M's Birthday in Paris

Poor Mitt

2012-02-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

Out of touch. Really you think so?

Mitt Romney: "I am not concerned with the very poor - we have a safety net there."

Really? A safety net? Where?

14.7 children in this country live in poverty.

Are republicans responsible for this - yes!

Are democrats responsible for this - yes!

But, my god what the fuck is he saying?

Honorable Newt?

2012-02-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Websters defines honor as:

to regard or treat (someone) with admiration and respect

and they use the following as an example:

When we got married, we promised to love and honor each other.

So....

After losing the Florida primary Newt says if elected as President he will give his life, his fortune and his honor to this country.

His honer?

Is this the same honer he brought into his three marriages? The same honer he brought into his affairs? I really don't have a problem with people that have multiple relationships, but don't run for public office on a honorable platform if you have ended all those relationships by having affairs with other people.

I ask what definition of honor is he using?

Stroke

2012-01-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

Caroline Richmond is 13 and she had a stroke - a stroke for christ's sake and she is currently on life support. Leukemia is the underlying cause of this stroke.

Caroline's parents are not on the dole. The are hard working self employed people that cannot afford health insurance.

So now what do they do? They have a bake sale, what else.

Why in this country does anyone have to hold a bake sale to pay for medical treatment for their child?

50 million people in America do not have health insurance. 700,000 families declare bankruptcy due to their healthcare costs.

Yes, people in America! Why?

Why doesn't every American citizen have healthcare? Why don't people that have insurance want people that don't have insurance not to be able to get insurance?

I guess I just don't understand politics. I guess I just don't get why we as a country would rather force people into bankruptcy, punish them for getting sick, punish people because their child get sicks, punish them because they can't afford insurance.

So not only might these people lose their homes, their jobs, their businesses but many of them will also lose their children.

Will never get it.

Asian Erdem

2012-01-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

I will admit that Diane Kruger looks lovely in this dress. But I must say that yesterday in Sacramento I saw an elderly Asian lady in one very similar. The Asian ladies was black with a red lace overlay and she was pushing a shopping cart, but other than that the similarities were staggering.

Strong when many had forgotten

2012-01-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

James Moreland was a Green Beret who went to Vietnam and had been missing for 43 years, nearly twice as long as he was alive. Forty-three years of his family not knowing what happened to him. Fearing the worst. Fearing he would never come home. Fearing, just fearing.

Well about a year ago some of their fears were put to rest, James was coming home. Home to people that still missed him, to people that were no longer alive, to people that were not born when he left and to one complete stranger who had worn his name on her arm for just about 39 years.

In a time when people treated troops coming home from Vietnam with protests and spit one young girl put a bracelet with a strangers name on it on her wrist. When a country turned their backs on these vets a young woman wore a bracelet with a strangers name on it on her wrist. When most of us had forgotten that there were still men missing in southeast Asia a woman wore a bracelet with a strangers name on it on her wrist.

She is Kathy Strong and she never let go of James Moreland. She never forgot his name. She may not have known anything about him. At some point it would have been so easy for her to just take that bracelet off, but she didn't.

She wore it every day. She wore it to work. She wore it on vacation. She wore it to family functions. She wore it when she cried. She wore it when she laughed. She wore it. She wore it. She wore it.

Until finally on May 14, 2011 she was able to take it off and place it on the empty sleeve of James' uniform and have it buried with his remains in a small family cemetery next to his mom and dad in his home state of Alabama.

James had finally come home. Home to those he had left behind. Home to those he had never met. Home to that one stranger that would never meet him, that would only know him thru family photos and stories from those that knew him as a kid, a young man that went to war.

Kathy Strong made sure that James Moreland was not forgotten. Most of us can only hope to be remembered by those that love us for that long, let alone someone that never met us.

Thank you Kathy Strong.

Drunk on the wheel

2012-01-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

Pat Sajak did the Wheel of Fortune drunk. Big deal. I think a bigger story would be if he was never drunk doing that show.

There was a time when I worked for a law firm (which shall remain unnamed) and there was a Chili's in the next building where myself and some of my co-workers (who shall also remain unnamed, but you know who you are) would go for lunch. I use the term lunch loosely, because we would actually go for margarita's and chips. We would have a couple or three of whatever the flavor of the month was.

Then there was Harrington's - a real bar - sure they served food there, but in reality people went there to drink and we did. We went there for lunch. We went there after work. And once I went there about 9:30 in the morning - yes, I just said that. A friend was leaving and I suggested going over for a cocktail, cause what are they going to do fire you? I had really planned on having only one quick one. No really only one lemon drop. Well that turned into - oh maybe five? Maybe eight? Who really knows, not me that is for sure.

So I sent a message to my boss that I was sick and had gone home (luckily, he knew where I went and what I was doing and was ok with it this once). Unfortunately, my second shift guy did not come in and I had to go back in at about five and yes, I was still drunk. Not a good thing.

This is one reason I stopped going to Harrington's. The other was when the bartender (Johnny) would greet me with - Hey Margaret, got your stool right here...

These reasons along with a few others is why I had my last cocktail at about 1:45 in the afternoon on July 3rd, 1996. Not that I am counting or anything. And it was a glass of Merlot.

Words with Friends

2012-01-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

So, I am playing the game that got Alec Baldwin kicked off a plane and showed he might just be an asshole.

Words with Friends. I am enjoying it, kind of. I have a feeling that my friend (the door dyke) is going to kick my ass.

I think the Words with Friends people sensor the words you can play. I will admit that I tried to play a weird obscure word - it would have given me a lot of points. It had a q in it for Pete's sake.

The word is quim : The noun quim was a Victorian-era word that was used specifically to refer to the fluids produced by the vagina, specifically during orgasm.

I was not allowed to play it, it told me it was not a word or misspelled.

It made me wonder what other words they don't let you use.

I found this facebook page about words not allowed, there are only two entries so maybe there is not some conspiracy.

But if you play WWF try some words and let me know.

I will be real curious to see if semen is allowed cause if it is I think that is just plain out discrimination, once more against us women.

Stick shit

2012-01-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

Someone at work told me this story.

A friends daughter was driving home the other night and was stopped at a light.

Three guys run up to her car, one had a gun.

They yell - "get out of the car. Leave your phone and wallet"

So she did the smart thing and got out of the car.

She stood there and heard the car start and the radio go on and then she heard:

"Shit - this is a stick, I can't drive a stick!"

Three guys get out of the car and run away.

The girl drives home.

I think that if you are going to be a car jacker you really should know how to drive a stick.

Just saying.

So long, for now

2012-01-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

I visited my friend Linda last night, it turned out to be the last time I would see her on this plane. Linda lost her struggle with Lung cancer this afternoon.

I tend to think that as you get older and you lose more people in your life, that it gets easier.

Well, it does not.

While I accept the fact that we all will die and I don't think that is a bad thing I just don't like losing people I care for.

I told Chief Matron Mare-Son not to cry, Linda was and is loved and she had a life.

I picked this picture because it reminds me of her story of travelling to Tibet. I imagine her as a gypsy wondering the world, little bells on her ankles and wrists and braided into her hair.

This is the picture I will carry with me until we meet again.

Feeling the presence of time

2012-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Linda was diagnosed in August with stage 4 lung cancer and is "feeling the presence of time".

This makes me think of all those Dali paintings with the melted clocks. It was his way of showing that we have no control over time. Sometimes it goes so fast and sometimes so slow, yet in reality it is the same number of seconds every day.

We all think we are aware of time. The weekend passed far to quickly. The days drag at work and you wish it was quitting time. Some holiday is here before you are prepared.

I think Ms. Linda has once more said something profound - we all need to feel the presence of time, every day because if we don't it all slips by and sooner than we ever anticipated we are out of it.

Suspect slips out from under

2012-01-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Sooooo

The San Francisco police chase a suspect to Telegraph Hill where the suspect goes over the edge into a cliff area that has a lot of brush and trees.

Soooo

They decide they will not force him out. They are going to be kind, they will wait him out. They get a big light and shine it on the hillside to keep track of the suspect.

Soooo

After 30 hours, who knows how much money, said suspect is gone. He seems to have slipped out somehow. Where did he go?

Stationery card

2012-01-03T19:39:00.001-08:00

Confetti Dazzle New Year's Card

Create modern holiday cards with your photos at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas at the White House

2011-12-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

I don't care who is in the White House I love the Christmas decorations. It is all so beautiful, I look forward to the HGTV special each year that shows all the trees, decorations, wreaths and gingerbread house. This year in the gingerbread house, they decorated and electrified four little rooms. You can look thru the windows and see the rooms. Very cool.

Anyway here is a link http://www.whitehouse.gov/holidays check it out.

People Face/People Ear???

2011-12-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

So, I have blogged before about how I have people face. Please look at me and tell me more about themselves than I really need to know.

Well, I guess that extends to ears as well.

Yesterday I made a service call to Verizon and I got a woman on the phone who asked me how my day was going. I answered that it really sucked and how was hers?

She had just finished a conversation with her mother-in-law. It seems that her husband had not spoken to his family in twenty-one years. Can you believe that? Twenty-one years. Last Christmas I told him that I did not care why he was not speaking to them, he needed to get back in touch with them. So he did and now they want them to move back to Long Island. The currently live in Seattle and there is no way she is moving there. It is so hot and wet in the summer she would just hate it. Seems she is the good daughter in law, the other one does not even speak to the mother-in-law and she thinks it might be because the woman is a little over bearing and pushy.

She really did go on for a while and I wondered how does she see my people face thru the phone????

Rick Perry is an asshole

2011-12-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

I am not ashamed to be a Christian.

You don't have to sit in a pew every Sunday to know this country is in trouble.

Gays can serve openly in the but children can't celebrate Christmas in schools.

I will end Obama's war against religion.

I'm Rick Perry and I'm an asshole.

OK, so maybe I paraphrased a little bit.

Marriage

2011-12-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

So today the 9th circuit held another hearing about Prop 8. Should the judge who ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional have recused himself because he was gay would benefit from the ruling. The no on 8 lawyers argued that if that was a basis for putting a case aside then a female judge could not hear a case involving women's rights or a black judge could never sit on a case about civil rights, because they could benefit from the results.

The 9th circuit seems to think that there was not proof that the judge wanted or wants to get married and if he did he could have done it during the time it was legal in California. They seem to be leaning towards having his ruling stand. That Prop 8 is unconstitutional, this will be a very big and important ruling. It is the last public hearing before they release a decision.

On the same news report was talk about the current bunch of republicans wanting to be President. Now they are attacking each others morals?

It made me think of all those people that use the sacredness of marriage as an argument against allowing us queers to marry.

I look at Mitt Romney - ok married to the same woman for 42 years. Room to talk, I guess.

Perry - same woman same marriage. Ok, ditto.

Then there is Newt Grigrich - on wife number three - not so much room to talk in my opinion.

Wife number one 1962 to 1981 when Newt cheated on her and reportedly discussed divorce terms with her while she was in the hospital recovering from cancer.

He then married wife number 2 (woman he cheated with)

In 1993 he began an affair with the current Mrs. G.

Reconciled briefly with Mrs. 2 before leaving for good to divorce Mrs. 2 and marry Mrs. 3.

Now I ask you - what is sacred about any of these marriages?

