Birthday Christmas

I had a really nice Christmas this year. It started out with The Boy's birthday, tho, as that comes first (Dec 23.) That was not as nice. His girlfriend took him out to breakfast with his friends, and I asked if he could come back and stick around for most of the day, because his grandparents, etc., might want to call him on his birthday. He said sure.

Then he left for breakfast around noon and didn't even call until 5. I was SO mad at him. I had started getting angry around 3. I just like people to do what they say they're going to do. When he got home, I asked why he said he'd stick around and then didn't even try. He said he'd been playing monopoly and lost track of time. I said that would be a good excuse for a few hours, but not 5.

When we went to dinner at Chilis, I got back at him by telling our waitress that it was his birthday, so that they all came and sang at him and clapped at him and gave him a chocolate shake. He hates that. Ha!

I spent all evening feeling acute pangs of disappointment at how he's turned out. I keep wanting to think he's grown up and dependable now, but he keeps proving me wrong. The next morning I reminded myself that my happiness cannot depend on the actions of others, or I'll really be in trouble.

We went to D's for dinner on Christmas Eve, and it was so delicious. She made jambalaya, and I was so full that I felt sleepy in church.

The next day we opened our presents. I was surprised to get a gift from Sister #2 that I'd given her last year - a cute little Karma kit. She never even opened it! I was kindof offended at first, but then I thought that since it's karma, maybe it SHOULD come back to me! What goes around comes around. In that vein, I'm giving it back to her for her birthday.

People told us they were cutting back this year, but mostly we didn't notice it. We got some very thoughtful gifts. Not as many as some years, but at this point in our lives we don't need any more filler presents. No more Christmas decorations, no knick knacks please.

There wasn't as much clean-up afterwards, and for me, no post-present malaise.

It was great.

How about you?

Good news and bad news

The good news is I got a call from the Dr. today - it was just a cyst, not cancer.

The bad news is that I got a letter in the mail - I didn't get the job.

All in all, I'd rather have my health than the job, so it's all good.


Happy Holidays!

Holly days

Things are always busy around the holidays, so you'd think I'd be used to that by now. Last week I was involved in classes for my seasonal tax job, while at the same time attending holiday parties, mammogram appointments, and an interview for another job.

This week I shipped out our Christmas packages, and had to go for a second mammogram, and then a biopsy. Crap! It wasn't pleasant, and I hope I never have to do that again. Mostly I hope I won't have to go through this every year, as this is the second time I've had to go back for a second mammogram. I'd be more worried, but this is about the third time Kaiser has called me back because of suspect lab or xray results. The first time was the worst, as I was pregnant with The Boy and they told me I had to "come back and see if you have cancer."

So Kaiser is very careful, and that's a good thing. But meantime, I'm not really worrying about it. I'm firmly in denial and plan to stay here unless something forces me to leave.

I did have one meltdown, one Friday ago. As room rep for The Girl's 6th grade class, I'm in charge of the holiday party. For over a week I'd been trying to get a copy of an "approved" letter to send the parents. That day I'd FINALLY found the web site, but there were no letters in the place they'd told me it was! I had to go to class/interview, and it was exactly one week before the party! How was I going to get the #@#$#@ letter to the parents in time to collect enough money to cover the party???? Argh!!!!!

Luckily my dear hubby helped me out. I sat down and wrote my own #@$@ letter and gave it to him to go to the school, make copies, and give it to the teacher to give the students. Luckily, the strict office lady was in a good mood and helped him with it, and my letter passed muster. I think the most important thing was that the letter clearly stated that donations were voluntary.

So yesterday we had the party in question. Hubby helped me schlep stuff to the classroom, and that was really helpful too. I collected just enough money to buy all the toppings the Girl specified, plus a nice gift card for the teacher. ($50!) We served ice cream with an assortment of toppings, and the kids really liked it. Then the teacher turned them loose to PE to help use up all their sugar-rush energy.

Last night the girl scout troop the Girl is in helped make a Christmas party for some girls at a foster home. It seems their regular sponsor dropped out due to cutbacks or something, so the girl scouts stepped in to help out. It went really nicely.

Now I can relax for awhile, altho I still have some classes to complete for my seasonal tax job. I can take them online though, so it's not so bad. Plus I have a few presents to wrap. I don't have a lot to give this year, but I tried to give generously of whatever I do have.

Hopefully I'll get some good news before Christmas. I could sure use it.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving this year was really nice - better than last year, when the Boy had to leave after dinner to go work. This year he was home from college a few days before the feast, and it was good to have him home. Suddenly he appreciates good food and hot showers without wearing flip flops!

As usual, I tried to see if I could cut a dish from the full traditional menu (stuffing), but the family again insisted on having everything. The Girl helps more every year. This year she made sweet potato pie all by herself and mashed potatoes too. The boy helped by washing the potatoes and emptying the dishwasher. Without complaining! This alone was a big improvement over the last few years living with him!

Our traditional feast consists of:

garlic turkey (turkey cooks in bag, roasting the garlic below it in its juices mixed with white wine)
mashed potatoes
cranberry relish (I make mine a spicy salsa, but I'm the only one who eats cranberries)
sweet potato pie (we also like the casserole with marshmallows on top)
broccoli cheese casserole (the secret is buttered pumpernickel or rye crumbs on top)
stuffing (two boxes mixed with cooked hot sausage, mushrooms, and onion)
crescent rolls
gravy (with a roasted garlic flavor, yum!)
roasted garlic (spread it on the rolls!)

I experimented with using the meat thermometer this year, and the turkey came out to be my moistest turkey ever! Now you know all my secrets!

I don't usually make any dessert, but I'd made a good batch of pumpkin cupcakes a few days before, and they were very tasty.

I'll post the recipe for them on my recipe website soon.

The next two days we had a huge yard sale. It was really a blow out of our storage unit, which we suddenly decided we can't afford anymore. I think it might be a sign of the times, because K said he saw lots of other people emptying out their units too when he was there.

I met lots of nice people and many of them asked if I'd had a store. Mostly I meant to, but never fully got around to it. Plus my Mom works at a Christmas store, and has given me highly discounted collectables for years. Time to get rid of it all!

The first family showed up early the first day and walked off with lots of bargains. They bought a BIG box of stuff I never fully looked at for $25.

Saturday even better. I sold more than I'd ever at yard sale, plus I got rid of lots of stuff. One man had me change a $100 bill, and bought $6 worth of stuff. Two ladies were buying lots of presents for their church. I got to see lots of my neighbors.

Our neighbor gave me a good idea about ebay, and I think I'll do that with the stuff I ended up keeping.

The Girl had a friend come over who visited for a few days. Her dad came to get her, and started talking about the boys who are still having problems that seem to stem from the high school's basketball team - especially the last few years. We talked about the Boy, and I think I fully realized what a blessing it was that he found something else to love instead of basketball, and that it may have saved him in the end. Saved him from the kind of problems (drugs) the other boys seem to be having.

Something to be thankful for.

I can't remember ever being this "out" of money before, and it's giving me all kinds of creative ideas. Like giving away for the holidays some of the best things I didn't sell at our yard sale. Like maybe going on the Ellen show to pick up some cool giveaways for really GREAT presents. Like giving the Boy a gift certificate for paying for his cell phone the last 5 months. That's $100 he was supposed to be paying himself!

