Suggesting To My Mind

So, the human mind is a weird thing. (As I am sure you are aware from my multitude of Weird Dreams.) But beyond my nightly brain dumps are the images and sensations that develop over the years and we aren't even aware of it.
Take tonight for example. It wasn't a cold day by any means, not baking but in the mid-60's. Fine for the last day of November in The Jungle. Even when the sun went down it didn't get too chilly. But right around 7pm this wild wind picked up and started blowing things around. Fairly heavy things, boxes, cans, chairs, trash bags. It blew and blew for almost an hour. (Poor outdoor kitties had their water bowl all filled with leaves and dirt and rocks and stuff.) As soon as the wind started howling - and it was howling, which is weird for here; there's not much room to pick up speed for a howl - I got really cold. Even being in the house, where it was warm, in my sweats and eating warm food, I was chilly and shivering. I can only suppose it comes from my time in The Frozen North where winds like that brought ice storms and blizzards and things like that. Don't know. But it started me thinking; what other sensations come from our past but trigger vivid feelings?
Does fire make you extremely warm too? Even if you're outside and taking two steps from the BBQ pit will start the ice forming on your nose does the feel of the fire make you think of July and heat waves?

This is me and am I just totally nuts?

Winding Down

I'm about out of steam for this year's NaBloPoMo. Thankfully tomorrow is the last day of the month. I do have some handy iPhone pictures to share with you for today. This is Tarzan and me waiting to board the plane to come home Sunday very early in the morning: I was exhausted and went to sleep as soon as I sat down. Didn't even notice when we took off and didn't wake up for drinks and snacks, which is unusual. (Hey, if I'm paying that much for an airline ticket, I'm getting all the orange juice and Sprite they will give me.) Upon landing, and waking, I thought the pilot was kidding when he stopped the plane and said we were getting off here:He wasn't.
Sure didn't look like a normal gate. I think that was the longest hike from plane to baggage claim ever.While we were waiting to deplane I captured Tarzan's errant eyebrows, just so you know I wasn't making it all up:There you go, proof positive.

This is me and I am so scrounging for material. Is it obvious?

Noticed In The Bathroom Mirror

Whenever someone in a movie or on TV brushes their teeth I comment that they must not be using real toothpaste because there isn't any foam. (I'm a stickler for details like that.)
Then, this weekend, as I was brushing my teeth at Tarzan's parents house I noticed *I* wasn't getting any foam. Same technique, same brush, same toothpaste as I use at home. Different results. And again in the shower; my shampoo just didn't have it's usual suds. By that point I was paying attention and tried to make lather. It took some effort and it wasn't as airy.
Does anyone know if it's an altitude thing? Or an ocean thing?
Last night though, as I was getting ready for bed, my toothpaste was super foamy and that made me feel better.

This is me and things are back to normal now.

USC vs UCLA

Yes, yes, the game was yesterday. I know. But it was a night game locally, which made it even later at Tarzan's parents house - this is partly why the PAC-12 gets no respect, no one on the East Coast can stay up to watch our games - and we had to get up in the middle of the night to catch our airplane home. So we had to hold on and not read the paper or listen to the radio until we got home.
Oh boy was it hard keeping the people at church from telling us what the score had been. It was a good one.
And if this had to be the last game of the season, I can think of no better way to end it.
USC: 50
UCLA: 0
That's correct. 0 points. That's what's called a shut-out.

This is me and it didn't look hard to do.

The Muppets

Gamma was a doll and took the entire family out to see The Muppets movie this afternoon.
So. Much. Fun.
It was really cute, funny, not too cheesy - the bad guy rap was a little much - and it had all the best Muppets in it. Kermit, Miss Pigggy, Gonzo, Beaker! I did miss Animal doing his "Aaaaaaniiimaaaaallll" fit, but he was awesome still. I don't really understand this new Walter character, but I guess there had to be a catalyst for the whole story and he was it. The Swedish Chef with the flamethrower was classic.
Jason Segel and Amy Adams were not overly involved but enough so the dancing was not out of place and it allowed some of the things Muppets just can't do. Jack Black's part was minimal which was a sad, but I get it was about the Muppets not the people. (He's also uncredited, which I don't understand.)
And Mickey Rooney. So fun to see him in a cameo.
A ton of other stars made cameos, including one of my new favorites, Jim Parsons, from The Big Bang Theory.
Not a complicated story and so it was the real talent of the Jim Hensen company and the puppeteers that came through. If you're looking for some way to spend $12, go see The Muppets. So worth it.
Thanks Gamma, that was excellent.