And he is leading in the Iowa polls?

Hmm...

2011-11-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

From the Associate Press:

Authorities have said several members of the group carried out the attacks in September and October by forcefully cutting the beards and hair of Amish men and women.

Amish women have beards?

Overheard today

2011-11-18T22:29:00.001-08:00

Overheard outside Lucky's in Alameda.

Two old women standing facing each other. One had her hand on the other one's shoulder and she had a very concerned look on her face.

"They listen to everything you say, so be careful. They know everything."

Question

2011-11-15T21:01:00.001-08:00

Right now every night driving home from work it is dark and there is one bright spot that is standing out. Jupiter is visible, very visible. I look at it while I'm driving and wonder

Do the have traffic on Jupiter?

Overheard today

2011-11-15T20:06:00.001-08:00

Overheard, again at Starbucks:

My pancreas just can't...

I really wanted to stop and listen to the rest.

Overheard today

2011-11-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

In Starbucks this morning:

My wife called from Mongolia this morning. She want's to come early in about a month and half. I said fine, I just don't want any drama.

So sad - it's over

2011-11-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well gee it's over.

Kim Kardashian files for divorce after 72 long days of marriage.

That is 1728 hours

If they slept 8 hours a night, that is 576 hours, leaving 1152 hours

So a professional basketball team plays 82 games and a game is technically 48 minutes long, but usually lasts 190 minutes or 15,580 for all 82 games. 259 hours, leaving 893 hours of wedded bliss. Except there must have been some practice right? Couple of hours a day? About 144 hours leaving 749 hours to spend together.

Now Kim must have had some work going on. I am sure doing whatever she does takes some time, lets say 4 hours a day - 288 hours total - 461 hours left.

Now lets add in the time Kim thought about the state of her marriage, I have read that she took two days to come the decision - 48 hours - leaving 413 hours. I'm sure the interview with TMZ took a couple of hours - down to 411 hours

So if my math is correct (and I won't guarantee it) that leaves a little over 5 hours a day to spend awake together. Since they were newlyweds, I sure hope they spent that time boinking like bunnies cause those days seem to be over.

Privacy

2011-10-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

"We are newlyweds and we want privacy"

Guess who said that?

Yeah, Kim Kardashian.

So??? You get that how?

By showing the start of your relationship on your TV show? Boyfriend meets family on family vacation in Bali?

Maybe you get paid to have your bachelorette party in Las Vegas?

Or maybe you pimp out the happiest day of your life, get everything paid for, sell the tv rights and show it all to People magazine.

Or maybe after the wedding you go to New York to start another TV show of your life including your newlywed private life.

Color me crazy but I think if I wanted privacy I might keep things private?

580 Ride

2011-10-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have been leaving for work early, really early lately. It is staying dark longer, but it is really dark the past few rides to work.

What is really pissing me off these mornings?

Those trucks that sit on your rear bumper and have their brights on the entire time!

It is not like they can't pass me, they can, they just don't.

I don't get it.

iMourn

2011-10-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

I knew Steve Jobs. Well, kind of. We have never met, but I know he had heard my name.

A long time ago in a land far away – ok the early 90's in San Francisco and I worked for a big law firm. One of our partners left the firm to go work for Mr. Jobs as in house council at Next. You remember Next, right? Yeah, didn't think so.

Anyway he was gone for about a year when he came back to the corporate fold for whatever reasons. He did bring with him a big black box that he wanted us to make work on our brand new windows network – yeah, didn't happen.

Anytime he (the lawyer) had a computer question, he would ask me and I would answer. A little time would go by and the next time I saw him (the lawyer) he would say something like – hey I ran your answer past Steve and he says....

Sometimes he agreed with me, sometimes he did not.

I finally got to the point where I said to him (the attorney) you know what, why don't you just call up Mr. Jobs first and ask you questions and leave me out of it since you don't seem to believe anything I tell you.

And that is my one degree of separation from the man, the myth the legend.

Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.

THE STRENGTH OF SOUL

2011-10-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

I am constantly amazed at the strength of some people, they seem to be able to take whatever is thrown their way and just deal with it.

I have written of cancer stricken friends before, women I have loved who been handed news that I truly think would cause me to fall down on my knees and weep with dispare, in fact in one case I did fall to my knees and it was not even about me.

I just got home from visiting a friend who got news about a month ago that she was ill, very ill. I wanted to stop by and visit, I had not seen her or her girlfriend in quite some time and I feel in a time of illness if the people in your life don't rally around you, it might just be a sad testament of your life and this is a life far from sad.

Linda is a character, really. She has lived a life that is full of surprises, I will never forget the time she told me about traveling in Nepal in probably the 60's dressed as a man. The stories were great and I loved the courage that must have taken.

I am not sure what I expected to see tonight, but was so happily surprised. I beat her home from work? She is working as much as she can and I thought geez, I want to stay home from work when my hair does not turn out right. But in she came from a job where she is spending the entire day outside – it fucking rained today – getting San Francisco ready for Fleet Week!

On the counter in the kitchen are two big pill containers, you know the kind with a slot for every day. Well these are bigger and badder – am and pm for everyday and then a whole other one with a slot for every day of the month – shit I forget to take my vitamins unless my beloved leaves them out for me – I can't imagine that regime of pill popping.

It all makes me wonder where do these people – Jolie, Martha, Mark, Linda and so many others – find the strength it must take to make it through another day. I am in awe of them, I hope I can be as strong as they are if it is ever required of me.

Linda and Susie Q, live long and prosper because I do, I do, I do believe.

580 Ride

2011-09-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

So, you all know how I feel about mattresses on the highway.

Well, today there was not just a mattress on the highway, it was joined by a dresser and a couple of drawers.

I just gotta say, how the fuck do you let a dresser fall off the back of your truck? Do you just think I'll just put it in the back of the truck, its heavy no need to tie it down.

Stupid moron! Now where will you put your clothes?

Oakland Taj

2011-09-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am reading an article in Smithsonian about the Taj Mahal, you know big white building in India. It is a monument of love, a tomb for a woman who died giving birth to her 14th child. Yes, 14th child, she was 38 years old and her husband missed her so much that he spent the next 15 years building this big white building as a way to remember his favorite wife. Or so the romantic story is.

The pictures of the Taj that we see are of this beautiful white building, white marble inlaid with precious stones and built along side a river. Well, what we see is beautiful, but behind that white marble? Brick and other building material that is not so pretty. I have always wanted to see it, it is on my bucket list and I'll get there someday, but until then there is Oakland.

There is a building in Oakland, that I pass everyday on my way to work. It used to be The Gingerbread House, now I am referring to it as the Oakland Taj. I am not sure what it is going to eventually be, but I will try to document the progress for you.

So, this is what made me stop. Yes, those are marble sink tops. I am picturing portraits in those ovals, but I did wonder about the little holes. Will they be filled in?? Are they going to get little gems put in them?

Well, here is a portrait.
This is what they are doing with the little holes.

Closeup of the decoration going in the little holes.

So while it is bart that blasts by and not a river, it does have a little garden area and is going to be interesting to watch what it finally becomes, I'm hoping its not a tomb of any kind. But whatever it turns out to be, I'll let you know.

2011-09-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

in honor o' me little sister

I will try t' keep me blog up t' date

Happy International Talk like a pirate day

We be seeing you soon, me bung hole (look it up, its not a bad thing)

Corner questions

2011-09-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well got a message today from the baby sister that my blog is woefully out of date. Pot calling kettle black,, me thinks. So with that in mind there is one thing that has been making me wonder for a couple of weeks.

I travel the same route to work just about every single day. I come off the highway at the same exit and stop at the same lights over and over and over again.

At the last light before entering a tunnel there is a person with a sign asking for money. Most days it is the same guy he looks like he could use a hand and once in a while I hand him some cash.

But then there are other days when there is someone else standing on that corner.

What do I wonder about? How is it decided who gets to call that corner mine on any given day?

Is there a lottery somewhere? You put your name in a box and someone pulls it out with and pulls your location from another location? Is it just who gets there first? Are there first fights over corners? Where does the regular guy go when he is not on that corner?

Just wondering.

A is for Adele

2011-08-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Or A-dell as they call her in Alabama.

My beloved and I finally saw the fantastic Adele at the Greek last night. The show was originally scheduled for the Warfield (which was too small) then for the Greek in June, then Miss A got sick and cancelled. Well the wait was worth it. It was a beautiful night, warm with no fog rolling in, almost a full moon.

We made it to the Greek and stood right at the stage and while it hurt my neck after a while, the show was well worth it..

Her opening act was 73 year old Wanda Jackson, former paramour to Elvis (for a minute), former country western star and currently produced by Jack White of the White Stripes. This woman has been making music for longer than I have been alive and I've been around awhile - sad to say.

She was great in her little bollaro jacket with the pink fringe that moved as she shook her booty.

Show started right on time (give or take 5 minutes) Ms. Jackson sang a few songs, the road crew came out and broke down her set and put Adele's set together in less than 10 minutes and out she came. On time and looking, well like Adele.

This is what a concert should be, the performer, a couple of backup singers and a few musicians and nice stage and great music.

There were no dancers, no crazy sets to run around on and no phony overproduced lip syncing.

She was there to sing and did she ever. She was there to interact with the crowd and she really did, as my beloved said she was cheeky. She was there to entertain her fans and we were entertained.

My only complaint was that it ended too soon.

Happy Birthday to you!

2011-08-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

August 5th is a special day. My baby sister was born on this day, I will not say how many years ago it was. I will just say it was a good day.

Obviously, it was summer and it was a hot day that turned into a steamy humid night.

I remember my mother was really pregnant and it was a time when pregnant women dressed in maternity clothes. My mom wore lots of A frame sleeveless tops and shorts. I'm not sure if I am making this up but I recall a white top with green circles on it and she wore it with green shorts. I remember thinking she was beautiful.

My older brothers (19 & 18) were just mortified that our mother was knocked up.

My younger brother was mad because he was not going to be the baby anymore and we never let him forget that he is not the baby.

There was a Disney movie playing at the local movie house, I don't remember which one (I'm sure my older sister will remember) I got to see it one night and the current baby was supposed to go the next night, but the new baby decides she is going to come so current baby does not get to see the movie.

Mom and Dad go away and Dad comes back and I remember him making pancakes the next morning, they stuck to the ceiling when he flipped them.

A few days later they came home with a perfect little baby girl. And she was perfect, except for that little cord that was stuck to her belly button. That freaked me out - gotta admit it. Sorry.

We used to sit around and just look at her, all of us. She was a beautiful baby, she was a beautiful young child, she was a cute girl, then she hit her geeky stage, then she became a beautiful young woman.

Today she is a smart, beautiful, athletic, kind, loving woman that I am proud to call my baby sister.

Happy Birthday Suzy. I love you.

Take part of my liver, please

2011-08-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

What does your liver do?

I kind of understand that it acts as a filter for your body. One thing I do know is that when it stops working things go terribly wrong and you are fucked.

My beloved's has a first cousin who has a 25 year old daughter whose liver has stopped working.

She is the mother of a 5 year old daughter that had her first day of school today. Rather than taking pictures of her daughter going off on her first big step into life, she is strapped to a hospital bed with a tube down her throat so she can breath.