Any other ideas?

Homecoming and Round of 32

On Friday night, The Girl went with her friends to see Twilight, the much anticipated movie extravaganza. She had a lot of fun and spent the night with her friends.

Saturday, we drove down to Cal State Univ Long Beach to see The Boy and go to the game. He was really cute, showing us around and introducing us to everyone he knew. His girlfriend was there, of course.

K had said he wanted to buy stuff for Christmas, but he forgot all about it when we were there! He kept stopping to film us instead, so I called him over and reminded him. So we looked at some shirts and he said he wanted to get one for The Boy. So I held one up and asked if he thought it would fit the Boy, and he turned around and said, "Hey Boy! Do you think this will fit you?" I couldn't believe it!

We kindof walked around until the game started, and then we went into the Pyramid. Long Beach doesn't have a football team anymore, so Homecoming is for their basketball team. The team started off badly, and at one point was down 24 points! Somehow they chipped away at the difference, and finally came back and got ahead of Weber State right before the end of the game. With seconds to go, they were still up 3 points, and a guy from Weber State team hit a 3 pointer to tie up the game! He went down on the floor and pulled back his fist, like "YEAH!"

So we went into overtime, and somehow CSULB pulled out and won. That was good, because it was their homecoming and all. It was an exciting game.

I almost forgot, one of the most exiting things about the night was that they honored some prior coaches at halftime, and especially Coach Jerry Tarkanian! He is one of our favorite coaches since he was at UNLV and they called the arena the "Shark Tank" after "Tark the Shark" Tarkanian! He looks very old now, but it was such a nice surprise to see him there!

The next day K went to work early, and I carpooled to go to the Girl's game in San Bernadino. On the way there, I heard more about girls who may be quitting the team. The coach told me a long time ago this would happen. If we were winning, everyone would be happy. But you go up a level and start losing, and parents get unhappy. IMHO most of these girls in question are not that strong anyway. They played fine when we were a bracket lower, but they never stepped up their game to the higher level. It will hurt if the best girls leave, but we're not going anywhere. The girl has been on this team since the beginning, and will stay with this coach. This is a club team that is affordable, so we'll be staying unless the whole team disbands.

The game itself couldn't have been closer. We were playing a team in the same bracket from a different area, and we seemed pretty closely matched. The first half the action was in front of OUR goal much too often. The second half, we spent more time in front of their goal, but we just couldn't score. We were tied 0-0.

So we went into the kickoff phase, which I haven't seen since my son played AYSO many years ago. One by one the 5 girls from each team took their kicks, and every kick went in for both teams. So we went to the second phase, where the second five girls kick. Our second kicker kicked it right to the goalie and they made their next kick, so that was it. We lost 6-7, but the girls seemed OK with it. They had played well and come very far (round of 32), so they seemed pretty happy in the end.

Now it's basketball season!

Tough Soccer Season

This has been a tough season for the Girl's little (U12) soccer team. Last year they placed first in their bracket, so they moved up a bracket. So all season they played tougher teams, and they tried and tried, but only won one game. They tied 3 or 4, and lost the rest.

After the game last weekend, we had to confront the Girl about her drama on the field, when she has trouble breathing and drops to the ground when she's frustrated. It never happens if they're winning. It's a lot of drama, and the coach is good about it, but it happens way too often. We felt that she needs to communicate with her coach more or something, but she needs to find a better way to handle her feelings.

Saturday they needed to beat the "worst" team in the bracket to move up a spot, but instead we gave them their first win of the season. So we ended up in the same bottom spot as this other team, and will have to move (with them) back down a bracket. To me, this is not the worst thing in the world as they'll be more likely to win, and it's definitely more fun to win.

But there are people who feel that's not the point, and the Girl sure took it pretty hard. She was crying at the end of that game.

Then Sunday League Cup started, and they played 2 games. First of all, the air quality was not good because of the fires. We played in Burbank, and at 8 am we could see a brown cloud in the valley below us. I could smell the fire in the air, so I advised the girl to hit her inhaler even tho she didn't think she needs it anymore.

Secondly, I noticed a lot of grumbling from different parents. We have 16 players now, and it's good to have a good bench, but parents don't like to see their kids on the bench. One parent said that the coach is too negative, and that her daughter hasn't improved this season. So it's the coach's fault her daughter isn't improving?

Anyway, in the first game The Girl scored! It was so exciting. But then the other team tied the score. Darn.

We came back for a game at 2, and the field was now inside the brown cloud. It was also very hot. The sky looked a bit yellow, and one mother took her daughter home. We asked the refs about it, but they'd just reffed another game, so they thought it was fine. One mother asked the refs if the girls could take a water break during the game because of the weather, but the other team said no.

Why? I don't know, but they didn't seem very nice. I think they scored first with a big kick over the goalie's head from practically midfield. Then we scored and it was tied. During the second half, I went to sit in a spot of shade under a tree at the end of the field. A man was sitting there with 3 little girls, and were just hanging out for the day watching soccer games.

I was taping the game for K, and just chatting with this man when a lady from the other team walked up to the line judge near me, and pointed at us. She told him to tell us to move, as we were with the other team and were shouting instructions to the girls.

The man got his back up about this, and said, "You're one to talk! You're over there coaching from the sideline!" Truly, I hadn't even noticed her before, but clearly he had.

I was annoyed, and told the line judge, "He isn't even WITH our team! He's just over there watching a game!" as I stomped off. During all this, the ref called a handball against the other team in front of their goal, and darned if we didn't score again!

I told the coach, "You should slow the game down! Substitute a lot! (like the other coach did to us yesterday)" He told me to take it easy, as I'd already caused enough trouble for the day. (he was kidding) I laughed and noted that I'd even gotten an innocent person in trouble! And I wasn't even trying!

Anyway, the Girl's team won, and it felt really good to win. Everyone felt a lot better.

After the game I went back over to the man, and he told me his name was Mark. He was glad our team won too.

You might remember that last year the Girl's team placed first in their bracket (which was why they moved up a level), but then lost two games the next day. They went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows the very next day, and that felt really bad.

I think I preferred it the way it happened this year.

Language differences

Lately I've been thinking about language and how we use it. We noticed our next door neighbors seemed to be taking everything out of their house, and K remarked to them that they seemed to be doing a lot of work.

She nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, we replaced the house." I think this was a language gap, but I kindof liked it. We put everything in a new place - we replaced it!

Then I was listening to the TV news coverage when the fires broke out in Montecito.

Why do people say things in a complicated way when a simple word would do just as nicely? One man said they were going to "Effectuate" a plan, instead of just saying they would put a plan into effect. Then he said that another man had "endured the implications of this fire." when the fire had burned down his house! I thought that was a colorful, if not specific, way to put it.

Then the Fire Chief was the master of understatement. Reporters asked him to describe the character of the area for people outside California, and he said it was the "Riviera" of the area, with lots of homes in the hills. The reporter pressed on, asking if he could characterize the community, and the Chief said, "It's very nice."

By that he meant very expensive homes in an extremely expensive area near the ocean, with many homes in Spanish style motifs.

Election Day Fire

Election day was such a beautiful day in southern Cal. Nice and sunny, not too hot, with a slight brisk breeze in the air.