This is me with a great end to a great vacation.

Awesome Squared

The other thing I forgot about Tarzan's family is the concert after the sushi party the day after Thanksgiving. Despite all the leftovers in the fridge, we get out a bunch of rice and seaweed, fish and vegetables and make a bunch of sushi. We invite over friends and talk and eat and laugh. It's awesome.
Then all those who play instruments pull them out and they play for us. There are many great videos from this evening's performance. Phatfiddle has some flying fingers, Sunshine is learning violin, Teaq played the theme from Star Wars...so much fun.
But my personal favorite was Tarzan's piano duet with his brother QC. Every year we have been married whenever the family gets together they ask to hear Jubilation, a duet the brother learned in middle/high school and won some competition with. It's been so many years since they played it together though that one or the other invariably misses a part or forgets a bit and then it all falls apart. I have never heard the piece through entire.
Until tonight.
Tarzan has been working on it for the days we've been here and I figure QC has too because they finished. It was excellent. And I was prepared enough to be able to share it with you:


If you didn't know, he's the one on the outside end in green. My only regret is that the video cuts out before you are able to see Gamma through her hands in the air in celebration of their feat.

This is me happy to be married to that talented man.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

It is that time of year again when we pause for a moment, eat a lot of turkey and sides and hopefully count our many blessings. My three kernels this year are:

• Tarzan. It's a little cheesy and I get groans at the dinner table because I say it every year but it's true. I am thankful for him and for his willingness to do whatever is necessary. And without complaining, whining or shirking his duty. It's a little amazing.
• My education. Not my formal education at USC - though that was awesome - but the practical one I received from my parents wherein I learned to desire to learn. I know what words mean in a regular conversation and I don't have to take a calculator to the grocery store. I know enough to know more and that is something I am very thankful for.
• Family. The ones we are eating with this year, the ones back at home, the ones that live on the other side of the world. I am thankful that we are given families on this earth, to come to, to grown on our own and to continue on.

This is me and I hope your day is spent with lots of people you like and good food. Happy Thanksgiving!

Whirlwind

I'm not sure why I don't remember that visits to Tarzan's family are always filled with adventures and PLENTY to do. From the moment we landed early this morning we've had places to go and things to do.
Tarzan, his father and the other men sleeping in the house this weekend had "guy things" to do. The girls and the kids went to the park and then the mall wherein we took about a thousand pictures of the small ones riding the indoor train. Too cute. I'll get some up here as soon as I figure out whose camera we were using. (There are so many.)
Then it was lunch and naps and a tree came down in the backyard. (It's also one of the things I forget; when we come here there are tree branches that need to be sawed off and piled up.)
Dinner was across town at QC's house and it was lovely. We all ate so much we didn't fit in the cars to come home again.
Then it was some family history notes and I scoured Gamma's brain - and piano bench - for music for our Christmas program.
Because we hadn't done enough yet today we watched Coraline - which I liked more than I thought I would but don't know if it was such a good idea to do so right before sleeping - and now I am off to bed because we only got four hours last night and I really don't know what time my body thinks it is now.

This is me and it's a whirlwind every time. I should send myself a memo.

Change Of Pace

We're leaving tonight to visit Tarzan's family for Thanksgiving. Rather than leave early in the morning - as with other trips - we're leaving late at night and arriving way early in the morning.
MusicMan is a sweetheart to come and get us.
I don't know that I could do it.
But we're the last of his siblings to arrive (two live nearby making that way easier) which means the welcoming committee ought to be epic.

This is me and more exciting posts to follow.

In The Dawn's Early Light

It was a clear, crisp morning in The Jungle. Bright and sunny and cool, a typical November day. ATL and I headed out to the car preparatory to taking her to work. As I rounded the rear of the car I noticed the result the combination the torrent of rain from the previous night and morning, the black fabric roof of my car and the early morning sunshine had made:

This is me with my iPhone coming in handy again for pictures.