Her doctor says he has never seen a liver this bad in a person this young. She is not a drug abuser or alcoholic so they are not sure what has caused this.

I have to ask whoever is in charge: WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS??

Old, Older, Oldest

2011-07-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Do we look at each other the same way we look at our selves?

I see pictures everyday of people that are basically the same age (give or take a year or two) as me and wonder do I look that old?

I don't see an old girl when I look in the mirror, I just see me. Older than I used to be, but not old. At least I don't see it.

What will I do when I do see it? I used to say that I would be jumping off the bridge when I turned 40, well that has certainly come and gone. Instead jumping I went to Paris for a few months, a much better idea actually.

I think of everything I would have missed and am grateful I came to my senses. However, I still wonder what will happen when I really do see that old lady looking back at me in the mirror.

Default?

2011-07-27T07:11:00.001-07:00

I am so tired of what is happening in our government. Not just in Washington, but in our states as well.

In California we go thru the same thing every year when trying to get out a budget. They fight and refuse to compromise until the date to have a balanced budget passes and programs stop, checks stop, State workers stop being paid. Until this year the people in charge did get paid while this budget wrangeling went on. Well, not this year. We the voters passed a law last year that our legislators would not be paid if they did not turn in a balanced budget on time. Guess what? They passed a balanced budget on time. Hit them in their own pocketbook and look what happens.

At the Federal level the "talks" going on about the country's debt ceiling and defaulting on our debt go on and on and on. Will those "representatives of the people" really suffer if the country defaults? Probably not as much as you and I.

I see little boys (cause not seeing too many women in on the talks) saying this is my ball and if you don't do what I say, I'm not playing.

I say "fuck all of you"! Make the decisions that are best for this country as a whole, not what is best for you or your rich friends. Those decisions might be difficult (like repeal those tax breaks on the rich, all I'm asking is that you pay the same percentage of taxes that I do) but you need to do it.

If you don't, I say we vote every single one of you out of office, even those not involved in the talks, because you should be screaming mad right now and putting as much pressure on the boys that you can. This includes all of those career politicians, those just elected and a President that I had hoped would do great things.

Watermelons on 580

2011-07-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you wonder about things. I do a lot of wondering while driving on 580 to and from work.

One of the things I wonder about is how can I take a picture while I am driving.

Why you may ask? Because of days like this.

I was driving west on 580 when I was passed by an SUV that was chock full of watermelons.

The cargo area, full.

The backseat, full.

The passenger front seat, full.

I mean they watermelons were piled up high. They touched the ceiling of the SUV.

I wondered what it must smell like inside the car.

So, this is why I need to find out how to snap a picture and drive at the same time.

I went skydiving!!!

2011-07-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day.

I have wanted to skydive for a very long time. After I broke both my ankles I was under

the impression that perhaps I might have to give up that dream, since you have to land at some point and would my ankles hold up to that kind of pressure? Well, the time has come to put that theory to the test.

My beloved's godson (Skyboy) has been skydiving for a while and has asked us to join

him a couple of times. Last weekend when we saw him, I agreed to go and we set today

as the day.

My beloved, Chief Matron Mare-son and I set out this morning for Lodi, lovely Lodi to fulfill

my little dream. We met Skyboy and Mom-of-Skyboy and boyfriend of Mom-of-Skyboy at the

parachute school.

You go in and sign a two sided form where you have to initial in about twenty places

under 20 paragraphs that basically say the same thing - I will not sue, my beloved will

not sue, I will not sue, my family will not sue, I will not sue, I will not sue, I

will not sue. You get the point.

Then you watch a video about what to expect and then you wait and wait.

My number was 98 and when your number is finally called you go into the gear up room where

you meet your tandom partner - the person who is now your new best friend - the person that

is going to keep you alive. The person that you are going to listen to every word they

say.

So Mom-of-Skyboy and I are standing there waiting to meet our lifeline and we hear one

guy ask his victim, um student, what he does for a living and we decide to say crazy stuff.

Mom-of-Skyboy is going to say I swim with sharks and I am going to be a circus clown. Ok we meet our lifeline. My new best friend is named Brad and he is a really tall Aussie with a mohawk.

First you step into a harness that your new best friend pulls up your legs and you put

you arms thru other openings and then he tightens it around your thighs between your

legs (yes, it feels weird) then attaches it in two places across your chest and pulls

everything really tight, in fact you can't really stand up straight. And then he asks

you a really awful question - how much do you weigh - what!!! what!!! So, I told him

and he did not blink an eye when he told me I was a light one - well compared to his

last jumper anyway.

Brad tells me what to do when we leave the plane - head back, arch your back, arms

across your chest and legs thrown back behind us, like you are trying to touch your bum

with your feet. OK I can do that.

We get on the plane and sit on a rail like cushion with one leg on each side of the cushion

one in front of the other with your instructor behind you, really close behind you and up we go.

I am strangely calm and it takes a long time to get up to 13,000 feet and during this

time Brad goes over the jumping instructions as he is clipping us together in a lot of

places and then says - put your right leg on mine, put your other leg on my other leg and

sit up on my lap. Well, ok seems a little weird, but he is in control of my life right

now and I'll do what he says. So up on his lap I go and he pull us even closer together.

We are attached like a tick on a puppy and I believe he is a little concerned that I am

not nervous.

So now I get getting to the door instructions -

The people on the other side of the plane will go first. When Brad tells me I will swing

my left leg over the cushion thing and Brad will do the same. Then we will kind of walk

to the door, I will bend over a little and he will be right behind me and will will fall

out - ok I am so ready.

So we are at the door and Brad leans over me and out we go. I put my head back, I arch my

back, I cross my arms across my chest and swing my legs up towards my bum.

Nobody mentioned that in the first ten seconds you can't fucking breath and the skin

on your face is moving like it my fly right off your face or the sound. They don't

mention how loud it is, it is really loud. Have you ever heard a flag blowing in a high

wind? Well multiply that by a thousand. Loud.

And then Brad taps me on the shoulder I open my arms and we fall for a few seconds and

he pulls the cord that launches the shoot. We get pulled up a little and as the shoot opens

you become aware of the change. It was gone from very loud the really quiet. Quiet and

beautiful- Lodi is full of vineyards and you could see the long straight rows of green. Roads

are little lines far below you and I wondered how long we could stay up here.

Brad says - hey do you like roller coasters? Yes. Do you get sick on them? No.

OK, lets have some fun. He pulls on one side of the shoot and we go around in circles.

Then we have time to have an entire conversation about his skydiving history and what

do to with my feet when we land. Lift my knees to my chest, put my hands under my

knees and whatever I do, don't let me legs go behind us. OK, I can do that.

The ground comes up really fast, Brad says "knees up", I get into position and we

land quite softly, good thing cause I landed my ass. I had wanted to land on my

feet, but that was not to be.

It was a fantastic ride.

My beloved was on the ground waiting for me and gave me a big hug. The perfect end

to a perfect moment.

Once on the ground I found out the Mom-of-Skyboy, who was behind me balked at the door.

She decided she had changed her mind and did not want to do it. Well, it was too late.

Her teacher pushed and out they went. They landed not too far behind me and she says

she will do it again.

My beloved says she will do it one day.

I know I will do it again.

Now maybe tomorrow morning I'll tell my mother.

I'm just saying...

2011-07-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

So in today's paper is a story about gonorrhea and how this STD is becoming drug resistant. I suppose that is not surprising since most diseases become drug resistant eventually.

And I suppose it is not surprising that the drug resistant case of gonorrhea was found in a sex worker.

And in my mind it is not surprising that this drug resistant case of gonorrhea was discovered in Japan.

Recent nuclear problems, drug resistant gonorrhea...

I'm just saying....

580 Ride

2011-07-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today I was on my way to work, driving west on 580 when I realized that traffic going east was stopped.

Two women had pulled their cars over to the side of the road and stopped traffic to try and get a dog off the highway. Poor little thing just did not seem to understand that they were trying to help. It kept running away from them, other people were opening doors and trying to grab the dog.

I don't know what happened since my side was moving. I can only hope the dog made it out safe and sound.

It did make me think about would people stop if it was a person instead of a dog. I'm sure we would all stop for a child or an old person. But how about just some guy wandering in traffic. Hopefully I'll never have to find this out.

Jesus rides

2011-07-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

We went to the Alameda County Fair this last weekend to bet on the horses. Now those of you that know me, know how I pick me horses. I pick them based on the color that the jockey is wearing. Well, when I saw the name of the jockey in one race, I had to bet that the horse would win, place or show.

I mean come on, Jesus was riding the horse. How could I miss?

Well, I missed. Jesus let me down. He and his horse came in dead last.

Perhaps I need a better way to pick a winner?

580 Ride

2011-07-01T22:38:00.000-07:00

Normally I follow Jesus on 580, well the other day I followed the devil.

Big truck with this logo. I loved it and wondered how long it would be before someone launched a complaint about them. Kind of like those weirdos that keep wanting to change Mt. Diablo's name to Mt. Reagan.

580 chat

2011-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Driving to work this morning I once again followed Jesus.

I guess things must be hard in the carpentry business because it seems that Jesus has branched out to carpet and upholstery cleaning, or so it said on the truck that passed me by.

580 bumper stickers

2011-06-16T18:30:00.001-07:00

Today I was behind a car on 580 that had a bumper sticker that said:

Do you follow Jesus as close as you are following me?

I thought if Jesus drove as slow as you do, yes I would be.

Stupid on 580

2011-06-16T18:22:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I cannot even believe how stupid people are.

Yesterday I was on the highway going to work. I was doing about 70 and talking to my sister on the phone.

No, I am not the stupid one.

A guy on a motorcycle passes me, remember I am going about 70.

These words come out of my mouth: "Holy Fucking god." Yes, I am going to hell.

My sister thinks I have rear ended a truck or something.

No, I have realized that there is a small child on the back of the motorcycle. The kids arms do not fit around the guy. It's little legs barely hang over the sides of the seat. There is no sissy bar for the kid to lean back against. The guy is holding on to the kid with his left hand which means no braking, I think.

But the kid does have on a helmet, so I guess it could be worse?

Weiner, Weiner, Weiner

2011-06-13T07:04:00.001-07:00

Tell me what is Anthony Weiner in treatment for?

Being fucking stupid?

Hmmm

2011-06-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

Has this ever happened to you?

You are walking down the hallway at work and someone stops and looks at you and says:

"Gee, you look nice today."

Do you ever want to say:

"Gee, do I look like shit every other day?"

Ring Ring Ring

2011-05-29T11:49:00.001-07:00

Just read a "wanted" post in my local free cycle.

Wanted: Large bell to call in kids.

Reminded me of my childhood. Not that my mother had a bell. We knew we had to be at home at 6:00 for dinner or else.

However, my best friends mom had a bell. She lived two streets over from us and you could hear it when she stood on the back porch and rang that big bell. Heads would snap up and whatever we were doing would stop and feet would go running towards the door and she would fly home.

I am not sure we were every out of bell range. Miss Jinny would ring that bell and we all knew what it meant. Get home now!!!

Rapturing for dollars

2011-05-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

OK, so the rapture did not happen. Because if it had, you would not be reading this.

Anyway, needless to say Harold Camping, was flabbergasted that it did not happen and is looking into it. Where is he looking? Is there help desk he could call and ask why things didn't pan out the why he thought.