I drove to my polling spot to see how crowded it was, having seen long, long lines on TV. But it looked as it usually does - there were cars on the street, but still plenty of parking.

So I went in, and there was NO line! So I cast my vote and was on my way.

For dinner, I decided to make meatloaf. I got the idea to make it in a muffin tin, so it would come out in serving sizes. I put it on the top rack, and a cookie sheet with potatoes and the meatloaf that wouldn't fit in the muffin tin underneath.

When I went to remove it, I didn't realize that the muffin tin had been dripping oil onto the cookie sheet below, so I removed the cookie sheet first and shut the door. Then the Girl said, "Mommy! Mommy! Look!" and I looked at the oven, and it was smoking like crazy. So I opened the door to take out the muffin tin, and a fire flared up and threatened to leap out at me! So I quickly shut the door again.

Then, for what seemed like 20 minutes but was really only about 2, we ran around trying to figure out what to do. I thought shutting the door would cut off the oxygen supply, but the sucker kept burning! It kept dripping and burning and dripping and burning! I had visions of the meatloaf turning into charcoal, let alone the house!

The house quickly filled up with smoke as we ran around. The Girl ran for the door, and K kept opening the cupboards looking for salt or something to throw on the fire. We tried one of our fire extinguishers, but found it was out of whatever it needs to work. We went and got the second one and tested it in the front yard, and found it was charged.

When we returned to the oven, the fire was luckily out. Luckily, because whatever we had thrown into the oven would no doubt have created a BIG mess!

We were airing out the house all night.

In the evening I was watching the election returns, and it was hard to tell what was going to happen. Obama was ahead in electoral votes, but a lot of states were really close. The TV commentator kept saying that they wouldn't make a prediction until they felt certain what the electoral votes were over 270 for either party.

Then, at 8pm our time, he looked up and said, "That's it. It's 11pm Eastern time, and the polls have just closed on the West coast. We can now predict that Obama will get California's 55 electoral votes (and some others I can't remember), and we project that Obama is the next President of the United States."

Wow. Even tho he wasn't the candidate I had wanted originally, in the end I was proud of our country. I'm old enough to remember the struggles of the 60's, and it was so great to see how far we've come as a nation. I'm once again proud to be an American (United Statesian?), and I have more hope for the future than I've had in a very long time.

Looking at the numbers, however, I realize that for nearly half the country, the result is a disappointment. I know what it's like to feel like that, and to have the media act like it's what EVERYONE wanted. Last election they declared a "mandate" when it was nothing of the sort. So for those who are disappointed, I hope that Obama will prove to them that a good choice was made in the end.

Let's hope.

Pumpkins and football

Last weekend we went to see K's cousin in Half Moon Bay. When she came for a short visit this summer, we made plans to go see the Pumpkin Festival they have there. She has a house full of glass pumpkins that she's bought over the years, and since we won't be getting together for Thanksgiving like we've done in the past, it seemed like a good time to go see what the fuss was all about.

So we made these plans when we thought we had money coming in, that ended up not coming. But we had the tickets, so we went and tried not to spend a lot.

We flew on Southwest, which was an awesome airline when I needed to change the date. I didn't realize it would be like musical chairs once we got on board! People before us were taking the window seat or the aisle seat, leaving the middle seat empty. The girl in front of me sat in one of the two seats that were left together, sitting in the middle. Couldn't she have done that on any of the middle seats we saw on the way down? So we sat apart, but luckily the flight was short.

K's cousin picked us up, and drove us to her new home near Half Moon Bay. We met her new boyfriend, who seems really nice. She'd been heating up lasagna, and it was delicious! Then we sat outside in her lovely yard, mesmerized by her fire pit. It was a gas pit, coming out of colored glass rocks, and it was awesome! I want one now.

The next morning we slept in, then got up and got ready. We drove a short way to get near the Main Street area. We saw pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin beer, even pumpkin mac and cheese! We were afraid to try the last one. In the food area, we got some great artichoke hearts. Delicious! Artichokes have a certain aftertaste that's kindof addictive. K and I also shared a roast beef sandwich that had an unusual taste - his cousin declared it to be corriander.

There were so many interesting crafts there - I asked K to buy me a ring made from a spoon, and I looked at about 500 glass pumpkins before buying one for myself. We did a LOT of walking around, and finally headed home. On the way to the car, we stopped and bought crabs for dinner.

Dinner was one of the best meals I've ever had. Each of us had a whole crab ( I know!) and half an artichoke, with butter and a special sauce K's cousin had made. I thank that crab for giving it's life for me, as I really appreciated it. I was so stuffed, I couldn't even eat it all!

That would have been enough for a good trip, but the next day we got up early-ish and headed to SF for a Raider game. We met some of their friends for a tailgate party, and it also was delicious. They grilled hamburgers and kabobs with a special(Spedee?)sauce. There was also artichoke dip, salsa, and 3 kinds of pasta and salad.

When it was time, we cleaned up and headed toward the game. Brett Favre was playing for the Jets, so the girls (OK, guys too) had a little extra to be excited about. He looked good out there too.

We were sitting in the very last row, as high as you could get on that side of the stadium. There was a fan near us that kept yelling out instructions to the team and banging against the metal in back of him. I told K that the guy should be sitting a lot closer, as they couldn't possibly hear him from there. Yet he was yelling as if they should.

Funny.

The Raiders also ran my favorite play - the fake punt. I liked that.

The Raiders were ahead a lot of the game, but on their last possession, the Jets really advanced up the field pretty quickly. They set up for a kick that would tie the game - and they MISSED it! Yay, Raiders win. Wait, not so fast. The Raiders called Time Out just as the kicker was going to kick - a Shanahan trick that is supposed to psych out the kicker. But in this case it backfired, and the kicker got another chance to make that kick. And make it, he did. Tied game, overtime. I was pretty mad at the Raider coach for that.

Luckily, after a few possessions back and forth, the Raiders finally scored and won. The fans were SO happy! We kept running into fans the whole trip home, meeting a few people that fly up there just to see a game.

We got to sit together on the flight home, and that was nice. It was one of the best times I've ever had - especially in such a tight time period. And it was delicious every step of the way.

Commercials

One of my pet peeves is commercials, and how badly they're screened for young children. My young kids didn't need to see scenes from scary movies, but ads for them run at all times, not just after 8pm.

What I don't understand are the recent political commercials about California's Prop 8. Prop 8 is a proposal to ban gay marriage, something we've already voted on anyway. In the ads, a child brings a book home from school and says that she learned in school that boys can marry boys. A couple claim that this happened in their state, and when they complained, they were told they had no right to have their child not taught that.

So... they're objecting to their kids hearing that in school? Buy aren't you telling them about it now on TV? Aren't you in fact telling every kid that watches TV in California about this new concept? So is it they don't want their kids to KNOW about gays, or they just want to teach them that it's not right? Can't they do that at home anyway? I just don't get it.

I love it that my daughter doesn't even see an issue about having a black president or understand what it could be about, and I really think that this generation will come to feel the same way about gay people.

I must say, though, that the ads for the other side have been awfully dry. A strict-looking couple say that they have a gay daughter and it would be WRONG to treat her any differently. Finally they've come out with an Ellen ad which is a little more friendly. I think they should have focused more on the human aspect of not being able to visit someone in the hospital and things like that.

