Taking Stock

As I gazed around my spotless kitchen, beginning my lunch of a tuna fish sandwich, with the dishes done, dinner preparations underway, the brownies frosted and cut, knowing the car had been in for it's oil change and Tarzan wasn't working this weekend, I felt a real sense of satisfaction. This was why I had quit work. So we could get our house ready for whatever is coming, "prepare every needful thing" and if we get to enjoy the glorious April weekend together with no chores, that's a lovely bonus.
Then my head exploded.
Holy crap! It's April?! How can it be April already? It's too soon to be April! April?? Are you kidding me? I ran to the wall to consult my trusty calendar and he said "Sorry toots, it's April." Knowing we have had our issues in the past, I also discussed the possibility I was smoking crack with my computer, computers never lie, and HE said it was April too! Where did the last two months go? What have I wiled away my time on? I had such plans for my retirement, I was gonna go places and do things. I even went back and read the list I made when I was young and full of dreams to see if I had actually accomplished anything since February...

• Sleeping in: I have absolutely slept in, nearly every day, and it is marvelous let me tell you. I am SO glad Tarzan is a morning person because when we do have kids it's likely to be him getting up to feed them breakfast. I sleep like a rock. And I looove my mornings in bed. I don't think I'm a lazy slob, but if I don't have to get up before 8am, I am a happy, happy camper.
• Clean: I wasn't lying about the kitchen. I really did clean it, appliances included - did you know my blender was white? - and throw out a lot of junk; tupperware without lids and lids without tupperware, organized the recipes, made all the pots fit in the cupboard, you know.
• Insulate: I have not insulated the attic yet and I really need to get on that before it gets too hot to be up there. I'm scared though. It's dark and dusty and there's likely to be spiders and there's ALL. THE. CRAP. to clean out first. Stuff from college that I haven't looked at in years, wrapping paper that I saved for goodness knows what reason and a bunch of stuff that I apparently needed so desperately I forgot what it even is.
• Read: I have read some, mostly fluff books I admit. I would like to say I have finished Moby Dick...but that would be a lie. It's a very hard book to stay interested in, a classic I know, I know, but it's just not contiguous.
• Visit: I think I need to get on the visiting thing even more than the attic if the last few months are any indication. Rocketgirl, I am coming, I swear!!!!!
• Patio: The patio will be a long project too. It needs to be done before July - the AKSR you know - but should I do the attic first? Or just skip the attic and do the backyard? I'm leaning that direction but I don't know if that's because of the spiders or what.
• Nooners: Haven't got to see Tarzan in action at the library yet - he's shy. One day soon. I'll obliquely reference it when it happens.
• Front Yard: We did trim the front yard tree and bushes but there's a lot of moving and transplanting I still want to do. I think I just need to get my sorry self out in the yard in the morning rather than blogging or emailing or whatever. But there's so many lovely blogs to read...
• Heroes: I am slowly making my way through Heroes of Might & Magic: The Final Chapters. It's very easy to lose four or five hours at a time...not that I'd know about that or anything.
• Audit: I'm thinking I will wait until the fall semester to take a class.
• Travel: Europe is a BIG trip. I don't think we're ready for that yet.
• Shed: Yeah, like I'm going to have made it to the shed before I finished the house.
• Beach: I have been to the beach in the middle of the week!! Yay for me!
• Paint: The painting is not a HUGE deal right now - Tarzan did a good update last year when we painted the shade in the back. That's for a summer when I'm bored.
• Twins: We're doing our best. Trust me.
• Blogs: I like to think I am commenting on blogs more and I am doing better with the response to emails. I also like to think I am providing more though provoking blogs of my own...well, two out of three ain't bad.
• Laundry: Sweet! I'm all over this one. And it really does make the weekend less stressful and Tarzan has clean clothes to wear to work. A definite plus.
• Dinner: I have been making lots of dinners out of my new cookbook, 'Vegetarian Meals for Everyone.' Tarzan, bless him, eats whatever it is but fortunately they have been mostly good. We discovered the recipe for pita bread is awesome. We eat that quite often.
• Hammock: Not yet. That's contingent on the back yard being finished, which we have determined is the next big project to undertake.

Hmmm, that's less than stellar results. One thing I am proud of is the amount of service I have been doing. I was all a-twitter with the slide show in March and though it took a lot longer than I figured to complete it was really cool. (You'll have to take my word for it.) The dinner went well, and I've been able to help the cub scout pack with a few things. I've been able to go out with the missionaries and help out some people with rides and child sitting. I think I mentioned the volunteering at the food bank which has been a been a lot of fun. Some of the guys there have decided to teach me Spanish. Right now all I've got is eggs, Thursday and nine, because they all sound the same, but I'm on it.

This is me, beating Heroes of Might & Magic.

State Fair and Rodeo

Before I dive into this week's themed meme from the nice people at The Back Porch, let me state that great things can happen when one is away from home - like presents arriving!! My sewing machine came on Tuesday and it's awesome. The box said corded/cordless but there was no cord inside. I was prepared to be bummed out when I noticed the type of connection for a cord looked like my laptop connection so we tried it and sure enough, it runs!! Ain't that a crazy thing? Can't wait to start sewing stuff up!
::Onesome- State: What state (or territory) do you live in? Have you lived in any other(s)? Where would you like to live? And as a bonus: Any idea what year your state became a state?

• We live in California, if you haven't guessed by now, and no. No other state would I want to live in. Visit; absolutely. All of them. But live in...no. Not at all. There's just something perfect about it. I know, others have other opinions about their state and that's great. But for me, no other state has all that we have here. It's perfecto. California became a state in 1850.

::Twosome- Fair: Or amusement parks: Did you enjoy them as a kid? What was your favorite ride? How do you feel about them now? Ready to go wander around one again, sampling funnel cakes and corn dogs and riding rides until you're sick? ...or would you rather just enjoy the entertainment or stay home and avoid the crowds?

• Sure, I like a good swing now and then. The big parks tend to have far too many people to want to go a lot, and the prices!! But once in a while, especially with cousins, nieces and nephews it can be great fun. The state and county fairs are pretty fun we've found. Interesting.

::Threesome- And Rodeo: Have you ever been to or watched a rodeo on TV? Did you enjoy it or consider it a barbaric spectacle? If you liked it, what was your favorite event? Ever tempted to race barrels or ride a bull yourself?

• I have seen parts of rodeos on TV, never been to a live one, probably won't. Parts of it are interesting, parts are quite barbaric. Not ever tempted to ride a bull or race barrels. Call me boring, but there it is. I am not a thrill seeker. Adrenaline is not my friend. I've come to terms with it, so can you.

This is me, with a meme.

