing.

Smile!

Rain, Sleet & SNOW!

I knew there was a big strom brewing, so I decided to rent an SUV for safety to drive up to attend the funeral. I left about 7 am, and was literally taken aback at how cold it was when I walked outside. I live barely a block from the beach and was only about a mile away when I realized it wasn't rain or hail sticking to the car, but freakin snow flakes! I started looking around to notice layers of snow on the ground between the orange trees. Slush started building up on the road in front of me and I just couldn't quite believe it!

I pulled over and got a shot of the snow falling and beginning to fill up a field. The temp gauge on the rearview mirror read 32 degrees!

Then, it mostly cleared up for a while but about 30 minutes later I came across several inches of snow everywhere I looked. I got some shots of that too (and will post all pics when I can) I had to get pictures, no one would believe that it was fully snowing in the coastal valleys of California, I barely believe it and I was right in the middle.

It was very lovely and peaceful. probably only because its so rare, but it sure was a beautiful view and a nice little surprise for a long and kind of sad drive. I used to go to the snow with my grandparents a lot, and I had them on my mind with the passing of my uncle, and it just seemed sort of appropriate, if completely out of the ordinary!
:O)

R.I.P. Uncle Otis

My Uncle Otis passed away this week and I am heading up to the funeral services tommorrow. Otis was just a great guy, I loved to listen to him talk with the heavy Boston accent he never lost despite living most of his adult life in California. He made me feel so special, so loved and seemed to delight in becoming my substitute grandfather when mine passed away when I was 3. I sadly realize today that I don't know nearly enough about him, and still had about 8 million questions to ask him about my grandparents. Yet, one thing that I keep thinking about is how full and happy and long his life seemed to be. I suspect that he is a larger influence than I realize and may become one of many fabulous people I aspire to emulate. So, if you are so inclined, please take a moment to wish a good thought to his friends and family - and remember to ask and tell your loved ones the important things, while you can.

peace and love! - me

my brother is just the best

I have been meaning to post these for way too long now - my sweet brother sent me these gorgeous flowers for my birthday and these are the pictures I took of them

Thank you Brother Bear, they were a wonderful, unbelievably thoughful, unexpected surprise!!!

big bad ugly

One of the greatest joys of an office stiff is to find that we have been granted the almost holy three day weekend. With all of our advancements in technology, why we haven't all moved to the four day work week, I cannot comprehend! But I digress.

Day 1 - big bad ugly, target, tour:

I was asked if I would be willing to video tape a surf contest on saturday that is called "the big bad ugly" it is called this because the weather usually really sucks this time of year, and the waves at this one spot do get pretty tall.

So I got my ass up at like 6am - which really is a crime on a weekend morning and dragged myself to get hot drinks before heading over to meet my friends and get to work filming. Although rediculously cold, it was a surprisingly clear and sunny sky, especially considering that the weather guesser said it would rain all day.

After filming for a few hours, the storm began blowing in around us, the clear sky gave way to thick dark clouds crowding in and we could actually see the rain falling out on the ocean horizon. When BAM, insane gusts of wind that were almost too much to stand safely in, huge raindrops that we realized were actually hail upon closer inspection, and just all manor of chaos seemed to just explode out of the sky.

Scrambling to get the electronic equipment out of the water and into a dry place while remaining upright, wrestling with my umbrella against the wind and trying not to fall into a puddle was probably quite a sight, however, it was when the wind brutally ripped the umbrella out of my hand, lifted it high over the spectating crowd and then into the ocean right where the surf competition was happening, that everyone is STILL talking about...

So, fully drenched, wind whipping my wet hair into my face, I made the executive decision to get the hell out of there and told my friend to meet me at my house. We tracked heavy, sandy mud everywhere while trying to get into the house, out of the weather, out of the wet clothes and into dry clothing!

