BRRRR

Baby, it's cold outside!
It's only November, and already the heater has to be turned on. I think it is supposed to be in about the 30s tomorrow morning. that may not sound cold to some of you, but to me, it is!

This weather is so weird, though, I bet next week it will be in the 90s or something.

Cyberbullying

I read with great sadness the story of the young woman who recently committed suicide because her MySpace boyfriend no longer wanted to speak to her. It made me even sadder, and angry, when it came out that the boyfriend never existed, instead, he was a fictional character made up by a mother of another young woman down the street.

So a grown woman, an adult, a MOTHER, set out to crush a young lady. I am sure she didn't do it with the intent to off the girl, but essentially, that is what happened. How an adult makes the type of decision to torment a young woman, well, that is just beyond me.

I know kids do that to one another. Kids are mean. But we grow out of it. We become adults and learn to pick on someone our own size (or, you know, get over it). What is broken in this woman that she would engage in such activities?

I hope she gets her comeuppance.

Teenagers Today

On my morning walks, I often find myself walking the same path as a gaggle or two of teenagers, heading to their school at the top of the hill. The other day I noticed that, though these teens are growing up in a totally different day and age, in essence, they are the same as we were back in the day.

The school at the top of the hill is private; not sure if it is also of some religious group, as well. But the kids where uniforms. The girls are in skirts - which they are trying to hike up as far as they can (I guess that will never go out of style)- trying to express their individuality with tights, shoes, socks, anything that they can get away with. I also see the sneaky makeup...I am familiar with those sly ways.

And the boys, walking down the street with their weird, moppety hair, all gangly and pimply, many just getting used to their bodies and doing what they can to not be noticed. Wrinkly shirts are the typical accessory to their uniform pants.

Regardless of how the world around them has changed, they remain teenagers. Their smart mouths that try to make them seem older are just masking the fear and insecurity we all felt at that age. It is so nice to know some things don't change.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Today is Thanksgiving...for me, my favorite holiday. It is one of togetherness, of being appreciative of what I have, and gaining perspective.

The last year has been a bit of a trial for me. I mention him a lot, but I am so grateful that Luca, my little bug, got brought into my life. It was almost serendipitous...had I waited one more day to contact the rescue, or gotten the other dog that was at the apartment, my life wouldn't be the same. His cute little wiggly self has helped keep me sane during a time of personal crisis.

I am thankful for my friends, my family, and my health. I feel so lucky to have gotten through this year relatively healthy, without the big sicknesses I seemed to be getting prior to starting acupuncture. I am grateful for this beautiful earth on which I get to live, and want to make sure I am doing what I can to help preserve it.

Wishing you all a very healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

Brilliant!

A most excellent piece of advertising. !Viva Argentina!



When I was in Argentina, I was amazed by the level of passion towards the government (good/bad). Not only that, they went beyond just complaining (again, this can be both a good and bad thing). With their new government in place, I am interested to see what's going to happen. This particular commercial, brought to my attention by a coworker, was really interesting because it flipped the script, literally! I wish I had the creative mind to come up with something even close to as good.

It's Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving made it's debut in 1966. That is over 40 years ago. How proud Charles Schultz must have been to know he was leaving such a great legacy.

And the program still resonates. From the funky funky music, to Peppermint Patty's very boyish voice (was it always this boyish? did I just never notice as a child?), to Marcy's infinite wisdom...it is all so great. And the underlying moral lesson - be thankful for what you have, will not lose its importance anytime soon.

But, I wonder if it is a bad thing that many times, when a grown up speaks to me, I still hear the "wha-wha-wha"?

Oh, Barry.

Barry Bonds got indicted. You know I am not Bonds fan, but...

They say they've had this evidence for years. So why now? Also, why is this a federal case in the first place? Why is my tax money going to find out if there are steroids in baseball and if people are lying about it (DUH). If MLB wanted to investigate, fine, let them pay.

But, if they are going to go after Bonds, they need to go after every one of the other guys who have lied about this. And, as far as his records go… I feel like you have to look at this in the context of the game at the time. And that context = steroids. Just like other drugs were prevalent in other times, so are steroids now. Does that make it right? No. But if you are going to take this away, best to go back and investigate all the other records, too.

Fact is this…hitting a baseball is one of the hardest feats in sports. Hitting that ball well, even harder. So with or without steroids, he is a pretty amazing baseball player. (even if he is a huge-headed jerk)

Where is it?

Here he is, chewing up the devil's horns. His own are apparently hidden.

I know he had a little accident in the house. I found the mat in my laundry room as a little wet, so I washed that, but it still smells. Where is it? I can't find another spot anywhere.

I am going to have to get rid of that mat. Apparently, no matter how many times I wash the smell out, he still thinks it is ok to use it as a restroom. I just wish I could figure out where else!

Are You Your Mother?

Today I was looking around at various things at my house, and I realized...I am totally my parents. I use the same brand of soap I used growing up (that my parents, and brother, also use), Dawn dishwashing liquid (again, same), Tide detergent (same yet again), etc. Do I use it because it is the best? I don't think so...I am just used to it. Every once in a while I look at other things, a way to stray from the norm, and it doesn't happen. In part, I have allergies and am afraid trying something new will leave me with some nice hives, but I think, in part, it is easier to stay with what you know.

Is this a bad thing? An unusual thing? I doubt it. Take a look around your place, then, look at your parents. I bet there are more similarities there than you would think!