It doesn't matter anyway. Like I said, we already voted on this (conservatives won, I believe), and the courts overturned it. Why are we voting again?

Oodles of noodles

The other day I bought a few groceries in a store I don't usually go to, and I found some packaged noodles near the Top Ramen section. I thought the chow mein in peanut sauce sounded good, and it was on sale for about $.99, so I bought it. oodles

At home, I added water and microwaved as directed, mixed and stirred. When I sat down to eat it, it was good! It seemed like a lot of noodles, but it was so good I ate the whole thing! I wasn't really full when I was done, but it was so good! I told K, "Too bad it has no nutritional value, that's the only thing wrong with it!"

I started thinking of going back to the store and getting 10 more of those. Such a deal! In spite of no nutritional (and possibly some bad nutritional) value.

Then something made me go find the wrapping. I looked at the calorie section, and was surprised to find that I'd actually eaten 2 servings! Worse, each "serving" was 270 calories! I'd just eaten 540 calories, and I was still hungry!

Then I was mad, because for fewer calories I could have eaten a Snickers bar. And I'd probably be more full because of the peanuts!

So anyway... I've been looking at that section more often when shopping, and a few times I've been shocked. Wow.

----------------------------

In an update to a previous complaint - I'd been surprised to find that a company was forcing through subscriptions to a few of our Verizon phones. A few weeks ago I got a notice that I am now part of a class-action suit (all Verizon customers are, I think) against a certain company for this very offense.

I'm glad that someone took that on, because that just isn't right.

Ambush at Breakfast

When I got back from vacation, there was a flyer in my box at work about a breakfast they were having at a local Country Club. I like breakfast and really any free meal, so I was all in. The flyer promised an "Extravaganza", said, "you don't want to miss this!" and that there was a "guest speaker" with "new marketing ideas."

I was looking forward to it! Even tho I'm not a big fan of this country club's food. Breakfast!

I was only 5 minutes late, but when I got there, everyone was already eating! But they brought mine out very quickly, and it was GREAT! That should have been my first clue that something was amiss. It was a delicious blend of spinach and eggs, served with bacon and potatoes. There were also baskets of toast and rolls and fresh orange juice.

After we ate, my boss talked a little bit and handed out a few awards, as I expected. Then she went on to say that many people have wanted to buy her business over the years, and finally the right company approached her at the right time, as she's getting older and it's a big responsibility, etc., etc.

She sold the company! To the company across the street that I decided against to work with her instead! One lady burst into tears. Many of those people have been with her 20 years or more.

Then she went on to say that the owner of THAT company was here and wanted to talk to us. This was our "guest speaker"! Well, he came in and opened up this bag, and said he had a bag for each of us that already included our business cards and name tag and tee shirts with the new logo on them, and all the info we'd need to make the transition.

He kept bringing things out of the bag, and the lady next to me kept exclaiming, "Holy Mother of God!"

Then, he went on to say that he'd brought people from the company to meet us and give us more things and answer our questions. With that, he opened the door to the room next door, where people from that company had tables set up with information and bags and other things on them. They handed us mimosas as we walked into the room. I took one even tho it was a weekday morning, because all of a sudden I NEEDED A DRINK!

No one really looked me in the eye and looked very welcoming, so I slipped out and went home. I took a few days just to let things kindof sink in, and then I did some checking around. Even tho they'd made it so easy to stay, I decided to take my marbles down the road and gamble on another company.

Some of you may remember that I just changed companies about 6 months ago. I finished notifying everyone, and now I have to start all over again! Hopefully this company will be stable for awhile.

Poly Sci 101

I was surprised at this:

What's a Centrist?

Your true political self:

You are a Social Liberal (66% permissive) and an... Economic Moderate (41% permissive) You are best described as a: Centrist You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness. loc: (62, -32) modscore: (25, 40) W w Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Leaving me angry and bleh

The Boy has been off to the dorms for 2 weeks now. At first it bothered me more than I would have thought - there was an odd emptiness in my solar plexus and a lurching of my stomach. But he really is a considerate boy - before he left he did something that made me SO mad at him! I haven't told his father, because he was right and I was wrong, and I hate hearing that.

But K knows I am angry with the Boy, and that it helps me not miss him, but he never asks what I am angry about. On some deep intuitive level, he must know that he really, REALLY, doesn't want to know. So instead of asking, he just suggests something, like, "About what, his life?" and I say "Yes, that's it."

Right now I'm not feeling the love. I feel like "bleh."My immediate family is very nice, but the rest of my family kindof sucks. I called my three sisters yesterday, and only one called me back. I guess I should just be glad about that. I send people emails, and people don't bother to respond. People change their blogs and take me off their list. Bloggers I read are quitting or taking breaks.

So I'm admitting to myself that I waste far too much time on the internet, and I should focus my energies on projects that might somehow make me some money. Or some friends. I guess I just keep this blog for myself, but I'd save some time if I just wrote it and didn't post it. Someday I'll print it all out for myself.

Bleh.

Trip Highlights

Summing up our 2-week trip to Colorado is not easy. We did many of the usual things - lunch at my favorite Vietnamese place, a party at our friend Sal's house. We visited more people than usual - a sister in law had moved to town, and my cousin had a baby girl I wanted to see.

In Estes Park - Olympics = food + TV! Opposite of the usual.We sortof hung out and were scared to go back to Denver. See below.

My sisters and I took out my parents for their 50th Anniversary dinner. We celebrated while we were in town, but technically their anniversary is this month. There was a lot of fighting surrounding the choice of restaurants, but the dinner itself came off without any drama.

Rage against the Machine Concert
My sister E got two tickets, and took another sister, M, to this free concert on Wednesday. The band got the Coliseum all riled up against the war, and wanted everyone to to follow them in a march to the DNC. My sisters didn't march the 3 miles down there - they said they didn't want to go to jail. I said, "You didn't want to go to jail WITH THE BAND?"

Thursday we dropped in at the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, to get a glimpse of the political activities down there. It was good to see people expressing themselves. Also we found some cool t-shirts. The Girl declared herself to be tired of visiting people and started to have a meltdown until we distracted her with lunch. My sister M met us at Chili's for lunch - we shared a fajita dish.

Then we drove to Longmont and K tried to fix a few things at the duplex. We went to see our friend JD's boy Pete playing soccer. That boy is so good looking and just plain nice, and good at soccer too. We went to see our friends practicing with their band, and I was really glad I went. They were really good and we had a good time.

Football game
On our last day there, we went to Colorado Springs to see our friend's son, a Senior, play football. It was the first game of the year.

On the way there we stopped to visit my cousin, C, who is so cool and has the coolest family. It's the kind of house where friends and neighbors just walk in. While we were there an older (than me!) man came in with a teenage boy and girl. It turned out that his son, the boy, was playing for the other team in that same game! So we told them they should come to the game too.

Then we went over our friend's house, and our friend McNeal had come out too for the game. He just got a new job, so he was feeling good. We ate some pizza, drank a few beers, borrowed jackets, and loaded up for the game.

The game started badly, with other team scoring 3 touchdowns in the first quarter! At least our friend's son played really well.Then there was a fight and "our" team's best player was kicked out! Not anyone from the other team, tho not our friend's son either, and I think he was in the thick of it.