Catching You Up

As long as I CAN blog I dither about what to say and whether what I'm thinking of is worth the space and does this really make sense and blah blah blah. As soon as I CAN'T blog the words and ideas flow like water. What is THAT about I ask you? I apologize peeps for the abrupt suspension of all things blog. Sunday night we get calls from Tarzan's aunt and mother about one of this uncles who needs someone to stay with him. He'd had surgery on Friday - which we knew about - but the aunt had work and others weren't available for two days and since I no longer work and we don't have any other responsibilities could Jane go South of the The Jungle and stay with him for a few days? I could, and I did. What I did not know is that Uncle R12 lives in the stone age, before cable and Internet...so what did I do for two days (other than plumping pillows, making chicken broth and fielding phone calls from girls who want to play nurse) with no contact to the outside world except for my cell phone - thank you Rocketgirl! - which had spotty coverage at best? I read and did some Sudoku puzzles and washed dishes. By hand. I know. I haven't done that for years!! And I wrote blog entries, about DWTS naturally, thank you network TV, both the performance night and the results show. They were relevant at the time, but might seem a little dated now...whatevs.
**********Monday**********
I think I know why they have the jive and tango on the same night, apparently it’s about the precision necessary for both. But is it really time for those dances? It seems like we got here mighty fast. Maybe it’s the two dances before anyone went home that did it.
Marlee was good, she’s getting better, more confident perhaps. It really doesn’t seem like the lack of music bothers her rhythm so maybe the songs don’t matter to the dancers as much as they do to me?
What was the biker tango with Mario and Karina? He really did a poor job. It's not likely he will go home because of course the fans don't have any idea what makes a good dance. Standing ovation my foot. But he is probably the best partner that Karina has ever had. She's actually funny and not annoying with Mario. Weird.
Priscilla is getting looser which I like – she was almost falling over last week she was so tense. Of course the tango lends itself to tension so we’ll see how it comes out. Not that she is in any danger to go home. She was married to ELVIS people.
Adam is either getting better, or Julianne is learning how to cover his mistakes better – I hate to say that he might be a dancer but he looked alright. I still didn’t vote for him because others are better, but still. It’s all about improving right?
Christian’s jive was really, really fun. I wanted to watch him and was not distracted by Cheryl. He’s cute and he looked like he was having a good time. He won't win either, but he's very good and could get even better.
The tango with Steve and Jonathan was almost better than his with Anna. He’s funny and cute and charming but he just does not excite me. It's a little sad to say but I bet it will be Steve or Marissa who go home. BECAUSE I really expected Marissa to do better with the jive – it was MADE for her and yet there was no pop, no excitement, no energy. It’s cliché but I was really disappointed. Carrie-Ann was not pulling any punches there either. Whoa. And while we're speaking of the judges; was it just me or did Len seem to be the big Mr. CrankyPants? Yeah. It's a little too soon to be expecting perfection from these people. We haven't even weeded out the chaff yet.
Jason was pretty. I could get Carrie-Ann’s point about him dancing small – he has been bigger and better but he was still improved in some areas and he was lots better than others of the night.
Shannon is also getting better – slowly – the kickboxing stuff did not really end up in her dance though…dunno if it was supposed to.
And who picked Kristi’s music? That was way weird for a tango. And what was Mark doing with is mouth? Completely necessary? I say not. Discuss.
On a side note: what was with Tom coughing at the second to last break? And why did he call up the host from another show to send us out? Weird. Not explanation, no nothing. Weird.
**********Tuesday**********
Not a surprise, though a disappointment, that Steve went home. Poo. Thankfully they let Kristi and Mark know they were staying right off the bat. No need to make them sweat. WHAT is with Adam and Julianne? Weird doesn't even begin to describe it. They make me want to gag. Even now. Tony seemed really hurt that the judges think he doesn't support his partner. He didn't say anything more, even in the confessional booth. And Sam was really excited when he and Marissa didn't get sent home. She usually tries to stay reserved and impartial but she was all "YES!! Marissa and Tony." Rein it in Sam.
And what is with the not having the bottom two?! I neeeeeeed my bottom two because then I know what kind of crack the rest of the voters are smoking and how to place my ballot for the infinitesimal amount of influence it has...right now I'm just flying blind people, flying blind.
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And now I'm back and caught up mostly. We had some of the young men from church over tonight for Trivial Pursuit and it went well I think. I am exhausted though. So much energy and testosterone to stay on top of. Whew. Uncle R12 is doing much better, I think he will be back to cracking inappropriate jokes in no time at all. No heavy lifting, do you hear me? No heavy lifting! I will know if you do!!!

This is me, helping out every which place.

Somethings Old, New, Borrowed And Blue

::Onesome: Something old- Do you have anything that you've owned simply forever? A cherished childhood toy, an antique handed down through the family? ...the family Bible?

• Not me per se, but my mother has her grandmother's foot pedal sewing machine. It's an antique. If by forever you mean MY own lifetime, I have all my journals. I used to write pages every Sunday afternoon when I was in college. Probably the best documented years of my life.

::Twosome: Something new- Buy anything new lately?

• I suppose food and/or gasoline do not constitute new exactly...ooh! Bought my sister The Reduced Shakespeare Company's DVD with The Complete Works of Shakespeare and The Complete History of America for her birthday. Sooo funny. OMG. Seriously, see these guys. Hysterical.

::Threesome: Something borrowed- Have you ever borrowed an item and never returned it?

• I was going to say no, but I think one of the books I have had for years actually belongs to Cogent, a friend from college...oops. In the reverse, my second year roommate borrowed my copy of a REALLY expensive textbook - one I might have used again - and never returned it. E, you know who you are. Bring it back!

::Bonus: Something blue- Can you see anything blue from where you are? What is it?

• Other than the glorious-ness that is the sky out the window? Well, the place mats on the table are blue. A rich royal blue. I likey them, I do.

This is me, memeing on the right day - woot!

Wednesday

Today was the funeral for Tarzan's grandmother who passed away earlier this week. It was a lovely service, all her children spoke and unlike another funeral we had recently, it was more a relief than a sorrow. D3 had severe dementia, she forgot how to use her legs and she couldn't eat. She had lived and served for a long time, raised seven children, played with 20 grandchildren and held 8 great-grandchildren. She was tired and I think ready to move on. So there were some tears, but a lot of laughter and a lot of relief that her soul is no longer trapped in the body that wouldn't do what it used to. Lots of memories were shared, funny and bittersweet. The flowers were gorgeous, the weather perfect. It was a day D3 would have reveled in.
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Is it kosher to mention television in the same post as your grandmother-in-law's passing? Well, they were never a stand on ceremony type of people so whatever.
It was almost a given that Monica would be the first woman to go home from DWTS last night. And when she was up against Marissa well, not a surprise at all. And no shocker that Penn went. I wish he could have stayed longer, he's so funny, and Julianne is SO annoying. But it seems the fans are voting for her even if her partner trips over his own feet while standing still so what can you do? I must ask where all the "she's so hot" stuff is coming from? Kym's boobs are TOTALLY bigger than Julianne's. Whatever people. Adam is funny too so I can deal for a week or so. But That's. It. The Cirque de Soleil-esque dance was fun, not as big a deal as they had promised but it's a portable trap you know? The Jonas Brothers must be owned by Disney because I can see no other reason why people with so little talent would be broadcast across the nation. Even Tarzan, who is VERY forgiving and tries to find the good in people he doesn't know and will never meet, said they have no talent, sounded horrible and left the room when they come on the second time. Not my speed. Just another week on a not-really-reality show.