Followers were disappointed when they were still here Saturday night. Yeah, I'd be disappointed too if I had spent my life's savings ($140,000) advertising the end. Or if I had taken my family on a trip to the Grand Canyon (something you got to see before you are called up to the Lord) using my already maxed out credit cards and now had to wonder how to pay for it all.

I certainly would be making plans to put in my claim with Harold Campings church, since his PR guy says he hopes that Family Radio will reimburse the true believers that spent all their savings in anticipation of the Rapture.

Road crap

2011-05-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well the road home is always full of surprises. Some good and some bad.

Today it was a bad surprise, a mattress, a brand new still in the plastic mattress right in the middle of the on ramp.

How the fuck do you miss your brand new mattress flying out from wherever onto the road and why don't you try to retrieve it.

Child Brides

2011-05-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Too Young to Wed - The Secret World of Child Brides by the talented Cynthia Gorney is worth a read. It will break your heart and make you wish you could change things.

Cynthia is married to a man I work with and I started hearing about this story quite a while ago and was surprised when I opened National Geographic this month and there it finally was.

There was the late night wedding of a 5 year old Indian girl and I wondered if Cynthia thought about grabbing the little girl and running. A paragraph or so later I found out she did want to grab her and run. But the fact is grabbing that one girl changes nothing, you have to change everyone and everything around her.

I look at young girls I know, the beautiful 4 1/2 year old across the street, my 11 year old niece, my other niece that turns 13 in a few days and I am thankful they will never be subjected to this kind of horror.

I hope that Cynthia's article can help change the world.

You can help by making a donation at ICRW's website.

2011-05-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

At lunch this afternoon a woman a little older than me sat down with her mother, who looked older than dirt.

The daughter said "Mom, I'm going to order our usual. OK"

So she orders a bento box with chicken teriyaki and something else.

The meal comes and the mother says: "What's that?"

The daughter said "It's rice, Mom. Here take some and some chicken."

The mom says: "What is it?"

The daughter says with a little bite in her voice: "It's chicken MOM, you like chicken. Eat it"

And she did.

The conversation made me think of how I would act if I was in the position of taking care of an aging mother that does not have all her marbles anymore. I am not sure I could do it.

Dead

2011-05-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

Osama Bin-Laden is dead.

As my cousin said, this is bittersweet.

And as a friend said, bad karma to celebrate the death of any human being. This is just the end of an evil man, not the end of evil.

I have to ask, the man was living with his family and followers in basically plain sight in a mansion in a town in Pakistan.

Someone tell me, how did the people in charge in Pakistan not know where he was?

I heard that the mansion had been built in the last few years and had lead walls.

So... nobody noticed this being built?

What does our government do about our relationship with Pakistan now. To me it is obvious that Pakistan has been lying to us for years about the what they knew, now what?

I am sad today, not because of the death of this evil, but because it brings back all the feelings from 9/11. Helplessness, horror, fear.

I believe that the end of this evil man is just the beginning of more evil deeds.

2011-04-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

OK, I will admit it. I got up in the middle of the night to watch the royal wedding. I don't care if anyone thinks it is stupid. Yes, I understand that there are so many more important things that deserve this type of coverage, but I enjoyed it. I loved the pomp and circumstance, I loved all the people out on the streets being happy and excited, I loved the hats!

The hats were fantastic. Hats are one of the reasons I watch the Kentucky Derby as well. There was one that just crossed the line from fantastic hat to fucking cartoon character. Beatrice, Beatrice, Beatrice - what were you thinking. Did your sister or your father that were right next to you say - yeah B that looks fantastic. Will you look back in a minute and think "what was I thinking?" Did you forget the royal wedding portrait that looks like it would fit right in the middle of it?

Another thing. Stop the comparisons to Diana. Let the women rest in peace. I am really sick of the people coming out of the wood work this past week or so with - pictures never seen before - the story you want to hear - etc. If you really had any type of relationship with the woman, respect her and keep your trap shut.

Catherine, Duchess of Cornwall is NOT Princess Diana, so just stop comparing them and let the couple have a life without that ghost following them every step of the way.

Scotland/Ireland Last Day

2011-04-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

Scotland/Ireland last day – April 23, 2011

So this morning we packed up the car – again – and headed for Stranerer to catch the ferry back to Ireland, where I took my second fall of the trip. Stepped out of the car and tripped and went down on my left knee. Had some really spectacular marks on my knee and the bruise is really starting to look good.

The ferry ride was a little be rougher this time and took a little less time. One thing I noticed was the babies. There were so many babies and little kids, it was fun. There was one little girl that was just barely walking who walked up to me and seemed to carry on a complete conversation with me.

We watched the Scotland coastline slip past, well some of us did, others spent the trip with their eyes closed and hoping to not throw up.

We arrived in Ireland and set course for our Holiday Inn Express near the airport, I wanted to be close the airport at a place that had lots of hot water and would be easy, so I took what I knew.

We checked in and the young woman behind the counter had just moved back to Ireland from San Francisco and was planning to go back to San Francisco in August. The queen behind the counter can't wait to visit her and figure out to stay in the USA. He did ask if I would marry him and I replied if the rock was big enough. My beloved did not think that was the correct answer, I think she was right. Sorry honey.

We had a terrible dinner that night and went to bed early so we could pack up the van one more time and head out.

We arrived at the airport where we complained to the car hire about the tire and were told that they get the story of bad tire a lot, it is a scam. Well, I don't think it was and we will be fighting with Hertz from home.

Our flight from Belfast to Newark was long but uneventful. Customs was no problem and then it was off for a four hour lay-over before our flight.

It was here that we parted ways from Chip and MOC, their gate was at the other end of the terminal from ours. We hugged and went our separate ways.

The trip to SFO was long. How come the last leg of any trip is the longest?

We were met by our driver and taken home.

Now I am sitting on the couch writing the last of these blog entries.

It was a great trip and now off to plan the next one.

Scotland Day 7

2011-04-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

Scotland – Day 7 – April 22, 2011

Another early start to another long day, my beloved, CMMS, Chip, MOC and I decided that we would drive to Edinbourgh and spend the night there rather than try to drive all the way to the ferry on Saturday morning. So we were up at the crack of dawn to pack, shower and try and get our luggage into the car. It is kind of funny how our suitcases seem to have expanded during our time here. Things like t-shirts and books and other trinkets seem to keep jumping into them and taking up space.

Annski and Suzetteski are staying on one more day here in lovey Aigas cottages. So we let the owners know we were leaving early and Jessie came down to read the meters. Here in Scotland, they cottage was inexpensive, but we had to pay for our electricity usage and for our towels. Now I have been told that not all cottages in Scotland operate like this, so I think next time (yes, I think there will be a next time) I'll look for an all inclusive one.

So we got the car all packed up – who needs to look out the rear view mirrow anyway, and off we went.

We made it to Edinbourgh by early after noon and checked into our hotel. If you are ever in Scotland, take advantage of the Scotland Tourist offices in every city and most towns. You can find them by the i signs on the roads and within the cities and towns. We were able to book a hotel the day before in Aberdeen. We checked into the Apex Hotel on the Grass Market right in the city center.

Now, we wanted to see the Edinbourgh Castle, the Royal Mile and Holyrood Castle. S&A had been the day before and purchased passes as my beloved and me, they would have gotten us into Holyrood for free, if it had not been the Queen's birthday and her Scottish house was closed to the public.

But anyway, we check into our hotel and ask for directions to the castle. The girl at the desk says to go out the door and cross the street, go right and go up Victoria Street and turn left, go thru a round about to the left and up the Royal Mile to the castle.

OK, we step out the door and this guy that works in the hotel, comes up and says wait, excuse me but she just moved here and only knows how to get the castle one way, what you want to do is, go across the street to those steps and go up them and the castle is at the top.

Oh, ok we say. So we will see it at the top of the stairs? He looks at us like we are really stupid, cause he lifts his hand up a little (he had been pointing at the stairs) and there is the fecking castle! It is huge and I feel really stupid, because how could we have not seen it. I guess I need to look up more?

So up we go to the top of the stairs to tour one of the most stunning castles I have ever been in. It is so well preserved and is just steeped in so much history. We were able to see the Honor's of Scotland, the crown, the scepture and the sword. Long history, spirited away to save them from Cromwell, buried for years under a church, locked up for a century and finally on display in a weird room where you get to it in a Disneylandish line complete with manequins and fake hair.

I could picture people here, living their lives. Walking up the cobblestones, looking out over the land and performing the endless tasks that it took to keep them alive. The fog rolled in while we were at the castle and someplace someone was playing the bagpipes the sound floating around us on the fog. It added a dream like factor to the whole tour. Along with the fog came the cold, very cold wind. We decided it might be a good time to shop.

We then got lost in a bottemless pit of a store that had about four or five stories - all of them underground except the first. They had all kinds of stuff for sale, kilts, sweaters, jewelery, etc. There was only one way in or out. You followed the path in and then had to retrace your steps back thru the entire place to get out. We were stuck for what seemed like hours, but it was still daylight when we made our way out for a trip down the royal mile.

The Royal Mile... at one time a very important street. At one end was Edinbourgh Castle – the seat of Scotland and at the other Holyrood Palace, the home of the monarch. I am sure that living on this street at that time was a coup, now it is really just the Fisherman's Wharf of Edinbourgh. Shops full of cheap sweatshirts and woolens, perhaps from Scottish sheep, but I doubt if they were made in Scotland, which is sad.

As I have expressed in this blog, driving in the UK is an experience. Parallel parking is another interesting experience. There was a spot right in front of our hotel and I did not think I could get in it. CMMS stood in it for awhile before I told her my doubts. Then my beloved came out and helped me get into the space, it was tight but I got in. Try it sometime the wrong side of the road and backwards. Did not like it at all.

Endinbourgh was a place that I wished we had more time in, next time, next time, next time.

Scotland Day 6

2011-04-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Scotland – Day 6 – April 21, 2011

Day six started with a long drive to Aberdeen where we met Vera and Sheila, two sisters that share the same great, great grandmother as my beloved. They grew up and went to school here and took us for a tour around the city and they were able to show my beloved where the poor house had been where the said great grandmother died and took her to the cemetary where she was buried. It was quite an exciting day and Vera had put together a beautiful book of family history and a piece of the clan tartan.

Vera and Sheila were wonderful tour guides and we hope to keep in touch.

We walked thru Old Aberdeen where there has been a university for hundreds of years. Imagine that. We had lunch at the university and it is still a thriving hot bed of students and teaching.

Then we did the long drive back and stopped in Inverness for dinner and then back to the cottage.

It seems like we did not do much this day, but Aberdeen was a long way, how come nothing looks that far when you are looking on the map?

Scotland Day 5

2011-04-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Scotland – Day 5 – April 20, 2011

Today we headed back to Culloden, the battlefield this time. It was a cold and windy day and just a few days after the annivesary of the April 16, 1746 anniversary of the battle.

First you walk thru an interactive museum, which shows the Jacobite story on one side and George II's point of view on the other. They had diary entries from witnesses on both sides. Maps that showed troop movement, guns and other weapons. At the end was an eight minute movie in the round that showed what was in reality a slaughter.