It was at this point that we realized it was only 10:30 in the morning! So, we decided it was a good day for a shopping day at "tarjjjaaay" (Target) but on the way, it began to hail again and we noticed there was actual snow in our hills and we decided to stop at the local restaurant to get something to eat, take pictures of the rare snowy hillside and let the storm pass. It was there that we ran into one of the owners, who is also a friend, and is in the process of building a new business very near to the Target store (about 30 minutes away). We mentioned we were planning a trip out there as soon as we finsihed lunch and invited us to stop by the new place and take a tour of the progress they have made.

They are opening the new place on St. Patrick's Day - appropriate since it is an Irish Pub & Grill. After several hours in Target, a few hundred dollars lighter, and many cabinets heavier, we stuffed everything into the trunk and went to get some dinner. The restaurant we chose is right next to the new place, so we stopped in as soon as we finished eating.

The new place is very cool, it has an antique bar, sidewalk seating, a huge covered outdoor dancefloor and stage, a patio with fire pits and there is just a generally good vibe to place. Add that the owners have been good friends to me, good customers of my side business and have been working night and day to open on time, and it was hard not to be terribly excited for them.

Truthfully, I feel honored that they have shared so much of their dream with me. It was about a year ago that they told me how they have always wanted to own an Irish Pub and then in mid December that they told me that had purchased a new place and that they wanted me to help them. I did a walk through of the building when they closed escrow and here we are less than a month away from the grand opening.

That was day one of the three day weekend!

Day 2 - putter, build, build, build, organize

So, I spent Sautrday building the new shelves I had purchased the day before. My house is very old and the rooms are fairly small, my kitchen us an odd very narrow room with a tiny ancient stove, horribly dark and poorly designed cabinets, faded wood paneling walls, saved only barely by a beautiful bay window that has shelves built in for growing plants indoors at the end closest to the front of the house.

The shelves will serve multiple puposes, storage, decoration, hiding the hideous walls and lightening the room up a bit. It took me all day to put them all together and to get everything I had taken out of the kitchen back in, but I did manage to get it all done. I am quite pleased with the results so far, and very much looking forward to having more time to continue my early spring cleaning.

Day 3 - nada - tea, read a book - fabulous!

It is very rare that I allow myself to just "do nothing," it seems there is a never ending list of things I am always behind on at any given moment. But I decided to think of Monday as a "free" day. It was still pretty cold, but very clear and sunny. I drove into town and got a hot tea and then took out a new book and parked myself on the breaker wall on the beach and read for about 3 hours. It was just so lazy and lovely, and seemed so decadent. As always in a town so small, I ran into several firends and aquaintences along the way and ended up going in to our little bar to have an adult beverage and an appetizer with a couple of friends.

I was home by 5:30pm and decided to make a big batch of chicken tortellini soup, since it seemed like the perfect end to a slightly chilly day. When finished, I ate a big bowl and watched Sunday night TV and promptly fell asleep on the couch!

It was definately one of the nicest, most relaxing weekends I have had in a long time. Again, why can't we go to the four day workweek?

Ciao!

Things in my pocket

Recently, I have unconsciously started the habit of folding things up and placing them into one of my pockets, most often my jeans. By itself, this isn't so bad, especially when its money, it's like your washing machine becomes the magical ATM, but moments ago I made a grim discovery. I was placing my hands into my back pockets as I began a chat with a co-worker and my fingers encountered a papery substance that I then pulled out. I discovered a condensed wad of been through the machine pressed and dried pulp. At first, I chuckled and thought, "oh look, I have accidentally washed something!" and then the realization hit, "oh shit, what did I wash!?"

I conduct a fair amount of my side business networking in my non office hours, and often get potential client phone numbers and email addresses via small pieces of paper that are easily found to scribble quickly on. I do this so often, that I literally have absolutely no idea what or who may have been on this little mashed up wad. Just the deduction alone of trying to figure out, when I last wore these particular jeans prior to washing them will take many more minutes than I have in any given day.