This is me, back from my first funeral ever.

Musically Bad

I'm wondering if I shouldn't post WHILE the show is going on rather than waiting for the next day. I am just not as motivated to write today as I was last night...
It was The Night Of Crappy Music. I don't know who chooses the tunes for this show but they ought to be shot. I know I've said it before - in fact I HAVE said it before, apparently not here though... but it still stands. The person, or people, who select the songs to dance to ought to be strung up from a tree. There are great selections out there that actually match the types of dances that are being performed. WHY don't we use those?!!?! I sure as heck don't know. And yet in spite of that, Kristi Yamaguchi was phenomenal. Freaking amazing. Frankly, she's going to walk away with the trophy if there is any justice in the world. Mark lucked out in his partners. Again, Priscilla got scored higher than her dance deserved but the woman is 63. Anything she's doing is a tribute. Thankfully Adam still stunk so it's *LIKELY* he will go home - please, please, please let it be. Shannon was greatly improved and I can deal if she goes on. Marissa managed to settle down a little, so her dance was smoother and I think that will do her well. It's a pity Penn can't dance better because he is funny! He did not move his feet. That's a no-no in the dancing world. Of course Adam is funny too. But we don't like his partner so buh-bye. Marlee did a really nice job. Not spectacular, but she's got some room to improve. Christian needs to develop some smooth skills but he's got the props. Mario seems to be doing well and he's less obnoxious than other young stars on this show. *ahem* Floyd *ahem* Steve is sweet and a really good sport, but I don't know how long the charm will last him. He needs to be more...precise maybe? Monica, it's just so sad, just is not a dancer. Not everyone is, her thing is tennis - she's really good at it - but she can't dance. Her dance was so small last night. Competitions, especially competitions on TV, need to be big and bold and she just wasn't. Jason Taylor is awesome. He needs to loosen up his hips for the Latin dances but he's really, really good.
And, per my fans - love you Rocketgirl! - I answer the question "who is the short slightly geeky looking celeb girl?" I think you mean Marissa. None of the other girls, except Kristi, could be considered short, and she's certainly not geeky.

This is me, biting my nails for the results show.

Anyone Can Miss A Day

Quite the aptly named post n'est pas? I am not making this a habit, making excuses or whining, really I'm not - just so you know what's going on - the day I volunteer at the food bank was changed so instead of Wednesday afternoon, it's Thursday. Yesterday morning my uncle took his oath of citizenship for the United States, so Tarzan and I went to that. And it was really cool. Touching and impressive and packed. There were 6,226 people in the one session. Wow. Then it was off to the food bank and from there I drove to my parents' house to pick up my sister to stay the weekend with us. Nothing big, just hanging out - pictures to come I swear!! But we didn't get back until way late last night, so here we are. Maybe if it were changed to the Friday meme, and no one told me - then I might get it done on the right day...
::Onesome: Anyone-- Has anyone made an impression on you lately? No, not on the national level, but at work or school or just 'around'. ...or even here on the web?

• One of the gentlemen who volunteers at the same food bank is just a really nice guy. He works with Tarzan frequently with the youth and he and his wife are always there to volunteer and help out and talk and chat and they are nice and kind and really, just good people. I knew that before this week of course, but they impressed me again yesterday.

::Twosome: can Miss-- Speaking of webbish things (and of course we are!), what types of things do you take a miss on at your place and choose not to post about? Just curious...

• I mention it on occasion but try not to detail our sex life or our arguments. And I've alluded to our desire to conceive but I don't want to become an infertility blog. I try to keep it fun and humorous and informative.

::Threesome: a Day-- On a similar note: do you post every day? ...or just whenever? ...or is every session at the computer a spur to work up a little something?

• I try to post frequently but it's not religious. I want it to be good, not just what I ate for breakfast you know? On the one hand, we do a lot so sometimes it's a matter of paring it down to post, but on the other hand we repeat a lot of activities - church lessons every Sunday, cub scouts every Tuesday etc. - so there's some lost interest points there. Comme ci, comme ca.

This is me, thankful for The Back Porch people.

Footwork - part II

Before we jump into our (my) reviews of last night's dancing I share this tidbit from my superblogger sister-in-law who maintains three, count 'em 3!! blogs. This is taken from her bargain hunting website Miss Cheapskate. Such a deal. I ordered some towels and I get a sewing machine for free! Sweet. Now I don't have to drag every tiny thing out to my mother's house to have her stitch it for me. Not to say she's not talented - she is - she made my wedding dress, and both my married sisters' dresses - but she has a life and she really doesn't need to spend the time mending the bedsheets where Tarzan's exTREMEly sharp toenails have ripped through, you know? Yeah...
So on to the reviews. The ladies were good last night. I had high hopes for all of them and was not really disappointed. Which is quite a compliment coming from me - I tend to be hard on the women.
I think they - the judges - scored Priscilla Presley higher than her performance merited, a little in awe of who she was perhaps? She was good and her dress was a fantastic color. Really a great dress.
Shannon Elizabeth was what I expected, not an impressive dancer, but really great looking and able to learn.
Monica Seles was a bit of a let down. I guess I expected more from a tennis star who has to "dance" around the court for hours at a time. Posture can be worked on, but her feet weren't even that great. Sadly, I would have to pick her for the first eliminated next week.
Marissa Jaret Winokur is how I expect I would be if for some reason I was famous enough to be asked to be on the show. So excited and so happy to be involved and so ready and with a little experience but not really aware of how much work it is to be a competitive dancer. She may do well if she can calm down.
Marlee Matlin was very very good. I do not say that 'considering' her disability but in spite of. She was really really good. She won't win because she was half a beat behind her partner, but she could go far.
Kristi was, briefly, brilliant. So pretty, so graceful. I don't know that her skating experience gives her an advantage, but I think she has some skills that will do her well in this arena as well.
If I had to suppose now, I would pick Jason Taylor and Kristi Yamaguchi to battle it out for the trophy.

This is me, guessing already.