Tuesday Answers

From Ten on Tuesday:
Ten Songs that Bring Back Memories (and why)

In no particular order:

1. TubThumping (chumpawumpa) - This reminds me of walking into Madison's in SLO, and most of my senior year of college

2. Hang on Sloopy (the mccoys) - A family "band" at the River played this one when I was younger, and it always reminds me of summer

3. Hold on to the Nights (richard marx) - sitting in the back seat of the station wagon, thinking about the boys we're crushin' on at the River

4. Everybody Hurts (REM) - this song came out at the perfect time, my senior year of high school, and in a weird way, brought a lot of us together

5. The Search is Over (survivor) - my first slow dance

6. These Are Days (10,000 maniacs) - my senior year of high school, a few good times

7. Stay (lisa loeb) - my angry post-high school song, I loved belting this out in my car while thinking about the cute boys

8. Bad Day (samiam) - this song still helps me get through a bad one

9. M+Ms (blink-182) - my friend in college made me a tape, and this was the last song on it; always reminds me of him and good times

10. Depende (jarabe del palo) - brings me right back to Reyes' class in Sevilla

Lust for Life

Today is Veteran's Day here in the USA, and there are a lot of remembrances going on all over the country. I was sitting watching the news, and they mentioned a particular soldier who, according to his family, "Loved to live."

And it got me wondering...1. is that a given that we all "love to live," and 2. would this be something people can say about me at the end of it all.

I think deep down, we all have an affinity for life. If we didn't, the population wouldn't be as out of control as it is.

But...do we all live it like we love it? There are times when I personally question why I am here. I can't honestly say I love life every second of the day, in particular, at times like this where it seems like trial after trial comes to me. I wonder if, when I meet my end, if, "She really loved life" will be something said about me. I really don't know. Lesson learned.

Fall-ing Down.

I guess Fall is officially here. I am happy about it; I was starting to run out of summer clothes I like. Plus, cute jacket season is here!

I have to say, though, it is quite a shock to the system. It was about 80F last weekend, then Monday rolls around, and brings a week of mid-60 or so temperatures. And, at night, it drops even lower. Just seems a little crazy!

It also brought around the end of daylight savings. I like that the sun comes out a little earlier, but I have a hard time with it going away so quickly, too. I know it is just a matter of time to get adjusted, but it just makes me long a little bit for the long warm days of summertime.

Friday Answers

Courtesy of Friday Fill Ins:

1. Plans and schedules guide me.

2. I'm happy when things are in order .

3. The last thing I drank was wine left over from the other night .

4. One of the most valuable things in my life is my general health .

5. I like pineapple on my pizza.

6. Dear November, please see me through the rough .

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to clarity, tomorrow my plans include getting my haircut and Sunday, I want to go shopping!

Monday Monday

No, it's not Monday yet. But in a few hours it will be, and again starts another week! Lately I don't know how I feel about that; life seems to be passing a little too quickly for me. I try to put myself into my happy place, thinking back to a point where I felt at peace. As I hiked the Cinque Terre, I felt that peace. I ended my 9 km of mediation at Riomaggiore, a stunning little inlet town. The glassy water, the lack of cars all over the place (there were cars, just not like in some of the bigger cities), the feeling of having pushed my body for a few hours...it just felt good.

I find myself thinking often of Italy, and wondering if it wouldn't be fun to live there for a while. Now that I have my citizenship, it is a real possibility. Or, a real something. I mean, I have a mortgage (I guess I could rent my place out for a while) and a pooch (who I would take with me). Maybe it's something that would have been more of a possibility when I was younger, I don't know.

For now, I'll just go to my happy place in my head, and try to again find that peace.

Sunday...Happy Day

On days like this, where things just don't seem to be going my way, there is one thing guaranteed to make me happy...and that is my little cuddlebug. Look at that face! Could you resist him? Even when he is sitting on the middle of the keyboard, licking my fingers so I can't type, or chewing up one of my favorite hats with glee, he still makes me smile. He seems to know when I am not feeling the hottest, because he'll rest his little head on my leg and sigh.

I do think dogs have some sort of intuition with their owners, or at least we like to think they do. And sometimes, that is good enough.

Summer, Summer, Summertime...

...or not.

It is Fall, right? We just changed back to standard time last night, which definitely means it is a new season. So how come it is almost 80 degrees here? We usually don't get summer this late, generally that happens earlier in the month. I can't believe how warm it has been this weekend.

Global warming?

Friday Answers

From Five on Friday...

1. They say elephants never forget. Would you compare your memory to that of an elephant or gnat?

I am somewhere between a gnat an elephant. Half the time I can't remember anything, but then I remember the most random stuff. it is weird.

2. What kinds of things do you find it easy to remember?

I find it easy to remember things my friends tell me, random pop culture references, and things I probably should forget (like grudges and what not).

3. What kinds of things do you find it difficult to remember?
I have a hard time remembering what I had for lunch that day, tasks, things I need to bring somewhere or tell someone.

4. How does your short-term memory compare to your long-term memory?

Short term is horrible these days. Long term is in pretty good shape!

5. How do you commit things to memory? Do you use tricks, songs, images, word associations, or other little mnemonics?

I use lots of lists...lots. I put my keys next to things I need to remember. I write it on a sticky and put it on my door. Lists, lists, lists. And even then, sometimes I forget.

It was a Graveyard Smash!

Halloween came and went this year in San Francisco with barely a boo. They shut down the Castro party, which, while probably ultimately good, was kind of a bittersweet goodbye. It was kind of an SF institution, although in the past few years it had become more of a commuter-troublemaker party.

I myself hung out at home on Halloween. I guess I am not much in a party mode right now, which is ok. On Tuesday, I took Luca to the park for a little costume party. It was cute...he hated his costume so he just tried to shake it off and then ran over other dogs. He's such a bully. He found a few dogs who fought back, which he loved.

Isn't he adorable!