A few times, when this has occasionally happened on the past, I have been fortunate enough to have been able to ever so carefully seperate the pressed sheets and if the implement was a ballpoint pen, recover what was written. The item I found today, sadly, is unrecoverable. The overwhelming feeling that I have lost something important is drving me a little crazy but the idea that I may let a client down or have lost precious business is just making me ill. Argh!! Yet another bad habit I must conquer! :O)

What really floors me about this is that I can't seem to get the most basic cleansing of the most superficial spots on my clothing in my washing machine, yet a carefully folded piece of paper trapped inside of two pieces of clothing comes out pristine.

Unfreakingbelievable!

I wish you love

Happy Valentines Day!

the extra large football game

At first, it was a little hard for me to get excited about a superbowl that did not include the Raiders, but I found reasons to support the teams that were going.

Seattle is near and dear to my heart, my Aunt and her family live there and I have visited many times. In fact, I was there visiting a few years ago when they demolished the old superdome, making way for the new one, which seems to have inspired the team.

And Pittsburg is a neighbor to the town where my Stepdad grew up, and he is passionate about the Steelers. My stepdad is a really cool guy, and there isn't much that he really gets excited about, so I was just excited for him.

So, I went into the game feeling like it would be nice if either team won, and it would be a little sad for the losing team. It was a decent game, and I was correct, it was good that the Steelers won and a little sad that Seattle didn't. But the real bummer, is how much controversy has been flying around since. I have seen many stories about how the rules need to change, that Seattle got robbed, that Pittsburg should feel a hollow victory, etc. Since I would have been happy either way, I feel impartial - yes there were some questionable calls, but I am not a referee and I don't have access to the video footage they do, so I have to trust them to do their best. It isn't good for anybody, to Monday morning referee. Instead, why not focus on how to make improvements going forward.

Like making sure the Raiders are at the Super Bowl next year - heh heh :)

When I grow up, I want to be him

The Dali Lama seems to me to be the most peaseful and truly joyful man. Just looking at the happiness radiating in his face makes me smile. I would love to have that serenity and that kind of pure joy.

Why I live here

I woke up yesterday morning in a quiet mood, wanting to do something other than stay at home, but not up for much interaction with others. It seemed like a good Sunday for breakfast, so I called my best friend and asked her if she felt like meeting me. We went to a nicer place that has Sunday brunch past 11am, complete with a grand piano and player and mimosa's. Since were close to my favorite hiking spot, we decided to head out there and do a little walking. It was just an amazing day out there, partly sunny, partly foggy, very still and calm, and so full of beautiful colors, almost every shade of blue, green and grey one could imagine. We walked along the bluff for a while and then found a spot to just kick back and watch the waves - which were huge and spraying water everywhere as it hit the rocks ashore. All told we were probably out there for about 3 hours, and it was just so good for the soul.

Next we decided to drive out to a spot on the other side of the county where you can take a back road out to a cliff that looks out over the entire county in every direction, it was breathtaking. Even with the fog rolling in, there was an incredible beauty to being surrounded by and slightly above marshmellowy clouds. It felt a little bit like stepping into heaven. (see picture above) I think in the future though, it might be better to make that trip in a four wheel drive, as opposed to a Honda Civic. :)

Next we stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get some salad and other items to complete what I had at home to make dinner. To my shock, it was only 5:30pm when I got home. We did all that I described above, and all the driving in between in like 5 hours, and it felt like I had been to 2 different countries. Just one of many reasons that I love living here, that you can do so much, see so much, have so many adventures, in just one day. :)

Holy Canoli!

How did it get to be the end of January already? Time hasn't just been flying, its been evaporating! This will be the first weekend in several that I don't have family visiting, I am not away visiting family or that I am not too ill to go anywhere. I feel like if I blink, its going to be Christmas again already, and I will have no idea how I got to 2007.

I had intended to take a real vacation during the week between Christmas and New Year. You know, the kind where you actually go away, somewhere relaxing and maybe even tropical, with those fancy umbrella beverages and really tan smiling people wandering around...But although I had time off from the office, I had been given good reason to believe that I had better use that time to find new ways to generate income and certainly shouldn't spend any more money...So I didn't go away.