My cousin and her family showed up, so that was fun. Then the team started to come back after halftime. After their second touchdown, a player on the other team went down hurt. We waited and eventually they brought out a stretcher for him. Then we noticed it was starting to sprinkle, altho it looked like it was raining much harder on the other side of the field!

Then it moved over to us, and everyone ran for cover. It was raining HARD! I kept thinking it would move off as quickly as it came, and my cousin threw her blanket over me, and I held my plastic seat cover over that! Her husband and son had run under a tree, but that didn't seem to help at all.

After awhile I looked out and we decided to run for the car. We felt much better in the car, but our clothes were soaked! My cousin left with her family, and the Girl and I waited for K to get back. The Girl was cold and soaked and wanted badly to leave. Finally we got enough people to leave, but the guys wanted to stay and see what happened in the game. It turned out they let them play one more play, where our team tied the score, and then they called the game because of lightening.

That's one thing I remember most about Colorado Springs. The sudden cloudbursts, flash flooding, and lightening.

And although I've always loved the mountains, I'm now developing a new love of the soft colors of the plain and fields around Longmont.

I wish I could post pictures, but my photo card has gone kaput. Now I need a way to "rescue" about 300 pictures off that card!

Wish me luck...

DNC

We just happen to be in Denver during the "DNC" as it's being called locally. I told my Mom I wanted to protest, and she said they had a special place for protesters. I told my friends in California, and they said, "Yeah, it's called JAIL!" Ha. They've actually cleared out a large warehouse to use as a large temporary jail. Expecting trouble, anyone? This trip, we spent only a day in Denver before driving into the mountains for a few days. I had a lot of trouble with headaches from the altitude there. Usually I get used to it in Denver before I head to the mountains, so I had more migrains than usual. Luckily I have medicine that works. So, back in Denver, I was talking to my sister, and she mentioned that she heard that 40,000 hookers were coming to town for the convention. There are 50,000 politicians, and there are groups of hookers that evidently follow conventions around. I was telling them about my problems with the altitude, and then it occured to me - There are going to be a lot of hookers with headaches in Denver this month! Ha.

Drama for your Mama

The day before the soccer tournament this weekend, K asked The Girl to get her soccer uniform together. She looked in her room and announced it wasn't there.

What???

When K gets frustrated, becomes sort of like a whirling dirvish, and the whole house heard about it while he searched in various places. It seemed to me that it should have been clean by now, as she'd last played a game around 4 weeks ago, but she claimed to have put it into the laundry, and never seen it again.

I'm in charge of washing the laundry, so I was feeling a little blame and pressure. K, who folds the laundry, claimed to not have seen it come through the laundry either. So we searched the entire laundry room several times, but couldn't find it!

Meanwhile K kept walking around, saying, "Where is it? Where is it?" He was really getting frustrated. I kept saying that the house just isn't that big - there aren't that many places it could be!

The girl looked at me with big brown eyes and asked in all innocence, "Mom, why does he keep asking ME? Why does he automatically blame ME?"

I finally replied, "Because it's YOUR uniform! You are in charge of it! Because it was probably you that had it last."

No, no, she swore she didn't have it. I was trying to diffuse the situation and calm everyone down, and not feed into K's upset, or my perception of blame. K went into her room, and found the shorts to her uniform.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I thought you only meant the shirt!"

ALL of it! We need ALL of the uniform! Together!

We sent the Girl to the van, which had a bag of clothes for Goodwill that the Girl keeps bringing out of her room. She came back with her old jerseys, which we now would need. K was a little mad that she had been getting rid of those.

We searched everywhere. I even looked in The Boy's room, in case it had accidently gotten in with his clothes. Nope. Finally I sent K to the van again, thinking maybe she took it off in the van on her way back from her last game, and stuffed it somewhere in the van. I couldn't understand how it hadn't made it into the laundry toom!

K came back with the red jersey, which he found in the Goodwill bag! Of all places! Usually I go through her things before I get rid of them, but K had grabbed this bag and had nearly taken it to Goodwill the day before!

K was SO mad. The Girl came to me for protection, and I took the opportunity to remind everyone that the uniform was CLEAN!! It had indeed gone through the laundry and come out the other side, so everyone was a little wrong.

I couldn't understand why she hadn't found it in the bag the first time she looked, though, so I asked her, "Are you color blind?" and she answered, after a pause, "I love you!"

I told her, "Honey, if you want to quit soccer you can just TELL us! You don't have to give away your uniforms and sprain your ankle!" But she claims I'm taking her actions too literally.

I know exactly how it happened, too. She was so excited about getting new clothes for school, that she probably took an entire drawer and just dumped it into the bag. She can't have looked at the clothes at all, or she would have noticed the uniforms.

After she went to bed I told K, "Why does he think I know where it is? Why would anyone think that I would know where it is?" And finally we could laugh about it. We laughed until we cried. That was a classic.

But we still haven't found the white uniform.

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Then we went to a soccer tournament in Irvine.

Saturday we played a team from Las Vegas, who were the champions last year. They were really tough, and finally beat us 2-1. I think we only scored because we got a penalty kick right in front of the goal.

The second team we played was from Carona. We beat them pretty easily 2-0, but their coach was really mad and complained to the ref for awhile after the game. They were saying bad things to our girls, so I didn't like them too much. They ended up not winning any games.

Sunday played a team from Santa Clarita, and lost 3-1. One of their goals was just a mistake by our Goalie we'd had to borrow from another team because our substitute goalie had gotten sick. So basically she was doing us a favor. We felt a little badly about that, and tried to make the girl feel OK about it. And again, we only scored because of a penalty kick right in front of their goal, but I thought the game was closer than the score would suggest.

So we were out and didn't get to play the Las Vegas team again, like I had hoped. I stayed to watch a little of the next game, and a team called Madrid started setting up in front of us. The coach looked at me, and I saw him get a look in his eye like he recognized me or remembered something, and then he looked at The Girl. He knew her name, and called her over.

She went over and talked with him for a few minutes, and I could feel a few of the parents from that team looking at me. When she came back, she said that he'd told her that she looked like a good player, and was impressed that she was a leftie. He asked where she would go to high school (in 4 years!), and told her if she still played in high school, that she'd probably play his team in Sherman Oaks.

Hmmm. Then that team ended up winning the tournament! I was really surprised.

Dodger game

The Girl got to go to camp as planned, and she had a really good time there. While she was gone, K's cousin came to visit. We hadn't seen her in about 4 years, so it was great to see her.

We picked her up at the Burbank airport and took her to a Dodger game. Manny Ramirezz had just been added to the team, so the game was sold out and excited. He had two hits, but no home runs and the Dodgers lost 1-2. Very low scoring game. He had home runs on Sat and Sunday, but not on Friday night.

You can see the crowd standing up in excitement and support when Manny came to bat.

We had a great visit with her, and hopefully we'll be able to go see her during the glass pumpkin festival in Half Moon Bay in October.....

Last nite the Boy dropped orange juice into the keyboard, so now it sticks. The space bar and 000000000000000000 seem to be the worst.....


In TV news, Sherri Shepard wasn't' on the View theother day, and Whoppi announced that she was out for personal business, which I already thought was weird. Those girls are out all the time and it's no big deal. Then Joy and Elizabeth added that they like Sherri and she'sfunny.. I thought that was odd.