The battlefield today is about half the size it was back then, but you do get the feeling of what went on. They have red flags for the where the government troops stood and blue for where the highlanders stood looking at each other, waiting for the people in charge to say go. I cannot even imagine what must have been going thru their heads.

The kings troops facing what was then the most feared army around.

The highlanders pumped up, but tired. They had been on a forced march the night before to try and surprise the enemy, perhaps the biggest mistake of Charles Stewarts campaign.

Both sides hoping to get this over with quick and they were both right.

In less than an hour over 1000 Scots were dead and during the next few hours the Kings troops made sure that all the wounded were bayonetted so they also died. In all about 1500 men died that day on the moor.

Someone told me a couple of days later that the most errie thing was the lack of birds. No sound from them at all out there.

I found the most disturbing thing to be the thought that all those men were buried under our feet. They did not make it back to the families or to their lands that were so important to them. They are forever buried under that cold and damp moor.

May they rest in peace.

It could be very easy for me to be flip at this point, because for the most part I am very shallow, but here on this battlefield I felt only sadness at what happened that day and at the fact that the worst was yet to come for Scotland.

Next we went to Cardu distillary where they make whiskey!!! Where I finally learned the difference between single malt scotch whiskey, blended whiskey and just whiskey. Not that I tasted any, but it sure does smell good. We took the tour and saw how they make this nector of the gods. I was seduced by the large copper stills, they were so beautiful. Copper is one of my favorite metals. After the tour there was a taste testing where most decided they did not really like whiskey. I thought, it is a good thing I don't drink, because I really liked the smell of it all and I think I could develop a very unhealthy taste for it. I am happy to say that my orders for single malt whiskey were filled.

Then we picked up pizza and Domino's, yes they are everywhere, and headed back to our little cottage.

Scotland Day 4

2011-04-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Scotland – Day 4 – April 19, 2011

Today we were a small group, just CMMS, Chip, my beloved and myself. Annski & Suzetteski went off on their own adventure and MOC staying behind at the cottage to relax and make new friends.

We headed down into Beauly to walk around and see the shops. The had a great hardware store, I guess we would call it in the states. They call it an ironmonger. It was a great place full of everthing from hand blown glass perfum bottles (not local or one would be in my luggage right now) to potatoe seeds for planting. Chip and the ever kissing ass CMMS picked up a set of small teaspoons for MOC because she had been admiring them everywhere we went, so now she has her own.

Then we went into the local haberdashier, where they sold beautiful wool cloth for kilts, wraps and hats. They also had sweaters, gloves and scarfs. Unfortunately, I discovered that I actually have a limit on what I am willing to pay for something and 150 pounds (do the math) was a bit more than even I was willing to cough up for a wrap. What is wrong with me???

We took a tour of Beauly Priory. Spooky. We wondered around and while it was beautiful in the way of ruins, it was not very spiritual but we liked it anyway.

We had lunch at a little deli right on the main street in Beauly, we had ordered and were sitting having a lovely lunch and I was facing the street. The place had big windows and I could see everyone walking by. So, I was people watching and this woman stops right in front of me on the outside of the window because her skirt fell down, I mean really fell down. Slipped right off her body to the ground. I froze with my soup spoon halfway up to my mouth as she calmly put down her bags and pulled up her skirt. She pulled her jacket up and tucked the skirt under her belt, it did not seem to be zipped in anyway so I wondered if she did not spend her entire life picking her skirt up off the ground. She came into the deli and she was still pulling and picking at herself, she was one hot mess. She was quite attractive, but just a little off. Her cloths were not the most stylish, but they were good quality and she had big sun glasses on and her hair really needed a hairbrush. She dropped her bags into a basket full of chips and ordered something, she pulled out her cell and called someone and told them “to get down here and join her now” and sat at a table with her glass of wine. I noticed in her bag she had a bottle or two more of wine, so wine at mid day did not seem so out of character.

Then we went off in search of the Black Isle Brewery, which is down a little (what else) road where my travelling companions found a couple of beers that they liked enough to purchase. There was Heather Honey Beer which is recommended to drink with your porridge at breakfast. This has not happened so far, but there is still time. Although the Feckkin makes a daily appearance.

Then off to find the only winery in the area, Highlands Wineries at Moniack Castle, which turned out to be the current home the Fraser clan and has been since 1580. It was the final home of Lord Lovet, the grandfather of Jamie (if you have to ask...). The Fox was one of the last Highlanders to lose his head after the 1745 because he had changed sides a little too often and probably the crown realized they really could not trust him.

Then over to Wardlaw Mausoleum which is the final resting place of many of the Clan Fraser.

We came back to the cottage for a little rest and relaxation before heading out to dinner at Culloden House, yes THE Culloden House where Charles Stewart stayed for a few days before the Battle of Culloden which wiped out the highland life. The guy at Culloden House sounded a little bitter when talking about life after Culloden, it became illegal to wear the tartan or play the bagpipes or show any highland pride, your family could be raped or killed if you violated the laws. It has been a long time for such a young man to sound so bitter, after nearly 250 years (April 16, 1746) there still seems to be so much anomosity regarding this. The current Colloden House is not the house Charles Stewart stayed in, it has been rebuilt, but still exciting.

Dinner was fantastic. We were brought into a sitting room after being gracefully welcomed, we sat in the sitting room and a drink order was taken and we were given menus to order our dinner. We were brought into the dining room when our first course was ready to be served. It was one of those places where you sat down and already had three glasses, a bread plate and two forks and two knives at your plate. Then the little waitress comes by to give you your utensils for your first course, your second and third courses. I ended up with three forks, four knives and a spoon.

This moment was one of those times that I thanked my lucky stars that my sister in law had been to a class that told you the B & D secret and that she shared it with me. Always remember make a “b” with your left hand and a “d” with your right. Your bread plate is on the left and your drink glasses are on the right. You can thank me later.

We spent about two to three hours having a wonderful dinner with service that was sublime. A good time was had by all and I believe my beloved had a nice birthday celebration.

Scotland Day 3

2011-04-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Scotland – Day 3 – April 18 2011

Today dawned another lovely day in Scotland, blue skies and crisp clean air. I started my day about 6:30 am with a walk thru some of the woods that surround our little holiday cottages. I walked across the golf course and thru a gate into a forest path that lead me up and and up and up, finally to a dirt road which I followed for a while. I could not see much because of the trees, but the ground was covered in these black slugs, from little tiny ones to the largest one I saw which had to be about 4 inches long. They gave me the creeps. On my way back down I meet up with Annski and we walked back together.

We left for Fort George in search of dolphins. The guest book in the cottage had entries that mentioned seeing them in the Morey Firth there. So off we went. Fort George is a working army base that was built out in the wilds of Scotland in the 1700, it was about as remote as you could get, still is pretty remote. It has been an army base, a prison, a hosptial and now again the base for famous Black Guard. The museum showed the evolution of the Queens Highland Brigade and Camaron's. Lots of kilts and it was finally nice to see what an actual dirk looks like.

Then we went to Elgin Cathedral, which is a ruin that was orginally built in the 13^th centrury. That is the 1200's, for peets sake. In 1390 the cathedral was burned down by Alexander Stewart, otherwise known as the Wolf Of Badenoch, in a dispute about his being excommunicated, this does not sound like a way to get back into the good graces of the church to me, not sure if it worked or not. Since the cathedral was not a parish church after the reformation it was not treated very kindly. It was abandoned by its bishops and left to be cannabalised for its lead roof and bells. In 1637 the remaining roof blew off the choir and then in 1640 the parish minister broke up the rood screen for firewood. The central tower collapsed in 1711 and it was nearly the end for Elgin. In the 1820's pressure mounted to save the cathedral or what was left of it.

What is left is not much. A couple of towers and parts of other walls and the graveyard. You can see were the columns were and I as amazed at how big this place must have been. Surely someone must have been sad when it was left to rot.

Then we drove to Duffus Castle. The original building was started in the 900's!!! The original was also made of wood which weighs a lot less than stone, too bad that the builder of the next building there did not keep that in mind. The original was built on a earthern man made hill and when they put the stone on it after a few years it started to move. This was an upscale castle it had not one but two latrines, one of which is now on the bottom of the hill at an odd angle. I'm assuming these people moved on to somewhere else after their bathrooms ended up on the floor below them.

Then we went to Burgerhead (the smallest streets in the fucking universe) and Hopeland in search of dolphins, only to be told that they had left and were on their way to …. Fort George.

Oh well, sometimes Mother Nature just has a mind of her own. So we headed for a distillery,which was closed by the time we got there. Well, there are many more.

We headed for home and I don't know about you, but I have not seen a whole lot of pheasants in my life. Well, this ride down a country road filled my lifetime quota of pheasant watching. They were everywhere, the colorful male birds and the plain females. There was also a little sign that said “please drive slowly – baby pheasants about - I did not see any of them, but the adults were everywhere. In trees, on the road, in the fields. Picture the most pheasants you can and then multiply it by 10 and you have a picture of Pheasantville.

Then back to our little cottage for dinner and a few games of BannanaGrams where Chip kicked our asses.

Scotland Day 2

2011-04-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

Scotland – April 17^th – Day 2

Today started early, again. My eyes popped open at 6 ish and I stayed cozy under the sheets until about 6:30 when I got up. I was able to spend some time reading before the day started, of course with so many of us we did not get out on the road until noon, but somedays you just gotta roll with it.

Found out from Annski that there are all kinds of walks to take around the grounds here and I'll be doing that tomorrow morning.

Anyway, we went in search of Nessie the elusive monster of Loch Ness. We took a cruise down the Loch to Castle Urquhart which is a ruin, since the Grants burned it down in 1650, actually they filled the gatehouse with explosives and blew the thing up. Crazy what some people will do to keep others away from their toys.

It was an amazing place. You could imagine in being whole and how beautiful it must have been. I could also imagine how difficult life must have been then. And you just know I would have been a servant of something, not the lady of the keep as I like to think.

The day was crisp and clear and the water of the Loch was dark and looked very very cold. You really can imagine there is something there and you can't help but look for it with every wave.

After that trip it was back into Inverness for a look around and dinner. We ended up at a place called Mustard Seed on Fraser Street. It was discovered by my beleoved in a guide book and it was a fantastic meal, I highly recommend it if you are ever in Inverness.

Tomorrow Dolphins and whiskey. Stayed tuned.

Scotland Day 1

2011-04-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

Scotland – April 16^th – Day 1

This very long day started really early we were all up and about by 4:30 am, yes, even my beloved. We wanted to be out of the cottage in Ireland by 5:45 and in Belfast to catch a 7:30 am ferry to Scotland. We made it with plenty of time and drove the car onto a huge ferry, I mean really huge. It took not only people and cars, but big trucks and tour buses.

The upper decks of the ferry had many lounges for passengers. Tables and chairs, bars, internet access. That is where I was able to post all my Ireland blog entries. It was an almost 3 hour trip across the Irish Sea arriving in Stranraer in southern Scotland. From there we (and by that I mean me) drove north the the highlands of Scotland. I have to say the countryside is even more beautiful than Ireland. The rock walls? Not so much.