On the bright side, just not commuting to and going into the office was a nice little break, and I somehow managed to stay fairly cheerful even with the threat of losing my job upon returning. On the less bright side, it does not appear that I was given the correct facts which is mostly a blessing but also a bit of a bummer (all things considered), and I find myself fully embedded back into the daily grind without the benefit of a much needed and dreamed about get-a-way.

Which is probably why I got so frelling sick as soon as I returned to work, a person can only do and take so much before the body says "uncle"! This is a nasty flu that's been going around, it lasts a good couple of weeks, so make sure you are taking your vitamins and washing your hands.

As always, I still managed to experience the interesting. I'll have to go all the way back to December 1 to catch it all up, since I wasn't very diligent in recording the holiday events this year.

Annual Holiday Parade:
I think this was the most festive and definitely held the most true holiday feeling I had all season. There is something good about wrapping up, standing outside among your community, drinking hot chocolate, singing cheesy songs and watching little kids have a blast. It was however, really cold, so we were about to call it an evening when we ran into some friends, which led to a fun night out, where I ran into several more people I know, met some very nice new folks and re-connected with a friend from college I didn't even know lived here. It was all just very holiday.

Annual Lighted Boat Parade:
I love the boat parade, it is probably my favorite holiday happening, but certainly one of them. It was little this year, not very many boats, but still so beautiful to watch the lights glide across the water. We tried something new this year, and went to a small wine and cheese event a local wine shop was putting on that has a large window right on the water parade path. It was fun, and the people were very nice, but I felt a little too removed from it all. Much like going to a baseball game and sitting in a luxury box, you are just too far away from the real action. Next year, I think we will have to go back to outdoor viewing.

Annual Locals Holiday Party:
I think its quite safe to say that a good time was had by all. There was much merriment, dancing and local bonding. There is video evidence, 2 hours of blackmail worthy footage, and I somehow ended up getting volunteered to edit it - since I am one of the few people who has a clue about what should be removed to protect the innocent and the wicked for that matter. I can safely say that if it were to get out in its present state, I am safe, as I was both only drinking lightly and was wisely avoiding the camera like the plague :)

Christmas with the family:
It was nice to be home at Christmas and to be with my family. As always, every plan changed, chaos ruled and drama occurred, and yet, it was still lovely. I felt like I actually got to spend some real quality time with each set of parents, with my brother and with my grandma. Grandma is really losing it now, she can't remember what my name is or how I am related to her, but she seems to still be able to recognize that she knows and loves me, at least. It is a sad disease in many ways, but I have to say that she seems generally happy, doesn't seem to miss what she is missing and that is a comfort.

Two gifts that I received were really special to me and must be mentioned:
a) my great grandmothers pasta maker from Italy
b) the epic "rock star" suit I have been begging my father to give me for 20+ years

New Years Eve:
I decided that NYE was the most perfect occasion to wear the jacket of the epic rock star suit mentioned above. It is amazing how a piece of clothing can create a feeling, something about that jacket is truly magical and that is how I felt wearing it. It is not so much that any one thing particularly special happened, it was just a whole evening of joyful occurences. I love that end of the year, new beginning feeling, it is the best!

Last, but not least, my birthday:
I was still pretty ill and just not feeling very festive about it this year and even with that, my friends and family made it very special. My brother sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers that just made my day, my co-workers took me out for a great lunch, both sets of parents got a visit in and some friends kidnapped me to champagne brunch on the following Sunday. What more could a girl ask for!!

And on that note, I am signing off and heading out to my weekend. Have a great weekend all!!

Happy New Year and all that

Happy New Year!!

I haven't posted much because I took a vacation from work between Christmas and New Years Day, it was good to have a break, its been a while since I have taken time off. Then my parents were down here visiting and I got the flu the second day they were here and have been more or less down for the count since, so I haven't been on the computer much in the past 2+ weeks, for the first time in years! But, I think maybe it was good to take a break from it too :O)

I haven't really made any resolutions, but I do have high hopes for this year and a few tentative plans for things I would like to accomplish. So, cheers - here's hoping its the beginning of a great new year for all and that all our hopes and dreams come true!