Then K told me he was listening to Rick Dees and they said Whoopi hates Sherri andthat she's a worse problem than Star or Rosie ever was. I can see why Whoopi might not like her, but Sherri brings anice balance to the show. She gets along w/Elizabeth and has become somewhat of an ally even tho she doesn't necessarily agree with her politics. She isn't the most intellectual, and not always funny, but she lightens themoodthere....

Oh, forget it.............

Last Week

Weekend before last we attended a soccer tourney in Irvine - spent Friday nite as the game on Sat was a record 7am! Yikes! K wasn't sure about spending the money, but it was really nice. Like a very little vacation.

There was a mixup with the Marriott reservations, but we ended up liking our location by Avenue of the Arts. Nice suite, big bed, two TV's. We ate at Macaroni Grill, where K shared a Penne Rustica with me. It was just the right amount of food for me. I think K got soup too.

The first game on Sat we played a team that supposedly consisted of half of J's stolen team - we barely won with The Girl's left hook shot into top corner of goal! won 1-0.At 10:15 we played a black-uniformed team, they scored first (from midfield!) and I was scared. But then we were able to score 3 times. We went to the hotel again to hang out, check out. Then to Mac Grill again for lunch. (Love that place! Good lunch special.)

Sunday's game was at 10 - we played a Gold level team, and lost 1-3. After their first score it took a long time, but finally we scored! But then they scored 2wice more, so we lost. We took some good shots on goal, tho, so the game was actually closer than the score reflects. The coach on the other team got a yellow card!

The Boy went with us for a nice change, so we went out to lunch again at the Mac Grill, where we found we still had a gift card from Christmas for $25! Yay! We took the dog that day too, and he LOVES to go "bye bye" with us. He was able to sit with us outside at the restaurant.

Monday - The Girl went to yoga class with me. She liked it. We're trying to make it a routine now - Yoga on Mondays, Pho on Wednesdays. Finished reading "Easter Island." I thought it was very, very good.

Tuesday - sore from yoga! Swam with The Girl. The Boy went to CSULB for overnight orientation. Stayed up too late. Said it was a lot like day camp.

Found out a friend who had been very sick died Monday.

Wed - The Girl invited to museum. Forgot I was supposed to work. Pho for dinner instead of lunch.

Thurs -Met my friend R for lunch at New Moon Cafe. That evening went with The Girl to orientation for her first week-long sleepover summer camp. I'm jealous! Sounds like so much fun.

Fri - Found out our mechanic Ken died last week - he's fixed our car for years & K says he's the reason we can afford to help The Boy with school. It's shocking to think how one little mistake can cost a person their whole life! Seems like if you're not truly appreciating your life (i.e. drinking too much), it's easy to lose it. We really miss him already. It was just a few weeks ago he was smiling at me, helping me with the car.

The Boy stayed up to see Dark Knight at IMAX at 3am! Went an hour early and thought there'd be no one there. Instead there was a long line! He loved it so much he went to see it again on a regular screen the next day.

Sat - work. Forgot phone.

Sun - went thru stuff from garage.

Mon - Service for our friend who died. We had to stay outside because chapel was too full - there were easily 200 people outside, standing in shade. So many people whose lives she touched. Playing songs she loved, the service took a pretty long time. But it was celebrating her happy life, so they played some songs she loved. The minister mainly talked to her twin girls who are The Girl's age (11). About how their Mom is in a better place and now they have to go forward.

The day was a lot like her - sunny, warm, with a soft and gentle breeze.

No yoga today.

Tues - Soccer practice, the Girl twisted her ankle! She's in tears at the mere IDEA that she might have to wear a cast in camp, or possibly not go at all. As of now, she can't put any weight on it.

Let's all hope she gets MUCH better by Saturday.

Complaints

about Chase Bank have inspired me to relate a financial glitch of my own.

I seem to keep having problems with my Verizon cell phone bill. I try to pick a plan that will fit our needs, only to find we're 500 text messages over our limit (damn kids!) or have used too many minutes. At one point I thought I might have to declare bankruptcy over my cell phone bill! JK, but still.

So I finally got a plan that seems manageable, but every nearly every month the bill is more than I think it should be. I then have to delve into the cryptic details of my phone bill. I've had to call to find out what a mysterious "data" charge of $9.99 is 3 or 4 times now, it's been a cell phone subscription to some "service" that none of us ever knowingly signed up for! Like a horoscope or weather report, but we don't actually receive any service. And every time I have to dispute this charge and send a STOP message to a certain number.

So I'm alerting anybody who reads this blog, that apparently there is a way for these services to force through a subscription to a phone number, and get that "service" onto your phone bill!

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Then, the other day I noticed that our Charter bill was too high. It suddenly jumped $60 higher, and I called to see if we had exhausted our previous contract with them. I got someone who sounded like she was in India, and she kept asking me security questions and repeating everything I said. This drove me crazy!

In the end, I found out that our contract did indeed run out, and the price for our current services jumped $60. I asked her if there were any new contract specials that would be more affordable. She came back and said all she could find was that if we upgraded our internet service, we could have it for the same price of $60 higher.

I said no, we didn't need better internet service, what we need is a lower bill! She advised me to try again later in the month, when more promotions might be available. I told her I was disappointed, and would have to check with AT&T now.

So I got onto the computer, and checked out AT&T's specials. The only problem is that they only offer DirectTV, and K doesn't trust satellites. The only other option in our area seemed to be Charter.

Then I checked out Charter's web site, and found that they had plenty of packages that were more affordable than our current $60-inflated rate. So K called Charter back, and asked if we could get that rate instead. The agent said she had to check and see if we were eligible, and luckily she found that we were.

She checked on some specials, and it seems that if we were to upgrade to DVR, our rate would go down to the previous affordable rate! Also, we were able to add a set of channels we were supposed to have LAST time, for $10 more a month.

So somehow we ended up much better off than before, for only $10 more a month! I finally get DIY and BBC back! Now I can watch crafting shows and Footballers Wives again!

The Girl keeps saying, "I haven't seen this show in a year!" Plus now we can record things to watch later, just like 80% of the rest of the country.

Yay for the internet, and perseverance.

Garden stories

from our yard. These stories are somewhat amusing and sometimes scary, but are ultimately not very exciting. I've just been having issues with Mother Nature lately. Read at your own risk.

Red Poppies
When we chose this house to buy, I agreed with the stipulation that K clear ivy from the little hillside in back of our house. So it's been cleared off, but grass and weeds still grow there, until we rip that out too. So for the past few years, I've thrown poppy seeds out onto the hillside, and cover them up with some pretty bark mulch. And we usually get some nice orange flowers until the weather turns too hot and burns everything up.

This year, I found some seed packets from last year, and one had Red Poppy seeds in it. So even 'tho they were old seeds, I was hoping to jazz things up a bit with some spicy red color. I was soon disappointed, tho, because days and then weeks later, I was getting NOTHING!! No little sprouts, nada. Sigh.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was surprised to see a delicate red poppy amongst the orange flowers and grass. A red poppy!!! So pretty and delicate, very different from the orange poppies. I looked closer, and noticed that this red poppy's leaves were completely different from the orange poppy's leaves. In fact the leaves on the red poppy looked a lot like dandelion leaves!