We drove thru the mountains where there was still snow on some of the peaks. I was amazed at the number of hikers, hiking is a really big thing here and Chip and I have decided to come back at some time to do a hiking tour. On our way thru these mountains we saw our first kilted man. He was standing on the side of the road playing the backpipes in full regalia. Standing next to him was a young boy also kilted up playing the bodrun. I believe they were selling cd's of their music but was really travelling too fast to stop.

Driving is becoming easier. When we were in Ireland a woman told me that the roads in Scotland were far narrower than the ones in Ireland. She is correct, the difference being that most of the roads do not have curbs! Hence nothing to bounce off of if you get too close to the left side. Well, except maybe for a rock wall, since the rocks on the hills come right down to the road. I am feeling more comfortable driving except when I have to share the road with a big fecking piece of farm equipment coming down the other side of the road at me. Don't tell anyone in the car with me, but I did close me eyes once when I met a big tractor on the road. SSShhhhhh....

We made it Beauly, actually a few miles outside of Beauly to the Aigas Holiday Cottages. It is really lovely here, the stone buildings we are staying in are beautiful, of course they are colder than a witches tit, but they are pretty.

We met up with Annski and Suzettski here and spent our first hour getting groceries and complaining about the towels. We drove into Inverness for dinner and I will admit to making a couple of wrong turns on the way home, but hey it was verrrry dark.

The word wee does not come out of a lot of folks mouths here in Scotland, or course we are not really sure of what is coming out of their mouths sometimes.

It was off to bed in a cold bedroom but we had a comforter that weighs about 10 pounds to pull up over us and all in all it was very cozy.

Until tomorrow.

Ireland - last day

2011-04-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

Ireland – Day 7 – April 15^th

Today is our last full day in Ireland. I guess I could say it is our last day, since we get on a ferry at 7:30 tomorrow morning to go over to Scotland. I am sitting in the kitchen of our little cottage looking out over the green fields, there is low fog and when I first looked out it was a little spooky. Now with the fog lifting it is just another day, the ghosts are gone for now.

Today we are heading into Belfast, where one of the places we will be seeing is the Titanic museum, I am sure there will be ghosts lurking there. I'll let you know.

So we dropped my beloved off at the records office and she was not able to get any information since it did not have much Catholic information. She was directed to another place where she was able to get a birth certificate for her grandmother. The trail might end here due to the fact that they only started keeping records in 1865 and lots of births were not recorded before that.

The rest of us went to the Titanic museum. The Titanic was actually the second in a group of three ships built by the White Star Company. The Olympic, Titanic and Britanic, otherwise known as the Beloved, the Bedamned and the Forgotten.

The Titanic was the largest, she was built about a mile from the pump house and dry dock where she was painted and her propellors installed. The dry dock was huge over 850 feet long and 140 wide, it was a marvel. They would flood the dry dock and float the ship into it and then empty the water out while the ship balanced on its keel and other little things (well not little) to help hold it upright.

It was interesting to learn that the ship was basically just a shell when she was put into the water at first, they loaded her up with engines, smokestacks (one of which was a dummy), furniture, etc once she was in the water.

The men (only men) worked on her for three years and when she was due to be put into the water, they had to take a half a day off without pay to watch it happen. They made about a pound a week, the more skilled workers made a little more and the captain made not even 30 pounds a week.

There were eleven men killed in the making of the Titanic, which is surprising because the working conditions were terrible. They worked from 5:30 in the morning until 5:30 at night all for less than a cup of tea costs today. They also got 7 minutes a day for bathroom breaks, I would be in so much trouble. Belfast became the worlds biggest and best shipyard in the world, that has changed. They now produce wind turbines that are sold around the world.

The ship workers in Belfast have this to say about the sinking of the Titanic.

“The ship was in fine shape when she left here. That's what happens when you give her to an English captain and Scottish navigator.”

Next we headed into Belfast for lunch at Garricks Pub, which was brilliant!

Then my beloved went off the the place where they keep the Catholic records where she found the above birth certificate.

The rest of us took a look at Belfast's City Hall. It reminded me of San Francisco City Hall a little bit. They had an exhibition about the bombing of Belfast during WWII. It took everyone by surprise I guess, everyone thought Belfast was just to far away to worry about being bombed. They were very wrong, over 700 people died in one night and half the city was destroyed.

Then over to St. Anne's Cathedral, which was unfortunately had just closed. Oh well.

Then over to Crown Bar. It was full of cool stained glass and wood, but was so crowed we ended up across the street for a pint before heading back to our little cottage.

Now we are sitting around the kitchen trying to eat up what we can since we hit the road in the early am to catch a ferry to Scotland.

Ireland - Day 6

2011-04-16T00:41:00.000-07:00

Ireland – Day 6 – April 15^th

We started our day down in the little town where our cottages are, Crawsfordsburn. It is a picture from a post card. Large white buildings with thatched roofs and very short doorways. They have very interesting doors here in Ireland, they have a full wooden door and then in front of it a half door that I have been told is to keep the children inside but still let air and light in. I think it is to keep sheep out.

We visited the only traditional crafts store we have been in so far and we all went a little crazy. I got a local hand woven coat, my beloved got a couple of sweaters and we got a bunch of other stuff for some people and the rest of them did not do too badly either.

We had lunch in the Crawsfordsburn Inn. It was a lovely place with lots of dark paneling and glass. It was a combination of old and new. Some of it worked, like the ladies room with the tempered glass stalls and super duper hand dryer. Some of it did not, like the weird 60's light fixture in the dining room we were in. The food was very good and there was a lot of it, which caused us to wonder if Ireland would be far behind the US in the obesity crisis.

Then we went off to meet some new friends, we are meeting them everywhere it seems. There was Harry, Patches, Figaro and Rosie. You might be thinking right about now that those are strange names for people we met in a pub, you would be correct. We met them at an equestian center where Chip and MOC went to ride. The place gave riding lessons and boarded horses and they boarded a lot of horses from what I could see. I was talking to a young girl that was taking care of her horse. The horse was eight years old and in its previous life she had been a race horse. Now she was being retrained to be a riding horse. The young girl had been riding since she was about eight, she was a tiny little thing and the horse was not. I think she told me it was 16.2 hands and it seemed so powerful. I watched another little girl get nipped by her horse and another bring organic oats for hers. I thought of my friend Bead Chick and her family and thought they would love to live here.

Chip and MOC took a ride thru the fields being led by two young girls and it was a dream come true for MOC and we were glad we could be part of it.

Then we went to explore downtown Bangor which has a lovely harbor and lots of pubs. We visited two of them the Rabbit Hole and Jenny Watts. The Rabbit Hole was an interesting place, there was a little girl dancing in the middle of the pub while her auntie snapped photos of her. I ran into a young girl that had hurt her leg running down the street. From what I don't know, but since she was from somewhere else I thought well, that is going to throw a damper on your holiday, not to mention the people with you that right now are ok with walking very slowly with you, but might not be in a couple of days. It had great sayings painted on all the surfaces, I enjoyed it very much.

Then we were off the Jenny Watts, poor Jenny caught up in the Orange uprising and went to hide in a cave near the ocean and was drowned by the incoming tide. The bar keep was fun, the only place she had ever been in the states was the birthplace of moi! Oh the people that travel to discover me.

We had dessert at this pub and I had something called Pavlova, which I think sounds like a virus, but was like a baked Alaska with strawberries. My beloved had something called Banafee, which is a bananna toffee pie like thing. Chip and MOC had apple crumble wih ice cream.

All in all a good day.

Ireland - Day 5

2011-04-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

Ireland Day 5 – April 13^th

Today a tour of the Mourne Coast. We were looking forward to seeing the Mourne Mountains, unfortunately the fog did not cooperate. It was a cold and rainy day (for most of it anyway) but onward we went.

Our first stop was Dundrum where the ruins of a Norman castle overlook the ocean. It was a place where I could imagine the lookouts watching the coast for raiders and invaders. Now it is a place of ghosts and history.

Then up into the mountains where we were amazed at the beauty of the rock wall. One might not think of a rock wall as beautiful, but these up the mountains were stunning. These rock walls are reminisent of the unmortered rock walls of New England that I am used to, except the rocks are different. The colors and shapes are beautiful and if it makes any sense, it was the space between the rocks that I found most amazing. The walls look delicate, but are far from it. MOC had a desire to be photographed in front of one of these spectacular art pieces and we obligied. Maybe I'll get a picture in at some point.

So we drove down a lot of little tiny roads, where thankfully I did not meet much traffic while driving thru the Silent Valley. We maintained our silence during this part of the trip in solidarity of the Valley. Yeah, that last all of about 10 minutes.

When I came to a stop sign and decided to go left I was asked by my beloved why was I going left? I took one had off the steering wheel, pointed in the distance and said “castle”. And off we went to Green Castle. This was also a lovely ruin, unfortunately we could not get very close to it since the gate was locked and we are trying to be polite American's.

I must say that everyone we have met so far has been wonderful, except for those people that don't pull to the right when we are passing on the road, but then again, we have not really met them,I have just been playing chicken with them.

We drove threw Newcastle now a resort town. I remember my mother having a saying of some sort about Newcastle. “Like bringing coal to Newcastle?” I'll have to remember to ask her.

Anyway, after a long day of driving we ended up back in Killyleagh at the Duffern Arms for another pint or maybe an entire bottle of Feckin whiskey where we ran into some of our new friends then back to Bangor for some different tasting Indian food and to learn that the heat had not been on in the cottage the entire time we had been there. It sure is much more comfortable in the mornings with the heat on. Go figure.

Ireland - Day 4

2011-04-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

Ireland – April 12^th – Day four

Day four dawned a little overcast and chilly, we decided to stay a little closer to home today and headed off to Grey Abbey to see Mount Stewart House. We drove into Grey Abbey not expecting an Abbey. But there it was, a ruin of an old abbey on the side of the road with a graveyard full of headstones at odd angles. As I walked thru it I kept saying “sorry” as I stepped on people.

There is something about ruins of spiritual places, I sometimes think I can feel the presence of the people that worshipped there. I do wonder what happened to them and the places. Do they just become too old to maintain? Did they fall out of favor and were just left to rot? As far as ruins go, this place was beautiful.

It did have a creep factor to it as well, due to the crows in the trees that made lots of noise.

There was also a litle church up on the hill above it that was lovely. Locked so we could not go inside, but lovely none the less. Across the road was a field full of what else? Sheep.

OK, we had been wondering why all the sheep had paint on the them. So being a person who strives to get answers to the unknown I asked our hostess Ann. It seems that they paint the rams chest with a certain color and them let them out into the fields with the girl sheep. Once the ram has done its deed the girl sheep he does it with gets marked on their backs from the paint on his front. The farmers then know what ram did what sheep and that lambs will probably result from the union.

Any way back on the road. It was lunch time and since we were already in a town we went to lunch there. First we went to a little tea shop, where in addition to there not being much on the menu that a vegetarian would eat the woman running the place had very dirty fingernails that freaked my beloved out, so we left to find another place. We went into a little coffee/tea/lunch place across the street and had a lovely lunch after CMMS was told that the first two things she selected we no longer available. There was as top at a phramacy where my beloved found a cute little pharmacist.