Footwork

I realize not everyone who reads this - all four of them - is into Dancing With The Stars like I am. I'm not sure anyone is into DWTS like I am...well the filipinos4hough may be but they're crazy. Truth be told, I am NOT a fan of reality TV. Once I found out Survivor was orchestrated with challenges and games and not just a bunch of yuppies dumped in the jungle to fend for themselves I was quite turned off. And there hasn't been a single show to catch my interest since. Except DWTS. Maybe because there are professionals involved...(Skating With The Stars had professionals too but that did not turn out to be a good show) Maybe the hosts...(Tom is excellent, Sam not so much) Certainly not the judges. (Len Goodman I can respect the other two think they're still 15 and it shows.) I suspect it's because I love to dance. Not in any professional or competitive way certainly, just for fun. Tarzan and I danced on the USC Ballroom Dance Team and we still trip the light fantastic once in a while. It's a classy exercise, fun, romantic and relatively easy. Not to say the celebrities don't work hard, they do, but it's less political than most of the other reality shows out there. No backbiting, no gossiping, the contestants don't vote against each other...it's civilized. It's funny, charming, all the qualities that I find endearing in entertainment. It's true. I may have been a little cynical the last time but I take it back. After last night I think Season 6 will be okay. Only the men danced because of timing - they had to show the first meeting footage and everything; the ladies will dance tonight - so I apologize for two in a row. The pictures of Q's weekend in town will come, I promise.
THE MEN:
Hallelujah brother!! Thank you Fates! The planets have aligned and something is right with the world again - Julianne is going to have a hard time pulling a championship out of this one. Adam Carolla was funnier than I expected him to be - I was amused more than I expected to be perhaps - but the man did not dance well. It will be sweet if they are voted off the first week. I daren't say more or it might jinx the whole thing...He and Penn Jillette talked a LOT more than any other celebrity has before, interrupting the judges and Sam several times - little bit funny, little bit annoying.
Speaking of Penn, he does not suck, but Kym has her work cut out for her too. The man is very tall and broad. Also funny and very self depreciating. I don't know if he has enough fans to go far though.
Steve Guttenberg was cute and it was fun to learn that he was in Mary Poppins, the movie. He'll stick around for a while but I don't think he will win it.
Cheryl will do well with Christian de la Fuente I think. He's got potential and he may have the fan base needed to pull in the votes.
Bless me, did Edyta really draw a decent partner this time? I truly hope so. She deserves it. Jason Taylor may play football but he had rhythm, rise and fall, he was elegant - it was beautiful to watch. I hope he can pull it out for the Latin dances too. Based on 1/2 a show I say they are the best talent. The only problem I see is that it's mostly men who know who that he's a tight end on the Miami Dolphins. Of course Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith did really well. Maybe there's something to that joke about football players and ballet...
Karina and Mario (no last name, just Mario) will be the biggest threat to Edyta's chance at a trophy. His fans are girls, he's young and he can dance.
This could get good.

This is me, talking 'bout some dancing.

Green Is My Color

Happy St.Patrick's Day everybody! I don't know why I have such an affinity for Ireland and it's traditions - it's not like I've ever been there - and my father's ancestors immigrated so many moons ago it's ridiculous. But, somewhere in my youth, or childhood, I was disproportionally pleased to discover that my family was of Irish descent. And it continues even today. Any mention of Ireland perks my ears up, LOVE the lilt of Gaelic though I can't understand a word and can barely pronounce some of the syllables. Celtic Woman, The Pirate Queen, Riverdance; love them all. My favorite storyline on Heroes is Peter's because he finds his girl in a bar in Ireland. I still believe somewhere in Ireland is a castle waiting for me. (Some girls dream of a prince but I want the castle.) I guess it shows, Tarzan wrote me poetry when we were dating and called me his "Irish dream..." what can I say, we were young and silly. Maybe it's also that the festivities fall near the first of spring but I love St. Patrick's Day. If I were a drinker I would totally go out to the bars and have green beer. I bought a new shirt last weekend in honor of the day - one of the $5 Target ones - with "Everyone Loves An Irish Girl" across the chest. It's awesome. So eat some soda bread or some corned beef and cabbage, go green and let out your inner leprechaun!!
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On a totally separare topic; as mentioned previously The Odyssey: A Musical was very well received at the conference for the youth and we have received a number of accolades for it. The down side to all of this is that I can't in good conscious post it here for you to see because it is an exercise in plagiarism. I ripped images from a lot of sites, including famous artwork and photos and just Photoshopped the copyright symbol out...While we did not make any money from the show I feel a little apprehensive about throwing it out there for all to see. Should anyone want a copy THAT badly, email me and I will send it.

This is me, getting ready - DWTS begins tonight, and on that note: this is pretty funny.

Insomnia, The Cure For Sleep

Surprise! I made it after all. More in the coming days about The Odyssey - really well received - and Q is in town this weekend. We went to the beach, ate some food, stopped by my office, talked a lot - it was a really good day. Being the type who does not like to forget one's obligations, here is the weekly meme from The Back Porch peeps.
::Onesome: Insomnia-- Ever have it? Some do and some don't, but have you ever been hounded awake for that endless hour after hour with no hope of sleep? ...or does the very act of touching head to pillow put you out for the count?

• Perhaps is was out of necessity in my chosen profession, but I have never had troubles in the sleep arena. I can sleep anytime, anywhere - and have. I once fell asleep standing up - seriously - shelving books at the library when I was in college. Not long admittedly, the book fell from my hand, smacked the floor and woke me up.

::Twosome: the cure-- Hey, if you do have the occasional bout or chronic insomnia, what do you do about it? Work? Read? Try cures? Hmmm... Did you ever find one that worked?

• If ever I have trouble sleeping - the night before a presentation let's say, I count backwards from 100, inhaling and exhaling deeply for every number. I don't remember ever making it past 90...

::Threesome: for sleep-- Female/male, young/not so young, we all need varying amounts of sleep. What's your personal sleep cycle? Five hours? Ten hours? ...and if you had a choice, what would be your personal sleep cycle? ...and yes, "All day long" is a valid answer.

• I think my sleep cycle is nine hours...is that a lot? Am I lazy? I would prefer to sleep from 11pm until 8am if I could. Lately I have been and it's been excellent. Really and truly. I get a lot done in a day and I get some sleep and I don't have to wake up in the dark. I think I have a phobia about that; having to get up when it's still dark. Not sure where it comes from but there it is.

This is me, way too flippant for the time of day/night it is. More later.

Choreography...

I am taking a short break from the craziness that is The Odyssey for this week's meme from the people at The Back Porch. HOW is it Thursday already? It's too soon! And is this meme title long enough for anyone else? In the interest of interest I abbreviated - hope that's still kosher for any meme-a-holics.
::Onesome: Choreography: What do you choreograph in your life? Your morning routine? The dinner ritual? How you study? What is 'designed' by you?

• Other than I brush my teeth, comb my hair, pee and then wash my hands before I go to bed, mmmmm, no. With an abstract sequential in the house it's hard to maintain a routine. My philosophy is; as long as it gets done in time for the next thing I can let it go. Only big events do I like to "choreograph" so to speak, and even then one needs to be flexible - always flexible.

::Twosome: The art of symbolically: Art? Hmmmm... Sure, what do you like to have? ...or do you? ...but how about that little symbol you keep on your desk or headboard? The one you keep because??? I mean, if you can share that...

• Someone is surely fainting somewhere or dismissing me as a low-brow peon; I don't get art. It's not practical and unless it looks like a real life object I don't "see" anything in it. What do we have on the walls? Pictures of us and family, diplomas...and that's about it. Like I said, low-brows.