I think everyone who works in their yard knows what must immediately be done when one spots a few dandelion leaves - yank them up! So who knows how many pretty little poppies I accidentally pulled up? Poor little babies.

On the flip side of this, I'm now letting everything that looks like a dandelion grow. I don't know what else to do, but if I see any signs of dandelion flowers, that sucker's coming out!

Meanwhile, new poppies have sprung up, that are very yellow! Where did those come from?


Mysterious Tomato Eater
The other day, I was looking at my few tomato plants, wondering why they weren't as big and prolific as the plants in my neighbor's garden next door. As I looked at the biggest plant, I noticed that the top branches were stripped of all their leaves! It was completely eaten, leaving just the stumps of the vine. What the heck was happening here?

The next day I looked at it again, and noted that the plant next to it looked fine. I theorized that perhaps the trellis I'd winded the bigger plant into was some sort of access to the plant for some small tomato-plant-eating animal. So I moved to pull the plant out of the trellis.... and stopped, inches away from the plant.

Because. there. was. a. HUGE!!!! caterpillar. sitting. on. the. vine. Green. Just like the vine. Hard to notice, except it was about 2 inches thick!!! OK, maybe just an inch, but still. It was at least 3 inches long. That's a very big caterpillar!

He'd seen me coming, too, and pulled up his head and sort of tucked his chin, holding on for dear life to that vine. I called for K, who luckily is brave in all things insect related. He pulled it off my plant (he said that sucker was really holding on) and tossed it into the compost pile where hopefully it will lead a long caterpillar life and not get hit on the head by a shovel!

I hate to imagine how big a moth (butterfly) that huge caterpillar is going to turn into someday.

Fish Folly
OK, this isn't really about my yard, but it's wildlife related. It started when The Girl wanted a hamster and we told her no, so she talked us into a fish instead. She got a pretty Beta, and she named him "Jaws."

We have a great two-bowl system for changing the fishes water, and yesterday set about preparing the new water for the changeover. When it was time, I took the little net and tried to scoop him into it. Over time, however, it seems that Jaws has come to appreciate the changeover less and less, and has taken to trying to escape the net.

After a few tries, I successfully landed him in the net, and moved to put him into the new bowl. I was halfway there when he suddenly flipped himself free and landed on the bathroom counter! The Girl started screaming and ran out of the room, while the fish flipped again, and momentarily disappeared. I pulled the other bowl out of the sink, and found him in the sink bowl with the drain wide open! I moved quickly to scoop him up, but even then it took a few tries.

Finally I was able to hold onto him somehow, and toss him into the new bowl. The Girl came back in just in time to see the conclusion of this fiasco.

Who knew having a fish would be this scary?

Graduation

The Boy's High-School graduation was really nice. I'd been a bit worried, as our parents haven't really talked to each other in over 10 years, and both sets came to town for the occasion. But everything went surprisingly well, and our parents even seemed to get along. The Boy was nice to everyone and even stuck around to visit a little bit.

At the last minute I went out and bought a new dress for the ceremony, and I was lucky to find one that was really cute. I splurged on a pair of sunglasses that matched.

There were some nice speeches, and they kept the proceedings pretty short because of the heat. I recognized the Boy pretty easily, as he had worn his colorful shoes with his gown. We cheered at the names we knew, and at the end they threw their hats into the air.

It was really moving. I hadn't made the Girl go, as it was her last day of school and her friends were having parties. Plus we were short a ticket. But when it was over I wished she had been there to see it. It was a nice experience.

We went out to eat that night. The next day we toured CSULB, where the Boy will attend school next fall. It looks like a nice school, and he should do well if he applies himself.

We went out to eat that night too (PF Chang's) to celebrate our anniversary (22 years) and the in-laws anniversary (49 years). Theirs was that day, Friday, and ours was the next day, Saturday. We celebrated a night early, as we were having the grad party on Saturday.

On Saturday we had our long-anticipated Graduation Party. It was very nice, in spite of the power going off. It was really, really hot, so it was a bad time for the electricity to shut off! Just as the neighborhood band plugged in their amp, the whole block went out.

I think the band was more disappointed than anyone, as they'd really wanted to play.

Thank God we had the pool, as it was really hot for a few hours. Then a breeze picked up and it was nicer. The electric company came out and said we needed a new transformer, so he requested one. All together it took about 6 hours to get the electricity fixed. Half of our party was intrigued with the whole process however, and stood transfixed in the yard as they watched the guy in the cherry=picker replace this transformer.

Not as many people came to the party as I'd feared, so we had lots of food left over. It's hard to gauge when you invite nearly everyone you know and don't ask for RSVPs. The Boy had a nice time I think, and cleanup wasn't bad at all. We saw some good friends and had a great time visiting with everyone.

It was kindof nice that it was our anniversary too. In the middle of the party, we'd pass each other and remember, and take a moment to kiss each other and appreciate all that got us to this moment. It seemed right that we were marking this passage on our anniversary.

The next day my parents treated us all to brunch at Whole Foods, which was near their hotel in Pasadena (on Arroyo). They were really excited about it,but I was skeptical. Brunch at Whole Foods? But it turned out to be really nice, and we could special order lots of things, like omelets and pancakes. I ended up liking it a lot.

All in all we had a surprisingly good time. I think the Boy is just starting to realize that he accomplished something. Granted, all he had to do is stay in school, but not everyone can do that.

I feel we've given him a decent start in life. I'm glad about that.

The rest is up to him.

Jazz Festival

Last Saturday I had to work and K was home working on the yard. The Girl had been invited to go to Palm Springs with a friend, and had left on Friday. Suddenly we were childless again!

While I was at work, K called to say that our friend McNeal had called and said he had 2 extra tickets to the Playboy Jazz Festival. Did I want to go? For free?

Hell yes I want to go! I've never been to the Jazz Festival because it's always seemed too expensive or too hard to get tickets. But then I've never really tried. I love going to the Bowl, tho.

It was the best day. After I got home we went for a swim, and then got ready to go. We took something to drink and bought a Subway footlong on the way. We decided to drive to the LA Zoo shuttle, as parking would probably be jammed at the Bowl. It was surprisingly easy to find, and only cost $3 round trip.

The bus started to load up, and I was surprised at the amount of stuff people were lugging. The guy sitting in front of us had a big suitcase made of wicker, many people had big coolers, and lots of people were wheeling backpacks and suitcases - I guess filled with food. It's like they were taking enough food and drink for a week! Also, one lady had a big comforter, still in it's store packaging.

Another thing I noticed is that most people were very well dressed and looked affluent. The bus loaded up, and pretty soon it drove us to the Bowl. We got our tickets and went to find our seats. Luckily, the K section was first to get shade, and by the time we got there (it started at 2pm I think) we were comfortable in a nice shade.

Everybody there had lots of good drinks already mixed, and had also brought food. We had food too, but felt a little bad as a sub is kindof hard to share. We didn't plan ahead like everyone else, who seem to come every year. They had jello shots and fried chicken and a vegetable platter and everything. Two girls were drinking pomagranite juice with Cristal.

The jazz was really great to listen to. The back section started a few waves of beach balls bouncing through the air, but Security intercepted them by the time they got to the bottom. Some people were into it, but some seemed annoyed by a ball suddenly dropping on them, or worse, their drink! Some thought it was disrespectful to the musicians.