Then back on the road to our original destination, Mount Stewart House. The original house was built in the 1700's and parts of that house still exists. You can see it in the floors, the wood floors in the oldest part of the house were amazing. Along with the plaster work of the ceilings and the chair rails around some of the rooms. The family has a long history and one of their most lovely was Marie (pronounced Mary). She was the only child of her parents that was raised in the house so her parent's left this house to her. In addition to the house were gardens, beautiful gardens. Daffodils are a big thing here in Ireland, you see them everywhere and Mount Stewart House gardens were no exception. Rhodadendrons and camillias and azalias were everywhere and you could tell that someone put a lot of their own heart and soul into this garden. We did not get up to the lake (yes, they had their own lake) but I am sure it was lovely. Now even though the house is now part of the national trust, Lady Marie's daughter Lady Hope still has private apartments in the house and was in residence while we were there. She did stick her head out of a door and went right back in when she saw us in the hall way. She lives full time in Venice, how sad for her.

We went up and down a beautiful staircase that was designed by an architect in London that never came to the house. He designed the staircase and had it built by local craftsmen, who followed his design to the letter. Unfortunately when they were finished, it was off center from the door at the bottom of the stairs. Just a little reminder to always measure twice and cut once or maybe take the time to come the wilds of Ireland when you are working on a project here. You think????

Chip, CMMS and I were the only ones in our tour and our little tour guide was wonderful and we were very happy we took the time to come to Mount Stewart House.

Then back to our little home away from home for a nice pasta dinner and a wam bed.

Ireland - Day 3

2011-04-16T00:26:00.002-07:00

Ireland – Day 3 – Roots

Today, Monday, April 11^th a day that brought us rain & hail. The end of the unseasonable warm sunny weather that had been our gift since arriving in Ireland.

We started our day in Ballyahinch, the birthplace of my beloved's great grand-father. We stopped at Natlie's Cafe for a quick bite to eat and ask some questions. We were directed to St. Colman's in Magheradrool Parish and a woman named Mary who might be able to help in the search for information. So off we went, up the hill to a church that smelled of new paint and plaster and I wondered what old secrets could this place hold.

I mean for pete's sake, I went to light a candle and they were electric. I lit one anyway in memory of Jolie, who was born this day. Rest well my friend.

After not being too helpful, Mary was finally able to come thru with a baptismal record for the GGF that included his parents names and his god-parents names.

Then we were off to Downpatrick, where St. Patrick is “buried”. Well, there is marker for him, but no one is really sure if he is under there. St. Patrick's grave is covered by an odd shapped rock marker. I as told later on that it was shaped that way because American GI's had chipped little pieces off of it during the wars. Damn American's. The church itself is undergoing extensive renovations and the inside looked kind of like someones garage when they are painting their living room. Everything crammed into the garage – in this case the church – until they are done. You could tell it was old, it smelled of mold and mildew and was very damp and I wondered how you could sit thru a sermon there without thinking about what the spores that are certainly floating in the air are doing to your lungs.

Then we were off to the Down County Museum in Down Patrick, where they have a timeline of all things Irish. Including the Battle of Ballyahinch, which was a very important battle in which I am sure the ancestor's of my beloved fought. Once we had gotton our fill of culture we headed off. Unfortunately at this point the weather got really cold it started to hail on us as we walked back to the car in the shadow of the church, perhaps a sign from St. Patrick that we all need to spend a bit more time inside a place of worship? Nah..., but I looked over my shoulder anyway just be sure he was not standing up there beside his grave waving good bye.

Off we went to Killyleagh, the place where my beloved's ggf & ggm lived, met, married and worked in a linen factory in a little town called Shrigley. My beloved was directed to the library by Mary at the church in Ballyahinch, the rest of us went to check out the castle. The castle of Killyleagh is still owned by the same family that built it in 1650! It is a private residence, so you can't visit it, crap! I remembered that we had looked into staying at it, because they have vacation units in the tower's but forget the reason we did not. Anyway we had agreed to meet down the street at that pub with the Guiness sign hanging from it. I know what you are thinking, Guiness sign, does not really narrow things down in Ireland and you would be correct. Except this one hung from a huge pink building and was hard to miss. The Duffern Arms has been a pub in Ireland since before St. Patrick spooked all the snakes, or at least it looked that way. We walked in to a little tiny room with a bench around most of it and a couple of bar stools, a big old bar with lots of pretty bottles behind it along with Viv, the lovely bar keep. Sitting in one corner were three men, another one standing against the bar and us. We ordered our drinks and sat. I was across the way, but that did not stop me from listening in on their conversation (what does?). They were talking the history of the town and I piped up with, ok since this is a history lesson, who lives in the castle?

That is when we found out that the Hamilton's own it. They have been in the castle since the 1650's and the current Lord Hamilton is a young guy, very nice and socialable like. His father, not so much. He is an arse.

Introductions got made, sitting next to Chief Matron Mare-son was Billy, who soon became enamoured with said CMMS. Then there was Shawn, who had to be a 145 years old and we could not understand a single word that came out of his mouth. Then there was D. Kennedy from Shrigley and sitting in the middle was no relation, S. Kennedy. S. is a fly fishing instructor who takes people on fishing trips and just could not understand why in hell's name we were staying in Bangor when we could have stayed in Killyleagh??? In case you are a fly fisherman come to Ireland for the Fly Fair on July 2 & 3. Check out www.irishinternationalflyfair.com for more information, cause I know my audience and you are all fishing fanatics!

So, we learn that my beloved's family had been Americanizing their name. They have always pronounced it DAVIE, we were corrected that it is pronounced DAAAAAAAAAAA-V. We were also told that the next to the last member of the family was a friend of the above Billy. Hugh DAAAAAAAAAAA-V had been a good friend of his. The last remaining family member was a woman in an old folks home up the road (everything is up the road), but she has dementia so even if we went to see her she would not know anything or anyone, so what is the point?

By this time CMMS and Billy were making plans to be married. I know that will surprise a few of you (to say the least) but he seems very nice, has a lot of land and few sheep, so it could work out????

We were told to cancel the rest of our stay in Bangor and come to Killyleagh for the rest of our time, we would have more fun and they would treat us right. After a few beers and a couple of shots of Feckin Irish Whiskey (except for the me) most of us were willing to pack up our little cottage and move to the place right across the street from the pub. In fact, our new bbf S. brought the proprietor of the B&B across the way over to meet us, unfortunately or not they had no rooms at the inn and so back to Bangor we finally went.

Now as I have said, driving in Ireland is challenging and driving at night is actually a bit easier since I could see people coming (if they had their lights on) way before I got to them, so I had plenty of time to visualize what was going to happen before it happened. We finally made it back to our cottage with my shoulders up around the tips of my ears and I was ready for a good nights sleep. Well, I would be sleeping the rest recovering from their Feckin whiskey. Just to be clear, they all loved this whiskey, it was like a drug and they wanted more.

Ireland - Day 3

2011-04-16T00:26:00.001-07:00

Ireland – Day 3 – Roots

Today, Monday, April 11^th a day that brought us rain & hail. The end of the unseasonable warm sunny weather that had been our gift since arriving in Ireland.

I mean for pete's sake, I went to light a candle and they were electric. I lit one anyway in memory of Jolie, who was born this day. Rest well my friend.

After not being too helpful, Mary was finally able to come thru with a baptismal record for the GGF that included his parents names and his god-parents names.

Ireland - Day 2

2011-04-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Ireland – April 10 - Day 2

Today we got back out on the road and headed north west to take in the Causeway Coast. We started by driving past Belfast and north to Ballycastle.

And according to Chief Matron Mare-son Balley means town. So Town Castle or is it Castle Town?

Whichever, we stopped there to have lunch. It is a lovely little town on the ocean with big cliffs off in the distance. Then we were off onto the A-2 again and pulled into walk the Carrick-a-redo bridge.

Again according to the linquist CFM-son Carrick means rock so I guess Rock-a-redo bridge? It is a small suspension bridge that takes you from the mainland out to a little rock island. It was fun and glad we did it.

Then back on the road to the Giants Causeway – unbelievable!!!! The remains of a volcanic eruption over 6000 years ago. There are thousands of rocks all about the same size and all multi-sided. Some have 5 sides, some 6, 7 or 8 and all of them are a dark reddish brown in color. It was crazy to say the least.

We believe that Chip has found her people. The legend of the causeway is that a giant named Finn McCool created the causeway to invade Scotland and we think Chip must be related to him, not because she wants to invade Scotland (unless it involves big brawny men in kilts) but because he was tall. Man I wish I could load some pictures right now. Later I promise.

We (I) drove a lot this day. We failed to make it to Bushmills, it just got too late in the day. So back to the cottage we went.

Ireland - Day 1

2011-04-15T23:53:00.001-07:00

DISCLAIMER: NO PICTURES RIGHT NOW. ON A FERRY AND INTERNET CONNECTION KIND OF SLOW TO LOAD PICTURES. PERHAPS LATER

April 9, 2011

Ireland Arrival

We met up with Chip and Chip's mom (name de blog MOC) in Newark and made it to Belfast after an all night flight arriving at 9 in the morning. Imagine our surprise when after printing out the ten day forcast for the area and seeing, rain, chance of showers, rain, chance of showers every day for the entire time, we arrived to a beautiful and sunny spring day in Northern Ireland.

We picked up our rental car, a seven passenger van – I thought well that will be enough room for the five of us and all our luggage. Just barely, but my beloved made it work and off we went down the narrow roads toward our home away from home during our stay here.

We had arranged to stay Crawfordsburn Co. Down at a place called Rosevale Farm Cottages. So we follow the “wee” little directions the guy at the rental car place gave us. I was the only one brave enough to drive and I will say that I drove around and around a few roundabouts (that seem to occur every quarter of of a mile or so). We finally got on the A2 with the help of Chip reading the map and my beloved getting the GPS working and off we went down the narrow roads.

You may have noticed I said narrow roads twice, so far. Well, not only are they narrow, but you are driving on the opposite side of the road. Think about it, not just driving on the other side, but the steering wheel is on the opposite side, you operate the drive shift on the left, not the right. It is all very disconcerting, to say the least.

So, as I said off down the A2. Everything was going fine, every once in a while my beloved would say, you are too close to the curb, pull to the right and I would for the most part. Then I did not. Curbs are a funny thing, they let you know where the road ends and the sidwalk begins in some places. They keep the surface of the road from washing away. They give trash someplace to cling to. They also put a big freaking hole in the side of your tire if you hit one hard enough. Which is what happened to me. My beloved told me I was too close to the curb, I did not think I was and then boom – I hit the curb and after the initial shock realized I had a flat tire. So I pulled over at the end of the driveway to a place called Hugh's Fuel. We got out and looked at the tire, it was beautiful, if you enjoy flats. This was a good one. Two holes in the tire, the rim all banged up and flatter than a pancake. So, out comes all the luggage only to discover that there is no spare???? What is up with that we wonder.

So, Chip and I go up the hill to Hugh's Fuels to see if we can find someone to help us out. And we found Ryan. Ryan is now my new best friend. He took us into the office and helped us call the rental car company and tell them where we were. So, they tell me that there is no spare in these cars, there is only a little can to fill the tire up. I explain to them that this is really not going to help me, since the tire has a big hole in it and I did confess that I hit a curb. Well, they say we are going to have to get back to you in a little while about what to do. So, Chip and I hang out with Ryan.