::Threesome: representing dancing: No, not 'do you dance?' (although that's fine too!); rather, which type(s) of dancing will you stop and watch for a moment? Ballroom? Swing? Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey?

• We do dance. But we like to watch dancing. You must have noticed my commentaries on DWTS and if it's anything faintly resembling dance I will stop to watch. Ballet, tap, ballroom, modern, whatever. I have suffered through many a poorly written movie because of the promise of dancing. Sometimes the dancing was worth it, sometimes not. It's all fun.

This is me, back to work now.

Snippet

So my latest reason for not blogging so much? Creating an animated production of The Odyssey. A musical version. Pictures of people we know, their heads floating above cartoon bodies, portions of Ship To Shore and Cocaine running through my head - I am so distracted by this thing I only shaved one armpit this morning...my life is truly stranger than my dreams.

This is me, fractured.

Weird Dream #23

OMG - you know how I said my dreams are weirdest right before waking up? Well, I submit that the dreams one has after waking up to fix Tarzan an English muffin for breakfast so he doesn't eat six cookies instead - AGAIN - then going back to sleep for another hour are the weirdest...try this one on for size:

I was parked in a large, open shopping center lot, waiting for my sister to get out of work at this cheesy Taco Bell type place. (This in and of itself is not weird. I wait for her often, in a parking lot. NOT a large lot, NOT at a mall, NOT for a restaurant...) Two chicks come up to the car, one on either side offering donuts. These are pretty fancy donuts, with fruit and decorations on them, but when they say one costs $3.99 I say no thanks. I finally agree to buy one after they lower the price to $1.99 and give me this long spiel about how they were for a wedding but the groom never showed, blah, blah, blah. As I'm pulling out my wallet a guy parks his Jeep behind me. The girls go to get me my change, and I wonder if I shouldn't have given them two $1 bills instead, and I look at my currency and find I have a fake $4 bill and I want to exchange that for the real money I gave them, so I put the car in park - apparently it's been running this whole time - turn it off and jump out to go after the girls. My car starts to roll back and smashes into the guy in the Jeep. He's not hurt, "just the wind knocked out of me," he says and he helps me hold the car so I can put it in park again and put the parking brake on. While we're holding the car - back from what, I know not - the girls come over, one gets in the passenger seat, the door had been locked, and proceeds to rummage through my wallet. I get a little indignant, and in the time it takes me to let go of the car and duck inside, they all disappear. Both girls, the guy, the Jeep, my money and the donuts. I contemplate my having to send out one of those emails about scams and I hear people start screaming on the sidewalk, I look up to see a car chase through the parking lot, the Jeep followed by the police. I sit down in my car to go after them...and I was never to glad to wake up and find out it was all a dream.

So I stumble out here to the living room in my nightie with my hair all seven directions because this was too good not to share with all of you. You are welcome.

This is me, remembering a dream again.

A-B-C

And here we are again, the weekly meme from the people at The Back Porch. How do they do it every week and not get irritated at having to think up questions for people they can't even see?
::Onesome: A--ny place but here? Are travel plans looming for Spring break? ...or are you staying home?

• Ahh, Spring Break, I remember those days. When I was in college we used to go to Disneyland every Spring Break. Then I didn't get a Spring Break for all the years I worked. (Listen to me, "all those years" like it was 30 and not 8.) Don't know what we're doing this year. Not going far. The beach, visit my parents, see my sister who's coming home this year. Easter is early so that's in the mix too.

::Twosome: B--etter to look in the mirror before you leave? Have you ever discovered (say around mid-day) that your clothes really didn't match up?

• One of my friends, when we were in college, didn't discover until after class was over - it was an 8:00 Physics class (who DOES that?) - that she had two shoes, same STYLE, different COLOR on. She ran, screaming all the way home. Can't say I was ever obviously mismatched, but there have been weird splotch shape marks appear on my shirt halfway through the day.

::Threesome: C--atch any good movies lately? What should we go see now that the Oscar's are done and over for another year?

• This is a depressing question because there are a lot of movies we would go and see if they weren't rated R. What is that all about? Does there have to gratuitous blood and violence where in people get visually kicked in the head to tell the story better? Does she have to show her boob to move the plot along? Probably not. But there we are and so we don't go to the movies much. See this post here. So if YOU have suggestions lemme know. Maybe we'll go to the movies during Spring Break...

This is me, wondering what you're watching.

Divided We Fall

We didn't get the job in The Temperate Zone - that's a little north of The Jungle - so we won't be moving before the summer is over. I know I didn't mention it before - mostly because I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
I still don't.
On the one hand, I'm disappointed because moving has an excitement to it; the houses are way cheap, big and gorgeous up there, the cost of living is much lower, but the salary was almost the same so we'd have been ahead that way. The chance for a garden, visiting U-Picks and having space for kids, a hot tub, whatever was there. Tarzan would have been perfect for the job - despite his repeated attempts to tell me he was too young, didn't have enough experience, blah, blah, blah, he's awesome and cares so much he would have done a fabulous job. The interview went well - he was prepped. While driving around the area we were more worried about what we were leaving behind than whether we'd get the job.
On the other hand, we LOVE The Jungle. It's happening. I love big cities, always have. The weather is awesome, the beach is next door practically, everything is here - EVERY thing anyone could want can be found in this town. We have our own production of Wicked for crying out loud! Tarzan and I have a place here. We have friends and family near, we have roots and ripping those up is never easy.
As it turns out we don't have to. Tarzan says he's happy to not have gotten the position and, to be fair, it would have been A LOT of work for him. Because of budget cuts and everything the school district was hiring one person not two, as advertised, to plan and execute the library program for all fourteen of their schools. Two people would have had a lot of work to do. One is just ridiculous. If I barely see him now what would that have been like? And our house here IS small, but it's just us for now, and let's be honest, how good would I be at keeping a garden? I can't keep the weeds out of the front yard as it is.
So that's where I am - happy we get to stay and yet sad because we've 'been here, done that' so to speak. Sad we don't get a new, bigger, fabulous house with a pool, yard and many bedrooms for less than half of what this tiny thing is appraised for, but happy that we get to keep this one to make better - I have GOT to get on that insulation thing...Happy that Tarzan gets to stay at his school where he is doing so much good and sad that he won't get to be in charge of all the schools and maybe get to have influence on a higher level; figure out this budget crisis somehow. (Don't I have large aspirations for the man?) I don't think I've ever been so torn on a decision in my life. This would have been a hard one to make...really glad I don't have to.

This is me, divided.

It's Growing

One of the best things about the rain is the green that comes to The Jungle afterwards. Our little apricot tree is going crazy in the front yard. This was the day after we planted it:

And this is it now:

Note the trimmed bushes and orange tree in the back. Tarzan was so cute. Every time I selected a branch or a twig for pruning he got all sentimental. "But it has leaves." Hee hee, he's so adorable. We're doing so much better with this tree in the guiding it's growth and nipping buds so only the strong survive.