We especially enjoyed R&R, Poncho Sanchez, Dr. John and the Lower 911, Al Jarreau, and Tower of Power. I didn't think Tower of Power had that many songs, but they went last and the place was really jamming at the end. Everyone was up and dancing.

I figured the busses back would be mobbed, but they were really close, easy to find, and fast! Not mobbed at all.

We'd been working really hard getting the house (and yard!) ready for our Boy's Graduation Party, so it was really nice to take the afternoon off and have a really enjoyable time with our friends. For free!

I think I want to go again next year.

I'm glad The Girl was invited somewhere else for the weekend, so that we could go...

Dear Mr. D

I've been feeling nostolgic about my kids lately. It seems like they grow up so fast. This year was a really good year for The Girl. This is a letter she wrote her teacher at the end of the school year. Next year, 6th grade!!!

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Mr. D,

I‘m XOXOXO, one of your 5th grade students from the year 2008.In the year 2008 I learned so much because you were my teacher. You always fit learning into everything we did and always challenge me. Everyday I learned something new things and I thank you so much for that.

I remember the time you took the time to tell the whole class two stories about when you use to play football in high school and college. You put so much enthusiasm into your stories, you’re a great story teller. I really enjoyed hearing how far your team got to the champion in high school and how hard your team worked to get there. Your other story about wrestling that really tough guy in a football boot camp was also very entertaining.

I’m really going to miss learning form you. I’ve learned more this year then I’ve ever learned in one school year. You never took a day sick from school and you never said it was too much gas wasted to get to school every day from where you lived. Thank you so much for this wonderful year, too bad it had to go by so fast.

High School Drama

Someone else recently brought up the term "Helicopter Mom." I'd never heard that term before, but it refers to a parent who tends to hover over their child I think.

Well, I have run into one of these parents lately, and a lot of drama surrounding prom ensued. Actually, I've never met this mom, and it's probably a good thing.

It all started a year ago. The Boy's friend B was going out with a girl, R. Then he decided he'd rather go out the the Boy's Girlfriend's Sister, Melinda. But when B broke up with R, R confronted Melinda about the timing, etc. Then the Boy's Girlfriend told R to leave her sister alone.

Then the Boy wrote about it on Myspace, and R's parents came over to confront us about it. Luckily I wasn't home, but K got to meet them all. They were brandishing papers printed off Myspace, and insisting that K read it. He declined. When they weren't satisfied with K's response, they took it to the Principle's office, where all the kids had to sign a document promising not to fight with each other any more.

That was a year ago.

This year, the Boy's Girlfriend is no longer in High School (having graduated), so she applied for a Guest Pass to go with the Boy. The Friday before the week before Prom, the Principle tells Boy that her application for a Guest Pass was denied. Why? Because she's on a "List" of people who were mean to this girl R, and R has said she doesn't "feel safe" with her at the Prom. The Principle said she couldn't discuss it with him, nor should he try to contact R about it.

So he called to see if we could help him. So K called the Principle, who repeated that she couldn't discuss it, and we weren't to talk to R's family about it either. After pressing her for SOMETHING that could be done, she gave him of someone he could call - Dick. So K called Dick and left a message. Being that it was Friday afternoon, he never called back.

So K tried again on Monday, calling Dick and getting no response. By now the kids had resigned themselves to going somewhere else, and meeting up with their friends later.

On Tuesday I asked the Boy if he even wanted to go anymore, and he said it was too late now, because tickets weren't available anymore. Well! I didn't like the sound of that at all! So I fired off a scathing email to the Superintendent of the School District, copying Dick and the Principle. I told them I didn't think it was fair, and various reasons why it was unfair, and pointed out that the Boy was up for Prom King and how would it look if he couldn't show up because his date was not approved? Plus I pointed out that the Boy was now being damaged by their actions, and I was disappointed in all of them.

Well, Dick called that same morning, and said that the Guest Pass had been granted! "What? Really?" I exclaimed in surprise. Yes, he said, they didn't want anyone else to be penalized because of this.

This situation, I guess he means. Where R's family is trying to sue the school district, has restraining orders out on two other girls, and is accusing every boy she ever dated of sexual harassment. I think the mother can't stand the thought that anyone doesn't like her daughter, and in the process is alienating everyone against her daughter! Better that she should teach her daughter to roll with the punches or work things out for herself.

Anyway, the Boy was SO glad to get to go after all, and I got lots and lots of credit. They had a great time, and all was well until the next drama got ready to unfold.

So much fun.

Just media notes

There have been a few things lately that I've felt like commenting on, but I keep forgetting.

For one thing, at the end of the last post I forgot I'd stayed up to watch SNL the night before Mother's Day. They featured a band with a strange name - "My Morning Jacket", but their song was SO good! They started with a great guitar hook and then really jammed out a song called, "I'm amazed." I'd been recording it since it was late and I was likely to fall asleep, and the next day I played it over and over for K and The Girl. Both agreed it was a jamming song.

Next, have you ever heard of the "Big Head" theory in Hollywood? They say it's better to have a big head because it looks better on the big screen. And if you notice, most "Stars" have big heads!

So on American Idol, when I saw the size of David Cook's head compared to Ryan Seacrest's head, it was clear to me that he was going to win. His head was way bigger than David Archuleta's head. I thought it was a great finale. I loved how ex-contestants sang songs from famous people (Donna Summer, George Michaels), then the artists came out themselves and sang a new song. I loved DC singing with ZZ Top. The decision announcement was also entertaining, with the winner crying, the loser looking grateful, and lots of fireworks.

Great!

I think David Archuleta would be good in a Disney TV show, like High School Musical.
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A video that really bothers me is Madonna's "Four Minutes to Save the World." She skips around looking fierce and walking on people's tables while they're trying to eat. Justin Timberlake does a few spins and adjusts his scarf, but neither one of them is doing anything about saving the world!

Huh. That's not very productive. With 4 minutes to save the world we should all grab a boy or a girl?
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Recently I saw that one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly, had a new book out, "The Overlook". I bought it and took it home to read, but it kept referring to the previous book, "Echo Park." I couldn't remember the story or the outcomes the Overlook was referring to, so I went and checked "Echo Park" out of the library.

Turns out, I hadn't read it! So, joy of joys, I got to read TWO Harry Bosch books back to back! Days of fun, I tell you what. There's nothing like finding out you're backed up on reading one of your favorite authors.

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Yesterday on Oprah, Reba was on, singing duets with people who were with her on her new album of duets. It may have been an old show, I don't know. Anyway, she sang "Because of you" with Kelly Clarkson. First Reba took the high harmony and Kelly sang the chorus. Then they switched and Kelly sang the high part and Reba sang the chorus. It was beautiful.

That's a really sad song, though. I like to believe that a person can try to make their own life in spite of what they experienced as a child.

Anyway, Oprah brought up that Kelly had been having a problem with her producers not wanting some of her songs. Kelly downplayed it, saying it was normal, and Oprah said that Kelly writes about her life, and that was her message to the producers.

Actually I agree with her producers. I'm tired of songs about breaking up from Kelly. She's made at least two albums about that topic by now, and I'd like to hear something from her other than anger.

How, 'bout it Kelly?