Reflections On The Fifth Year

Happy 5th Blog-iversary to me!
That kind of sounds like a long-ish time to be doing this. Putting my real life on the Internet for anyone to read that is. I attempt to walk that fine line between Too Much and Just Enough Information. And it's been a fancy dance since November 2010.
Well, everything has been stressed this last year, no question. Three new babies in the family, a new job, my parents' business, the nonsense with Tarzan's job, plus the usual work, church and family stuff. It's been crazy to the point that I feel like I'm missing two months. (I can't figure out why it's so dark by 5:00pm if it's only September.) And my posting has totally suffered this because of the craziness, and I apologize. I expect that's why truly busy people don't blog.
And still in all this time I haven't figured out what my 'voice' is going to be.
Certainly not a mommy blogger. I assume one has to have children for that to be feasible.
There are so many infertile blogs and they're all way funnier with lots more information and movement than mine.
I could blog about TV but then it wouldn't be as fun to watch. I think I learned that lesson from the DWTS situation.
I'd love to be an online psychologist or help desk or something but I have no credentials for that.
So I suppose I'm a random, which is hard to find a niche for. Of course, if I had a niche I'd be obligated to write more and we all know how that works out.

This is me and it's better if I blog because I like it.
This time last year: Reflections On The Fourth Year.

USC vs Oregon

Once again, especially given last week, I expected a rout.
It sort of was, but we mostly routed ourselves in the 4th quarter. Previous to that point, USC scored 21 points smack out of the gate. Recovered a fumble right before the half. Blocked a punt right after. Barkley was on fire. That was nice.
Of course, next to those images are the shots of our guy jumping up and down on their running back. And then cheating a touchdown in. And taunting the fans. So that wasn't good.
On the other hand, that play was totally holding and pass interference. And the line judge at the end zone REALLY needs to get his eyes checked. Seriously.
On the other hand, we can't even hold onto the ball - sometimes at the MOST inopportune moments.
On the OTHER hand, dude biffed the field goal to tie the game. Wow.
Final score;
USC: 38
Oregon: 35

This is me and that was amazing.

Throw Back

Because today was not a red-letter day.
But this is a red-letter dress:
This is me with us, circa almost a year ago.

Big Bang

I've mentioned how I watch too much television. And how I am every broadcasting company's target audience.
I've picked up another one.
I know, I know, but before you get too disgusted with me I have good news. ATL and I got serious this fall and weeded out all the series recordings of shows that are stupid, that we don't really like and the ones that have been canceled. As a measure of how serious we got, we stopped recording Dancing With The Stars.
(Yes, that's right. It was a tough decision but it runs thee hours over two nights and it's just too reality show-y to make up for the cool dance numbers. I miss Seasons 3 and 4 before it got so big.)
So reduced are we in our television view-age that we're actually on top of it and many nights are watching the show as it records because there's no back log.
For ATL and I this is huge progress. HUGE!
Tarzan still thinks we're weird and plays his computer games in the corner with headphones so he doesn't have to participate. Except for Burn Notice. He watches that one with us.
But the new show. It's not new to most of you, I am sure but I finally watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory for kicks because there was nothing else on and now I am hooked.
I was interested at first because of Johnny Galecki but it is Jim Parsons who is my favorite now.
Sheldon is just hilarious.
It's the point of the show, I am sure, but I feel smarter for watching it AND I'm extra pleased when I actually understand what they are talking about. That doesn't happen often.
I could continue to tell you how funny it is but until you have heard a rejoinder between Sheldon and Leonard, it just won't be the same.
It doesn't hurt that one of my favorite groups composed and sings the theme song either.
"...We built the pyramids..."

This is me and it is a really funny show.

