flighty behavior

Relieved from my obligation to be available for work last weekend, I purchased a ticket for a flight that left in 1 1/2 hours. I spent the night in San Diego....California King high thread-count sheets are nice....and then headed for the border the next morning. Caesar and Teresa have a lovely place above the ocean between Rosarito & Tijuana, in which they show their generosity and hospitality unconditionally. Spanish was certainly the langage of choice, and again, I evaluate how good my follow-through actually is...and how much respect I have for peope who have the courage and devotion to know more than 1 language.

Several details from the weekend include:

• Watching how overt people tended to be...while Sharad's skateboard was used like a bobsled by multiple girls or when young and old participated in a group jumprope game.
• Being proud of mi madre.
• Bartering for unnecessary goods....I still prefer a price tag.
• Giggling about how I suspect a Nemo restaurant might play off in the States.
• Observing how fast fingers can move while Renuka's hair was being braided.
• Wondering if the American influence near the border nets to a positive.
• Losing track of how many times we had to ask for directions to find our friends' home on Sunday morning.
• Feeling more in the absence of understanding the language in simple fellowship.
• Going on a $2 one-hour boat tour of the harbor in Ensenada...what a deal...
• Crossing the border on foot and witnessing the fence going up.

Anyone with an idea on how to have more time in this short life, please write.

i wonder....

...if I'll spend part of my 89th birthday picking cherries....

minnesota moments

A trip to Minnesota for the family reunion left me with the better part of a day in Minneapolis for low-level adventuring. I rented a bicycle and toured around Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles and Lake Harriet....13.2 miles around... if you don't get lost and cycle around again....smile! These two squirrels also amused me. What makes them think that if they are not seen if they "be the tree"?

It is a source of perpetual amusement what art the public chooses to fund...though I do prefer art I can wrap my head around....for example: a 5,800 pound spoon and 1,200 pound misting cherry in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.




Family-time....activities...sleeping arrangements...food....ETC...no small feat for a family this size! And for my Minnesota moment....a lake (only one in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"... or at least that...no one could give me the size of lake that was counted, but all guessed that the number was in truth much higher), mosquitos (the state bird), campfire (more smoke = less mosquitoes), smores (sugar and chocolate improves anyones outlook on life), family and even elk cutouts on the fire pit. And aren't Brad and Rochelle cute? I thought so too.

On my way to the plane, I concluded that a quick wander through the Mall of America was in order, based on its status as the #1 attraction....and also based on a slight feeling of loss after catching the light rail at the Metrodome when the score was 1-0 Twins. Anyway...who knew this mega mall lures more than 42 million visitors a year....more than the annual visitation of Disney World, the Grand Canyon, and Graceland combined!? Capitalism at its best.

i fell in word-love today

nocebo • \noh-SEE-boh\ • noun

1: a harmless substance that when taken by a patient is associated with harmful effects due to negative expectations or the psychological condition of the patient

Example sentence: Since drinking too much orange soda as a young child, tasting such as an adult produces a nocebo effect.

Word history: Coined in 1961 from the Latin "nocēre," meaning "to harm." The direct translation, "I will be harmful," contrasts with "placebo," meaning "I shall please."

going pink

1 in 8 women will at some point in their life be diagnosed with breast cancer?? Oh my!

Anyway...we were 3 of 15,000 plus participants. Seemingly miniscule. Seemingly futile. In today's world is there actually power in three? In one? I suppose there is...Katie's participation looped us in. And then there was this woman named "Susan G. Komen"...

coming of age

Is there any correlation between comfort and dollars paid on a shoe? And does it matter if they're made in the mountains of Italy or an undisclosed location? Anyway...who knew that purchasing a stylish heeled sandal could make me feel like I had arrived at womanhood? Perhaps this is similar to the feeling of reaching biker status after steering a bike by the seat around tourists in the slender walkways across the Ballard Locks. Or amateur photographer status after taking a great night shot. Or poet status after scribbling several unintelligible lines on a napkin. Or tech-geek status after checking email twice at a stoplight. Ah well...I suppose self-definition ends up being fairly meaningless anyway...smile...

a seattle weekend

Laura coordinated a Seattle weekend which enabled all of us who had endeavored to act like tourists in our own city to do so, as well as to meet our friends who were willing to make the trek. The sunshine, good company, Space Needle (the new technology is gratifying), Sculpture Park (what is the purpose of the vivarium again? Impressive...yet how is it different from a dead tree zoo?), Underground Tour (our guide was a ghost hunter...does this increase or reduce his credibility?), Golden Gardens bonfire (yes, there was fire...not just smoke), and Sunday salmon burgers and fellowship made for a glorious weekend!

tri...again

The Moses Lake Triathlon proved quality entertainment again this year. Even if the water seemed much more frigid and a 1/2 mile in it much farther! Smiles all around...what more could you ask for?! Oh yeah...warm water.

low-level rant

Single supplement. I suppose the concept makes sense, in that it may take more than 1/2 of the time and effort to serve 1 person as it takes to serve 2...HOWEVER I tire of finding the perfect escape, noting the superscript star, and referencing the 5 point font to determine there is a $486 single supplement....repeatedly. Not that I prefer to go alone, it's just really good fortune to find someone to go on a last minute adventure. I'll stop. Seattle's clouds are growing on me...perhaps I'll just stay here...smile! In the meantime, please send help...or $486.

yeehaw!?