Close-up!:

This is me, proud of the growing stuff.

Oscar's 80

So the Academy Awards were okay. Not too surprising, or edgy - or too eventful - we hadn't seen most of the movies so what's to get indignant about? Go Bourne Supremacy.
We liked John Stewart. I love how he looks slightly embarrassed by his punchlines - like "I know, I can't believe they are making me say this either..." but he was funny. Little bit racy, not too dangerous.
As for the actual awards...eh. We didn't watch the speeches. Kinda sorry I missed Best Actor because it would have been amusing to see him kneel for his fake knighting but that's all.
It was great to see Kristin Chenoweth sing. She's got a great voice. (Please let them make a movie of Wicked...please let them make a movie of Wicked...) I was not surprised that Enchanted did not win Best Song - despite there being THREE songs from the movie nominated, and they ALL being written by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menkin - but I was a little annoyed at the comments in the paper this morning. Yes, it was a cute movie. Yes, it was a Disney movie. Yes, there's very little angst or drama in a fairy tale come to life - but there's nothing WRONG with a happy story. Don't poo-poo the writer's ability just because no one dies.
Just for you Lola - we had gingersnaps and grapes (red AND green - this was the Oscar's after all) for dessert.

This is me, glad the stress of the awards season is off.

Liquid Drops Bandage

Now this is a problem with being home. Because of the holiday on Monday I forgot that yesterday was Thursday and so I didn't get to the weekly meme from The Back Porch peeps. I apologize to anyone who waits with baited breath every week for my answers. Yeah, that's not even my mother. But here we go, a day late but still genuine.
::Onesome: Liquid-- is falling from the skies this time of year. Be it rain or snow or fog, what's late Winter looking like at your place?

• If I had filled this out yesterday I would have said, grey-ish, kinda cloudy. But now! It rained in the afternoon and into the night yesterday so we are prepared with a much more interesting answer today. It still doesn't get very cold though. Little windy on Wednesday. Very temperate. And I like that.

::Twosome: Drops -- of sweetener? ...or teaspoons of sugar (okay, tablespoons)? What do you use to make iced tea and other drinks acceptable?

• If I drank iced tea I might have a better response. We use mixes, like Crystal Light if we are feeling festive. Those come with the sweetener in them. We're boring I suppose.

::Threesome: Bandage-- your owies with a spray or with drops? Have you seen these liquid, no sting, bandage drops yet? Man, I'm thinking these may be ideal to have when you're out and about with kidlets!

• If I had kidlets...seriously, band-aids are good enough for me. Tarzan "is a man and men don't use band-aids we just rub some dirt on it." Get back to me in a few years and we'll see if my application has changed. It seems though, that a liquid won't protect or cushion like a band-aid would.

This is me, making a reminder to not forget the weekly meme.
P.S. Yes, the turtle's down. I figure two weeks past should be enough.

Kitty Crack

We haven't had a lot of success or interest in the past with catnip. Fresh stuff got some sniffs and one or two nibbles but none of the suggested characteristics of a cat high on the weed. The catnip bubbles kind of scared them, the catnip toys were just toys. So I didn't hold out much hope for the mouse filled with dried catnip. The fact that I can't find that catnip filled mouse has so much more significance now. Consider the story of the cat "tree" I bought yesterday. The old ones were pretty beat up and we'd talked about getting a new one:I thought it was worth one more try with the dried catnip - what else was I going to do with it? - so I sprinkled it across all the "floors." At first there was much sniffing and investigating and suddenly it was a free-for-all:

Train Wreck was pretty sure it was all for her:

She got quite possessive of it:

Belle tried to take just a little sniff:

And got smacked for it:

Apparently the top rack is the best. Throughout the day they each tried to have a turn. Train Wreck of course:

Mikey finally got up there:

Ha ha. Look at me!:

Ice took his turn after the initial rukus died down: Poor Belle never got higher than the first level:

So she decided to go find her own hideout:

This is me, in a house with a bunch of kitties high on crack.

DWTS: Season 6 Begins

Did I not tell you? I did, I did, I did. Setting up the two back-to-back champions against each other. (Cheryl Burke was the champion for Seasons 2 & 3 and Julianne Hough won seasons 4 & 5) Gah! So annoying that DANCING can't be the most important part of Dancing With The Stars. Why is that? And don't give me all of that business about how their real personalities come out in this demanding regimen and the challenge is to go over and beyond themselves. Blah. I would not be surprised to find out it was set up from the beginning. Really. I hope not, but it wouldn't surprise me. Am I cynical? Yeah, a little. Mel and Max were clearly the better dancers. Clearly. But they did not win. That should tell you something about the American public.
A big bummer is that Maxim Chmerkovskiy is not dancing this season. Poo. He's the funniest of all the professional dancers. But he probably wants to get back to real competitions. Is it just me or does it seems like the celebrities that are being chosen are ones who's career need a boost or a second wind? Really? Okay, just me then.
So, with some trepidation and not some little annoyance I present the celebrities and their professional dance partners and my own two cents.

• Adam Corolla is supposed to be a funny guy but from his bios and credits it seems to be the type of humor I do not find funny. To top it off he is dancing with Julianne Hough who we all KNOW my opinion on. I am going to predict zero votes from this residence for that team. Unless he's REALLY good.
• Cristián de la Fuente is sadly going to be in the middle of this silly contrived rivalry. I hope the boy is a good dancer and has a huge fan base. He is an actor though which is a good start. He has Cheryl Burke to partner him and she is the best teacher we have seen yet. Their odds are good to stay in it.
• Shannon Elizabeth - I feel like I should know her, and yet I don't think I've seen anything she was in. She's dancing with Derek Hough, Julianne's much-more-personable brother.
• I hope Steve Guttenberg will be spry enough to stay in the competition for a while. He doesn't look too decrepit and Anna Trebunskaya deserves to have a partner with some fans. It was a total rip for her and that model to be voted off SECOND last season. Seriously. Plus she and Jonathan are so cute.
• Does Kym Johnson have 'kick me, I'm Australian' on her back or something? I mean, really? She's so sweet and so fun and she keeps getting handed old, bears of guys as partners? Penn Jillette is a great magician and a funny guy, but a dancer? Don't know about that one.
• Mario and Karina Smirnoff on the other hand should be interesting. She has an attitude that keeps people (okay, me and my sister) from liking her completely so we don't mind of she gets paired with a guy who also has an attitude. Witness last season. This guy may be able to dance though - which would be good.
• Marlee Matlin I have not heard of - though I think I remember her face from The West Wing - and her partner, Fabian Sanchez, is new to the show. It could be good or it could all go horribly, horribly wrong. I suspect that's why we watch.
• I am really excited about Priscilla Presely and Louis van Amstel if only because the "rubber" man is back for the first time in three seasons!! Love the Louis! The man looks like he has no bones in his legs. It's awesome. And all we really know of Priscilla is who her father is/was. **Editor's Note: Yes, Rocketgirl, thou art correct, she's Elvis's wife, not daughter. Which explains why she looks so old...**
• Sadly, we have learned that celebrities with small fan bases do not do well, even if they can dance really well. (Right Albert? Golly that man was good looking.) So I do not hold out much hope that the tennis fans will come to network TV just to vote for Monica Seles even though she is dancing with Jonathan Roberts, the smoothest man on the floor.
• Edyta Slwinska is a trooper. She has been in every season, she still dances professionally and she makes commercials. She's awesome. Though she could wear better costumes - I'm just saying. This Jason Taylor dude better be good. A Jerry Rice or Emmitt Smith kind of good.
• Marissa Jaret Winokur is not a name I know but she looks fun. Can I say that? It does not hurt that she is partnered with Tony Dovolani who has been dancing for five of the six seasons, has never won and yet is funny, and cute and really a good teacher.
• Kristi Yamaguchi is really the only one in the celebrity list who I can say I 'know' what she does. Let us hope that she has a large enough fan base, who watch TV, and that she can dance, that they will go far. Mark Ballas is lesser known to me, but he seemed a nice enough guy last season.