George - My iPhone

This is my iPhone - I call it George:
It's the iPhone3 - and it was free. My cell phone was due for an upgrade - yes we're still on one of those contract plans but it works for us - and Tarzan ordered this for me for my birthday. I was fairly certain I would not like it and did not need a 'fancy' phone. All I use it for is texting and calling, right?
Well not anymore.
Firstly, texting is SO MUCH EASIER with a full keyboard and it's not even annoying anymore to to turn the phone sideways to get a wider display. I do miss the arrows of a regular keyboard though. Inserting is very difficult.
Calling is slightly more annoying than I would have thought. I've accidentally dialed people more often with this phone than all the others combined. The Contacts screen is a little touchy.
(Touchy - hee hee hee)
And it took me all of a day to decide that keeping notes and things on my phone was handy. How many times have I left the grocery list at home, or mailed it, or lost it? More times than I have forgotten my phone when going to the store, that's for sure. Also, deleting and writing another list? So handy. Saving the trees.
And then there are the games. I miss Tetris from my old phone. I still hold out hopes of being able to get it transferred because I paid for it once, but we'll see. But there are so many others to play.
The Internet. Love the Internet on my phone!
I hate to admit the number of times I have dropped my iPhone already though. It's like there's holes in my hands sometimes. I've had to exchange my SIM card too, though that's not a bad thing when you consider the one I had was the first one I ever had, so old it was still printed with 'Cingular.'
The camera is nothing sort of spectacular compared to my old one and being able to download the pictures to my computer is so convenient. I just need to learn how to make my own ring tone now and things will be perfect.

This is me and I have a iPhone and I like it.

Seasons

Some people say we don't have seasons here in The Jungle.

I offer proof that we do:

This is me, and we had hail last year...for about an hour. It was enough.

Last Meal

One of the writing prompts for NaBloPoMo has me pondering - which I suppose is the point - about my last meal. What would I choose for my last meal?
Which begs the question; why is it my last meal?
If, like they always show in the movies, I'm in prison and about to be executed, there is no way I'd eat. I'd be too freaked out to swallow anything. (It makes my throat close up to type it, let alone live it.) So, no.
If it was some operation thing, where my jaw was being wired shut for mouth surgery or whatever - it happened to my uncle when he broke his jaw - then it'd be all the chewy things I could think of. Steak and fat french fries, asparagus, carrots and apples. Food like that.
If I didn't know it was going to be my last meal, before I died of natural causes at 101 and I still had my teeth, I would have Asian food. Some Thai soup, good spring rolls, BBQ pork, an exotic vegetable mix, bao.
And there would be ice cream cake.
The right ice cream cake, not the one they messed up for my birthday this year. (So annoyed about that. Chocolate curls and graham cracker crumbs do not look the same, ever.)

This is me and it's a tougher question than it initially seems. What would you have?

Pantry / Linen Revival

I feel almost like I'm breaking the Sabbath by posting about cleaning and work that I did YESTERDAY.
Is that true or am I paranoid?
Don't answer that, I think I know already.
So, YESTERDAY, neither ATL nor I had any commitments which is a huge thing for a Saturday. We decided to tackle cleaning and reorganizing the pantry and linen closets which are in the alcove off the kitchen on the way to the master bedroom.
Yes, I know, not exactly the way most of us choose to spend a day off, but it needed to be done and ATL was very insistent. (Don't tell anyone but her boy.friend is coming for Thanksgiving and she would remodel, redecorate and then clean my entire house if there was time. She's settling for the cleaning.)
Now, I show you these pictures only because it is not the final picture and I know we organized it all nice. This is the 'before' picture, pantry on the left and linen on the right: We took everything out of both cupboards, wiped the shelves down and put it all back in.
The pantry, in a nice orderly fashion:
The linen closet; and it is amazing how much space one has when everything is in it's place:
This is me, though I doubt he will look in my cupboards.

USC vs Washingon

I would like to say it was a great game today.
Maybe it was.
We won so that's a plus. But I forgot to record it while Tarzan was at work so we only saw the last quarter wherein USC did not score any points. So all I really know is the final score.
USC: 40
Washington: 17

This is me and I hate it when I forget stuff.

Remembrance Day 2011

No matter where I live or what the local traditions are for November 11th, I always start looking for poppies. It's what we did where I grew up. The weather meant we were wearing coats all month long and it was grey and dreary so the bright red flower really pops: We don't have that kind of celebration here in The Jungle, and it sure isn't cold enough for a coat, but I miss the poppies. The poppies and the poem; In Flanders Fields. I posted the poem itself once, a few years ago. This time I thought I'd share the poem set to music. It was probably the first piece of music that really moved me.
This isn't exactly the way I remember the song from the poem after so long - my memory isn't all that apparently - but this is a sweet rendition and the images are touching. They remind me of my grandfather somehow, though he was barely born when WWI was raging.
It says Remembrance Day to me:



This is me, lest we forget.