How odd, yet comforting to be in a town that people recognize your family name! Thanks to the Walsh's for their generous hospitality on a weekend that included getting back to my roots (as exemplified by the deer in my aunt's front yard), the Cowpie Jog (yes, you read correctly...but the cowpies were only ceremonial), Memorial Day Parade (tractors and all) and Rodeo. Speaking of such...I used to feel the adrenaline and excitement for bronc and bull riders. Now when they fall off I cringe and fight the urge to look away. Testosterone is a drug. And wisdom does come with age. I hope. Or at least risk-aversion does.

the year of the penguin

I have a friend who has a friend that says there are two types of runners: penguins and gazelles. I fit easily into the earlier category, so this song amuses me. Credit goes to John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting for "The Penguin's Lament".



And so, I'll try not to croon "....little legs cannot stride so we rock side to side, side to side, side to side, to move..." as I lengthen the stride, relax the shoulders and attempt gazelle-hood this year.

tour de lopez

The combination of a sold out island ride, multiple sheep-sightings, good friends, sunshine and 38ish miles (depending on whose odometer you trust) of exertion proved an exquisite combination!

Word to the wise...er clumsy...taking a picture while on a bicycle of something/someone behind you is likely not the best idea.

for mothers....for women...

Here is my ode to females who have done more with themselves in their lifetimes than curate a domestic museum.

confessions

1. I feel impelled to taste-test new products...such as the item to the left. Ew.
2. On occasion, I enjoy meat...yet eating it off the bone disgusts me.
3. I have to read: cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, coffee cups...anything.
4. I am easily inspired. I find follow-through more admirable and difficult.
5. "Knowledge is power." resonates more with me than "Ignorance is bliss."
6. I believe in resilience of body & spirit, yet am not as tough as I may seem.
7. Product names cloud my purchasing-sense (more adjectives are better!).
8. I think far too much....and secretly envy people who can "space out."
9. I unintentionally and statistically end up talking to people on the bus.
10. I believe heartily in the placebo effect...yes, my multi-vitamin "works."

more than a fan of san fran

Laura and I discovered San Francisco during some of the better days of spring (we're told)....60-degree temperatures and sun!

Most days and nights were filled with checking out the attractions (Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 and the sea lions, Chinatown, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, Angel Island, Ghiradelli Square, Union Square, the bridge, Sausalito, etc.) with the exception of special time with friends on Sunday. All a pleasure!

And here's a decent night picture...something that heretofore has eluded me...the Bay Bridge!









We utilized every form of transportation: cable car, trolley, bus, ferry, taxi, bicycle, feet, muni, and BART. I was interested to learn that cable cars are propelled by a 1 1/4 inch cable running at 9 1/2 miles per hour....with some variation due to pulley systems. Stops and starts are dependent on the car's grip on the cable and a braking system. There it is...a mechanical process explained in rudimentary terms by an accountant! Oh dear.

And then there were the fresh fortune cookies in Chinatown...mmmMMMmmmm!



Watching the lights come on and the moon come up over the city during our full-moon kayak tour was certainly a highlight! So, here is my hearty recommendation for anything that includes City Kayak, full moons, or paddling.















We biked from Fisherman's Wharf across the bridge to Sausalito and returned via ferry (a few others did too). The quest for Mill Woods was easily replaced by hours of lounging like lizards in the sun with gelato.
















Heidi, Laura and myself shivered through the Vampire Tour of Nob Hill! Mina was a curiosity in herself, yet I have to admire someone who has taken the leap to make a decent living outside of a traditional work environment.


This was the view looking back from the ferry on the way to Angel Island....who knew there was an Ellis Island of the West? A bit of darker history there.

This was the sole morning there was fog. If you can see the small cylinder-like tower on the top of the hill in the skyline, you have found Coit Tower...known for it's 360-degree views and paintings by artists who studied under Diego Rivera. The climb to get up to the tower was substantial enough....was this one of the mornings that Laura fueled us with coffee?!




Do you ever feel like you know someone (at least a little) after being with them for a very short time or even contemplating their picture? Checking out these former inmates pictures on Alcatraz Island made me wonder how much of this skill (???) is real and how much is imagined. Yet either way...the audio tour made the cellhouse alive with voices and sounds that nearly transport one to the time it was utilized.

On the positive side: the square footage of a cell makes my abode seem quite spacious. Perhaps it is all about managing expectations!? Big smile.

All in all...a very nice break from reality with good company!

full throttle

Well one of us is a cool cat anyway...smile!

ticketed for inattention

How is it that I can ride this elevator multiple times a day and not notice this "seismic" button? What if I pressed it?

What else am I missing/have I missed/will I miss?

Ah well.

worthy endeavor?

I happened upon this webpage while looking for quantifiable ways to measure physical ability. The more I think about it, the more I am attracted to this measure...not to become a special agent, but to rise to the challenge presented by the test: 1.5 mile run, 300 meter dash, 1 minute of situps and unlimited pushups.

http://www.fbijobs.gov/11131.asp

Twelve points to bragging rights. Feel free to join...and do tell me your Day 1 score and we can possibly commiserate!

genius!?!

This site (http://www.freerice.com/) is glorious!!

Since when did developing a good vocabulary help the United Nations? Excellent cause...good entertainment, and fair self-esteem builder...or degrader...smile!