It will be the same judges, so we will have to endure the Bruno-isms and Carrie-Ann drooling over the men, but it's nothing we haven't seen before. I am glad that contestants will dance twice before anyone is eliminated. It worked well in Season 4 I found, giving a more accurate idea of how talented the celebrity really was in dancing. First night jitters and all that.

This is me, hoping it's more "real" this time?

My Life Adventures - Part I

Thanks LA Daddy. We always need another extremely long meme to fill out! 'Course I can't blame him since I dug it out of his archives from like a year ago...whatevs. And since this is the longest meme ever maybe we'll do it in chapters - for the suspense of it all. And to tell the stories that go behind the events. That's the best part of these things anyway.
Level 1
( ) Smoked A Cigarette
( ) Smoked A Cigar
( ) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex
( ) Drank Alcohol
( ) Smoked Marijuana
SCORE SO FAR: 0 - not a very auspicious start here Jane...
Level 2
(X) Are / Been In Love
(X) Been Dumped - does it count as dumping if you weren't upset by his not wanting to see you anymore?
(X) Shoplifted - I'm counting this - even though it was known by the store manager, to see how the security sysem worked - because otherwise I will have the lowest score ever on this meme.
(X) Been Fired - do I get extra points for more than once?
(-) Been In A Fist Fight
SCORE SO FAR: 4
Level 3
(X) Had A Crush On An Older Person [More Than 10 Years older]
(-) Skipped School - this one really doesn't count because it was Senior Skip Day in high school
( ) Slept With A Co-Worker
(-) Seen Someone / Something Die - I'm going to suppose that flies and spiders and roaches don't count here...
( ) Been Involved in a Traffic Accident
SCORE SO FAR: 5

This is me, hoping I have more adventures in further installments or this will be a really pointless exercise.

Aftermath

It was kind of hard to leave the office last Friday. Conflicted emotions. A little guilt, a little sad, and a little happy, some anticipation and some apprehension. I've never quit from a place I liked before - stop laughing, it really wasn't that bad an office relatively speaking - and when the boss got all teary as I was hugging him good-bye I almost *almost* reconsidered. It was such a nice farewell.
First there was the lunch, at The Cheesecake Factory, which was awesome. Then came a card with thoughtful notes from everyone - EVERYONE! - and a gift card, a check for all my unused vacation and overtime hours, and the compliments and the regret. Why wasn't everyone so nice when I worked there?! All the reasons why they were going to miss me and why I should stay another week...And the boss cried as I was leaving!! Nothing will make you feel guilty quite like that image as you walk across the street holding the last few items from your desk.
And they haven't called me once - though they threatened too - so I wonder; did I file everything SO WELL that they don't have any questions? Or are they not calling on principle? Am I really not so essential? I kinda think it's the last one there. I am not SO conceited as to think they could never replace me but all the comments on Friday suggested that they might miss me a teeny bit. Perhaps that's not so and it was all lip service? I've even contemplated dropping by in a few weeks maybe to see what's going on...does that mean I'm regressing?
There's not a chance I would consider working there again though. Not after this week; do you KNOW how much I got done in one day? Laundry, ironing - when do I ever iron I ask you? - made cinnamon rolls, went to the dry cleaners, the bank, cleaned the kitchen and reloaded all my links and programs from the office computer to here. That was only Monday. The down sides are I'm not as regular with the blogging and the reading of blogs as I was. And I miss my big screen monitor and my keyboard. I'm not used to doing so much on the laptop.
But Monday is a holiday - yay Presidents! - so Tarzan has the day off from work and we were discussing what we should do while eating THE MOST DEVINE DINNER EVER LAST NIGHT (OMG! if you get a chance to go to The Melting Pot, it doesn't matter how many organs you have to sell - or who's - go, go, GO! It was aMAZing!) and the possibilities are endless. Visit he beach, use some of the gift cards we have still from Christmas, work in the yard, hang out, sleep late, watch movies, play Sam & Max, take a road trip just because we can, it'll be glorious!! So no, not regretting leaving and not wanting to go back. But missing them a little bit.

This is me, home and looking back, slightly.

Tea For Two

Just for you Rocketgirl!! Oh, and because I do The Back Porch meme every week!

::Onesome: Tea-- leaves and fortune tellers? Is there anything you do out of habit because of old sayings? ...like not stepping on cracks or staying home on Friday the Thirteenth? ...or eating chocolate on Valentine's Day?

• That's interesting because I don't consider myself a superstitious person; I don't worry about wearing black on Friday the 13th or walking under ladders. My parents have three all black cats. Yet I do try to avoid stepping on cracks and I absolutely wear green on St. Patrick's day and I never forget to leave the milk and cookies for Santa...maybe I have more voo doo in me than I knew?

::Twosome: for-- every time you make it to work or class or an appointment on time, how many times are you late? Just curious...

• What are you trying to say? Just because I hadn't been to work "on-time" for over a year does not mean I don't get every where else on time. Mostly. Church - I am always on time for church - early even.

::Threesome: Two-- weeks and the next day is only there twenty-five percent of the time! Does Leap Year have any special meaning to you? ...or is it just one more day of the week?

• I don't look forward to the day, like say Christmas, but it's always been amusing to me - especially for people who have their birthdays on the 29th. I haven't decided if I want to have a kid on that day or not. Would it scar them forever? Or give them great small talk material? I guess we have some time to figure it out...

This is me, back in my woolies because it got COLD again - thank every so Q.

Sunny and Warm

OMG - do you know how awesome the weather is here right now? While the rest of the country freezes and shovels snow, it's practically summer here. All the plants in the front yard have been fooled into blooming.
Aaaah, I love The Jungle!

This is me, catching some rays...

At Last...

...I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Red Light, Green Light

::Onesome: Red-- candles for Valentine's Day? Are you decorating this year? Planning? Scheming? Deferring?