Contest #2

I will send you one dozen cookies of your choice if you have a movie/episode/show saved on your DVR/TiVO or older than I do.
Leave the show, the date and your favorite cookie variety in the comments for our enjoyment and then email me as well so I can respond and tell you why I win.
tempest30ATgmailDOTcom


This is me and the contest is now open.

Neti Or No Neti

This is definitely entering the Way Too Much Information phase here but I have had a neti pot recommended to me a few times in the last two days and I wonder what you think of them.
First, how do I keep from drowning? Having Tarzan tell me to stuff some salt water up my nose "but don't snort it" sounds like a good way to drown myself.
Second, though I suppose this should be first, second, does it just help my sinuses or will it work on my constantly popping ears and my AMAZINGLY sore throat too? (I think my tonsils are getting involved here. I really should have had them out years ago but I did not. And now they hurt a lot when I get sick.)
Third, does it fix my nose dripping forever, only for this cold or just for a while? And if not forever, how long can I expect to have relief? Do I have to snort salt water several times a day or just once? Does it last overnight?
In short, now that I am sick for sure, is it worth the effort to get a neti pot or should I continue laying on the couch reading blogs and playing Mafia Wars?

This is me and what do you think?

I Try To Use It In Real Life

Every time I have a cold I am reminded of an observation my friend Cogent made years ago; part of the fatigue one feels when ill is because one is required to blow one's nose every 90 seconds.
So true.
And because it hurts my head to think too much, I am falling back on one of the provided prompts for this month.
Why do I like writing?
Two words: delete button.
Writing is so great because, whether texting, typing, emailing or IMing, the delete button let's you edit what you are about to say so it comes out the right way, rather than the first way you think of it. My first thoughts are not always the most coherent and 'delete' lets me fix it.
The down side to this self editing is that I try and use it in real life. I can't count the number of times I've cut, or dropped or said something I wasn't supposed to and tried to 'control Z' it.
Doesn't work and people just look at you weird.

This is me and I think we should petition for 'delete' to be allowed in real life.

Oh Dear

I think I'm getting sick.
For the second time since September.
And it's all the houseboy's fault.
This houseboy at Aunt Richie's, let's call him Speedy - as in Speedy Gonzalez from the cartoons. Stereotypical? Perhaps, but accurate - comes six days a week to clean, cook, feed the cat, maintain the cars, assist the gardener - who also comes six days a week - speak Spanish to all the vendors who come to the door and generally do whatever she needs.
About two weeks ago I came in to work and he was sneezing, sniffling and snorting all over the place. I told him not to touch anything but he did anyway, insisting he wasn't sick. That day I must have washed my hands 20 times and I started taking extra vitamins, with echinacea and zinc and anything that said it improves the immune system.
I thought I had escaped the germs when last Monday I had a minor sore throat, some sniffing and then it went away.
Not so fast, Jane.
Then last week Speedy came to work. Sick. AGAIN. What does the boy do that he can get sick again that fast?
Don't tell me, I don't want to know.
I upped my vitamins again, washed my hands so often they're raw and now today my throat REALLY hurts, as does my head, my nose is running and I'm so annoyed.

This is me, and everyone who's sick can blame him too.

Homemade Soup

I don't usually like soup. The whole broth business is kind of pointless. If I wanted to drink, I'd put it in a glass.
The exceptions include hot and sour soup - from most any Chinese restaurant but specifically the grungy little dive down the road from our house where I wonder if they've ever met a Chinese person but the soup...the soup IS SO GOOD - or, well, really that's it.
Until I made soup tonight.
It was raining super hard today and it was cold. Not really cold, cold, like places where it snows, cold, but indeed colder than it usually is around here.
Especially when one's house is not equipped for that unusual cold by having things like heaters and insulation.
So I made soup.
Chicken soup with cheese tortellini.
It was a hybrid of what I had on hand and a recipe Aunt Richie gave me. Now I did sort of cram a lot of vegetables into the pot compared to the amount of chicken stock - see above comment regarding broth - but it couldn't be called anything other than soup.
I thought it came out rather well.
I would eat it again and that's a big deal for me and soup.