• Hmmm, I guess I hadn't thought about decorating...that could be fun. We do have plans; with The Melting Pot in Pasadena. Fondue is your friend. Check out the menu!! So excited. We shall eat some for you Rocketgirl.

::Twosome: Light, Green--? ...or would that be 'teal'? What color is your kitchen area? What color should it be?

• Our kitchen is a very unassuming blue. The walls are light blue, like off-white, blue. The cabinets are the best part - they are a medium wood. The countertops are not what I would have selected but it was not my call at the time. They are mottled blue laminate. Eh. It serves. It SHOULD be yellow, or maybe rose, or a beige? No, not beige. Maybe green, if I could get the counter to match...

::Threesome: Light-- up the place and save energy with these newer CFL/twisty bulbs? Have you tried any yet? How are they working out?

• We have not tried the twisty bulbs yet. We really should. It would be so responsible of us. The trouble - not an excuse, we are working on it - is the age of the fixtures and the wiring in the old shack. We need to be careful what we use. Some of the work I will be doing in the next few months will include learning to rewire and install electrical fixtures. Then we can work on the twisty bulbs.

This is me, with the Back Porch weekly meme.

Thought For The Day

You know it's time to quit the job when you start talking like the rabid barracuda. I hear myself saying things I wouldn't say, in a tone of voice I don't use anywhere else and I want to stop. I try to stop and talk normal. Inside my head I am screaming at myself - STOP TALKING TO PEOPLE LIKE THAT! I hate it when she does it - it makes me want to slap her. But here I am doing it too. How does this happen?

This is me, time to be going.

Au Revoir

Nothing like telling people you are leaving to get an ego boost. I sent out an email yesterday morning for clients and consultants announcing this coming Friday as my last day with this office. Woot! Last day - three days after today - can you believe it's actually here? I am having a tough time convincing myself but there it is. They've even started believing it at the office which is a huge breakthrough - though they haven't stopped teasing me about coming back or making more money if I stay or becoming a consultant...I've thought about it but consider - if I were to stay "one more week" we'd have the same issues in seven days, or in a month or whenEVER I tried to go. If I worked as a consultant I would get paid what I do now and they'd have me coming in to discuss projects and then go to meetings and pretty soon I'd be sitting at my desk every day only without the benefit of overtime. It's best to just rip off the band-aid and be done with it. Hence the email. And there has been an influx of well wishes and regret - even from the clients that are annoying and irritating to work with. And from the bosses too, who I don't see that often since I deal with the flunkies most of the time. It's really nice to receive a note that the head of a big development firm will miss me and my interest in a project. There have been many offers for references if needed, requests for personal email, inquiries as to my plans and a desire to keep in touch. Some of them I know are just cursory because it's polite - and to them my reply is "It's time to move on, thanks for all the fish." Not really, but maybe I should...However, I think some people actually care and that's nice to know. To them I give one of my personal emails. (I have five, is that strange? I check them all too, is that obsessive?) I don't know if anyone will actually email me - well I bet one will, we really bonded when working on a project together - but it makes me feel good. Like I actually did something worthwhile in this industry and some people are sad to see me leave. Makes me feel less of a loser to be quitting. Go out on a high note I believe.

This is me, down to three more days...I'm ready.

So She Dances

Wow. The Riverside Dicken's Festival was so much more than I expected it to be - and also not - but in a good way. Lemme esplain. Fleighund and SGE invited us to the Dickens Festival LAST February. It's a weekend devoted to Dickens era events, costumes, vendors selling trinkets and the like. One of the highlights is Mr. Fezziwig's Ball, held last Saturday night. Everyone comes in full regalia, there's a live orchestra with dance mistress and the Queen comes to knight someone: She leads the Grand March and there's lots of dancing with dance cards and everything. It's all very romantic really. Tarzan got caught up in the spirit of the evening and had the herald announce us as Baron and Baroness! My dance card: My outfit was not precisely Dickens era - more 1890's rather than 1850's:

Tarzan was closer:

The boy can rock a tuxedo:

(I just realized most of my pictures are sans gloves. That's annoying.)

In fact a lot of costumes were only vaguely from the time period - some very Gone With The Wind-y - but no one commented or seemed to care. It was about dancing and having a good time. And we did. Dance. And have a good time. It has got to be one of the greatest events I have ever been to. My calves ached yesterday, but it was a good ache. How I imagine a runner feels after completing a marathon. Tired and achy but with a sense of euphoria and a desire to do it again! There aren't any pictures of me dancing as Tarzan was booked solid - he got a rep after the first few ladies danced with him!:

I did my best as well, but as the night was ending - who would have thought 17 dances would take four hours!! - I got stood up twice! Twice! I guess it was past someone's bedtime by then. Some of the guys were so young! I kid you not, some of them looked about 12:They were all exceptionally talented in the dancing department. It's almost certain their parents are way into this thing so they have to be, but the outfits are adorable and they are so intent on dancing correctly and not forgetting steps I just wanted to pinch their cheeks and ruffle their hair. I didn't of course, but Ooooh I wanted to. I overheard two of them talking as a dance was setting up

"It's like an 8-hand"

"Oh right, okay. Yeah."

(They're still teenagers apparently.)

Some seriously fantastic dresses:

SGE:The King of Siam was awesome too:

This was most of our group - there will be more pictures as everyone exchanges images with everyone else:Next year, I'm inviting EVERYONE to the Dickens Festival!

This is me, the Baroness is in!

Funny And Informative

OMG this is hilarious.

"Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren't representative of their actual usage, and no matter how they tried to conserve, the high bills continued. Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for leaks or problems: first the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor pipes underground pipes, faucets, toilets, washer, ice maker, etc. -- all to no avail. One day Jim was sick and stayed home in bed, but kept hearing water running downstairs. He finally tore himself from his sick bed to investigate, and stumbled onto the cause of such high water bills. Apparently this was happening all day long when they were not at home. Knowing that few would believe him, he taped a segment of the 'problem' for posterity -- See video: http://summitprops.com/WaterLeak.htm"

But that's not why I called you all here. I am considerably more selfish than THAT!

Last weekend our lovely councilperson of the 9th District handed out fruit trees to all constituents who showed up. It was a tough to choose between Plum, Peach, Apricot, Nectarine or Apple, but I thought of Tarzan and the twitching that occurs when he gets to eat one of his favorite fruits. So we got us an apricot tree! It's small and doesn't have any branches. It's probably not supposed to produce anything for a few years. But we have the potential! We can say we have two (2) fruit trees in The South Central Jungle. The other one is a Satsuma Mandarin orange tree and it's a real trooper. Sporadic watering, non-existent pruning, and still it produces like a mofo. Here is a picture of our fledgling apricot tree. It looks like we planted towards true north in this first picture but I must have been holding the camera crooked or something:

Don't judge my yard. That's one of the first things to get revamped a week from Monday. In the background you can see the California Lilac bush that is out of control. It was a stick when we planted it five years ago. It's got some trimming coming:

This is me, it's Friday peeps!