This is me and it might not be as good tomorrow. Today was Fast Sunday and have you noticed everything tastes better on Fast Sunday?

USC vs Colorado

Yes, the game was last night but there were other subjects to occupy my posting yesterday, so football got bumped to today. (Post twice in one day? Are you crazy? This is November. Posts with legitimate reasons are rationed.)
Why are we only as good as the team we are playing? Before last night I would have bet on our team to totally manhandle Colorado - despite the buffalo - but the opening quarter was was not so impressive.
It got better to be sure, but interceptions never make me happy - unless we're catching them - and again with the penalties. Oy.
Still, we pulled it out - the two blocked field goals were nice - and a win is a win is a win.
USC: 42
Colorado: 17
Also, our fans sure don't know how to dress for 41 degrees.

This is me and at least it wasn't raining.

Ode To Eleven Years

I am not a sappy sort of person - much to Tarzan's consternation - but one thing every year is able to make me a giant ball of mush.
Our anniversary.
Maybe because we started out with such a tentative, nervous celebration - oh, if I could do the wedding over again it would be so different - and the first few years were touchy, blazing the trail of sharing between two families.
Maybe because it's one time it's obvious how long we've been together and how much my life would stink without him.
Maybe because there's only the two of us and each year I value Tarzan more.
Today celebrates eleven years that we have been married. Eleven! That's a lot of numbers.
Eleven years ago we were sealed for time and all eternity.
As the days tick by and it seems we two are all there is going to be in this union it becomes more important to me that we want the same things and do the same things and make it perfect.
I have learned I am a control freak. A high maintenance control freak.
It's a good thing Tarzan is easy going and likes to have work to do...
In addition to those qualities here are some reasons I am glad he likes me a bunch.
I love his being willing to work so hard every day and not resent it.
I love his ability to make me laugh. Makes every day easier.
I love his (truly) not caring what others think. Some kind of confidence.
I love his focus. Nuclear bombs couldn't disturb him when he's in the zone.
I love his concern for his students.
I love his knowledge. Brains are sexy.
Happy Anniversary Tarzan.
I love you.

This is me and eleven years is one less than a full dozen!

Bonus!

It's November 3rd.
Where I grew up we would be shoveling snow for perhaps the 3rd or 4th time this season and preparing for a long haul of more of the same.
Here, in the Jungle, it's 78 degrees.
Do we have a lot of people here? Yes, we do.
Do we have a lot of traffic here and does it drive us insane? Yes we do and it does.
Do people freak out and forget how to drive when it rains four times a year. Absolutely
But right now it's sunny and warm and there's a breeze and half of the rest of the country is buried in white stuff already.

This is me and that's why we live here now.

What's Inside?

It just can't be safe to have all this hanging off the back:

I really worry about that bottom right box.

This is me using my iPhone for pictures again.

It Should Make Him More Aware Of His Surroundings...

As you may have noticed my posting this year has not been as stellar as other years. Timing and scheduling have not been my friends. I'm thinking of sending them a fruit basket by way of a bribe and maybe they might be nicer to me in the next eight weeks.

Still, I am game to try this NaBloPoMo thing again. It's a great exercise for writing, I can usually come up with something to say - you might get some really random stuff, today for example - and it's an achievable goal, so when everything else is falling apart and people start canceling on my Christmas program - which has happened already - I can feel good about posting every day for a month.

Today's subject; Tarzan's eyebrows.

Usually they are a very benign substance. They aren't bushy or sharp, there's no threat of a uni-brow, they're the same color as his hair and they stay in place. But every few months I notice that one of two of the hairs have gotten really, REALLY long. Long enough he can pull them straight and look at them. Long enough he can poke himself in the eye with them. And they always seem to come from the same area of his eyebrow. Not the middle, or the inner side, but right above the fourth lash from the edge of his eye, that's how precise it is.

Is that uniquely freaky or do other people's husbands have the same situation?

This is me and it's day one of thirty.