We know that Ryan grew up in the area, in fact he lives right on the other side of that hill over there and that today is a bbq kind of day. He works half day, he gets off at half twelve, which I take to mean twelve thirty. He does not enjoy going someplace where he has to drive on the opposite side of the road either. He went to Italy and drove a smart car on the wrong side of the road and he was stressed the entire time. We learned that he is engaged to be married, hence the reason for the trip, to check out the venue where they want to marry. While we were there, the fiance called and he told her he had two American women in the office that had just hit a curb and blown a tire in front of their place. She did not really believe him at first. Come on, who makes up a story like that.

Ryan says he knows someone that owns a tyre shop (that's the way it is spelled here) down the road a piece that will help us out if we need it. He rings them up and they will come out if we need them (even if it is not a working day for them) and we sit back to wait for the manager of the car hire (that's how they refer to it here) to ring us back. After an hour or so, in which Ryan is very hospitable and has a very nice bathroom, we call them back to be told that they are working on it, they need to find a tyre and no, there are not other 7 passenger vans they can bring us to switch with us and they will ring back. Which they do about twenty minutes later to tell us that the tyre is our responsibilty and if we can get someone to come and change it... Really wish they would have told us that an hour and a half ago...

So Ryan calls up his friend. Ian Conner and his friend Dave show up about half and hour later in little blue car thing. Not jeep, not van – it kind of looks like those John Deere mule things, but WWII vintage. They take a look at the tyre and discuss what to do. Well, maybe Ian will just drive it down to the shop, not going to hurt the tyre too much more, right. Then they look at the rim and decide that might not be a good idea.

Then Chip walks into sight and Dave (who is about 60, maybe older hard to tell) falls in love and they decide they will just drive a “wee” bit down the road to the shop and bring back a jack and then take the tyre off and go back and fix it. We all decide, well Chief Matron Mare, says perhaps Chip should just take one for the team since Dave is so enamoured with her and funny but we all agree, except maybe her mother, but hey if it gets us back on the road...

So off they go and a few minutes later they return, jack up the car and pop the tyre off. Now Chip's mom had already said – this tire is bald, it is a bad tire (I'll say) and this is not our fault. Ian and Dave agree with her and can't believe that they (the car hire) sent us off with this tyre, it is not safe. Chip's mom asks them to write that down so we can give it to Hertz.

So, off they go again back to the shop with tyre in the truck and then we waited. Standing on the side of the narrow road as trucks, motorcylces and cars rush by on the wrong side of the road. No one stops to see if we need help, no one waves, we are just there.

Back come Ian and Dave and on goes the new tyre, down comes the jack and out comes the bill. Not cheap, I'll say that much and Ian makes a little fuss about the fact that I want to give him more. I tell him, please take it. I know that you were not even working today and I really appreciate it, so please take it. And he does.

They ask us where we are staying and I say over by BANGOR. They both look at me and say well around here we call it BAGER, but ok. Now you must stop at Coultra on your way and have a little lunch, for Christ sake! OK, for Christ's sake we will do that.

We find out that Ian's daughters had visited San Francisco last year and how he had not slept until they returned and he hoped that someone would have helped them out if they had needed it. Ian tells us that there are good and bad people everywhere (his shop had just been robbed of 6000 pounds worth of cigarrettes the other night, but that was the first time in 12 years this had happened).

He also wrote up a little blurb on the bill that the tyre was not legal to be on the road and that the car hire can give him a call and he will speak with them.

So, now I have my souvenir of the trip (perhaps my only one) a bald tyre in the back of the van. Of course, I will not be taking it on as carryon for the trip home, it will be given back to the car hire when we return the car on our way home.

And we were off to find our home away from home with me at the wheel again and my beloved reminding me that the moral of this story is to listen to her. So as irratated as it makes me, I listen to her when she says I am too close to the curb. I am trying to pay attention to the little sign on the visor that says stay to the left (but no too close to the left) and we made it to Roseville Farm Cottages without further incident. Very cute place. We are staying at Hugh's cottage and from out our back door we have a beautiful view of the rolling hills of Ireland. It is lovely place to hang our hats for the next week. Part of me wishes that I could just stay and not have to get back out on the wrong side of the road, but alas there are places to go and more nice people to meet.

580 Ride

2011-04-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

This morning was a bad day on 580 West, not quite as bad for me as it was for others.

Today was the crack down on drivers using their cell phones. I saw not one, not two, not three, but six CHP cruisers with people pulled over during my morning commute. Hands free people, not a new law.

So, while as bad as it might have been for those being pulled over, some drivers had it much worse. I was driving in the lane next to the passing lane and I came around a corner and traffic stopped, really stopped. Luckily, because I have recently been to bad girl driving school, I had been paying attention to not just the car directly in front of me, but the one in front of it as well, so I noticed brake lights going on.

In the high speed lane next to me about two cars ahead, was a white pickup truck. The white pickup stopped, the red pickup behind him slammed on its brakes and pulled to the left where it was able to get past the white truck without making contact with the truck or the jersey barrier. It got by the white truck and I'm not sure it ever stopped at all. The BMW behind the red truck was not quite so agile. I heard the brakes screaching and could see and smell them smoking, I was yelling inside my car, crap, crap, crap this is going to be ugly. And I was sure hoping that I was not going to be personally involved in this crash. Because it certainly became a crash. The BMW smashed into the back of the white pickup truck, really hard. The bumper on the truck crunched like an accordian and the tailgate snapped on one side and dropped part way off. Bags of stuff dropped off onto the highway and broke open on the roadway.

I stopped, looking in my rear view mirror, hoping that the person behind me was paying attention, he was cause he stopped as well. I sat for a few seconds letting the two cars behind the BMW move out into my lane.

I looked at the BMW and watched the driver get out (I was relieved) and had time to notice that it did not deploy the air bags and I thought that's weird. Then I saw the driver of the white pickup get out and I was able to drive off thanking my lucky stars.

Then further down the road a big rig had hit the jersey barrier and spilled diesel fuel all over the road. That tied things up.

Then there was the worst of the worse. I got behind a white van, the kind with no windows on the sides, but windows in the back and I could see that it was full of Mexican pastries. Now how horrible is that. Here I am trying to lose weight I have to follow a van full of Mexican pastries. I was kind of hoping it would stop suddenly and be hit and the rear doors would swing open and all those pastries would go flying all over the highway. And then I would run over every single one of them!!!

Taxed and screwed.

2011-04-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

OK, another way that gay couples are treated differently than straight couples. So it comes time to pay our income taxes and guess what? The fucking federal government WILL NOT allow us to get married, but we have to file our taxes as if we were married. With new changes to the tax laws, since we live in a community property state and we are registered domestic partners we have to combine our income, split it down the middle and then file separately. They want the most money they can get from us, but don't want to let us actually be able to file with that little box checked married.

Fucked up!

2011-03-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

You all know how I feel about mattresses on the back of trucks or roofs of cars or any vehicle on any vehicle. Well, just think how I felt to find out that the slow down of Friday's nights commute home was caused by -- you guessed it -- a mattress.

A mattress all by itself right smack dab in the middle of lane 2 and lane 3.

No distressed people standing by the side of the road fretting about how in the world to get that mattress off the road.

Nobody called the CHP to get help.

Nope nobody.

Just all of us drivers trying to get home after a long day at work. Where are the people that lost that mattress?

I hope they are sleeping on the floor someplace and that it is not comfortable.

Yuck

2011-03-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Just finished cleaning the fridge. I have one question - where does all that stuff under the produce drawer come from?

I mean really, where does it come from. It's not like my rotten cucumbers can leak out of the drawer. There is a one piece glass shelf across the drawers, so stuff can't slip thru a crack.

There was not stuff running down the sides of the thing, so where does it come from?

580 News

2011-03-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Bead Chick asked me the other day why I have not blogging lately. I guess the only reason is that I have been lazy. There is still plenty of crap to rant about, I have just lost my focus. I will try to get it back, because I know my loyal 4 followers have missed me very much.

So, on this note I am sure you have missed my 580 news:

On my way home the other night traffic was pretty much bumper to bumper and two cars away from me (thankfully downwind) a window rolled down and a little boys head came out followed by projectile vomit.

Made me wonder two things

1. How sad, is this a regular thing for this kid?

2. How hard is it to get puke off your car?

Ring of Fire

2011-03-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Watching the coverage of the horror in Japan. I have been thinking about the Ring of Fire, you know that ring of active faults that rings the Pacific Ocean.

Think of it as a big clock, Chile has been having some big shakers. New Zealand - huge one just a few weeks ago. China major movement the last few weeks. Now Japan - fucking mother of earthquakes.

Now go back to my clock:

Chile about 5:00

New Zealand about 6:00

China about 9:00

Japan about 12:00

California about 3:00

I'm just saying time may be running out for those of us on the West Coast.

Of course my analogy requires that you know what a clock with hands looks like.

2011-02-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

I am watching the new tv show Chicago Code and they had a bomb issue and used a little robot to go in and look at the bomb and poke at it and of course it reminded me of a story.

One trip to Paris, Travel Chick came to visit me with her friend Katie. Travel Chick and I dropped Katie at the main entrance to the Louvre. There was no long line, unusual to say the least.

We saw that part of the plaza was taped off with yellow tape, so we walked over to see what was going on and as we were standing there the bomb squad showed up. The bomb squad is a very select group of handsome men in uniforms that I think were custom tailored.

So they roll out the robot and started poking at a backpack that someone had left leaning up against a statue. They poked and poked and finally blew the backpack up and out came someones dirty underwear flying up all over the plaza.

After the initial excitement of watching the bomb squad I wondered who was stupider, the person that left the backpack or us for standing around watching a possible bomb get blown up.

I'll leave it to you to decide.

Something just struck me, imagine the story that the forgetful owner of the backpack has to tell if they were standing there watching.

Forget it

2011-02-24T20:54:00.000-08:00

Things are so sad. I see a good bumper sticker on 580 and forget it before I get home to blog about it.

Am I going to progressively not be able to remember more and more things? Cause if I am

Wait what was I talking about?

WTF???

2011-02-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

I was recently told that the California DMV offers educational material in 40 languages, in fact they will even give those people that cannot read a verbal drivers test.

I'd like to know why you have to take a test to drive a car but you don't have to take one to have a child?

WTF?

580 bumper stickers

2011-02-15T20:58:00.001-08:00

CONDOMS ARE MUCH EASIER TO CHANGE THAN DIAPERS.

Bumper sticker on a car on 580. Good advice.

Vegas Baby

2011-02-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

I went to Vegas on Saturday for the wedding of Sara & Brandon. It was really nice, I was surprised at the wedding industry in Sin City. More on that later.

I think eavesdropping and people watching does not get much better that Vegas. It started right in the airport. As I am leaving the airport I overhear a young boy saying:

I haven't been that horny......

and I passed out of range and don't know more than that.

Then there was the cab driver that looked just like Scotty Nguyen, the 1998 World Series of Poker champion. I know he has not won lately, but come on, driving a cab?

Then I get to my hotel, I check in and then head to the elevator, sitting on the floor talking into the phone is a guy

"I have been married for less than 72 hours. I arranged for a room with a view of the strip. You have given me a room with no view of the strip. You have given me a crappy room, you gave what was easiest for you. You paid no attention to what I asked for for my honeymoon."

OK, sounds like a lousy deal. My question is: you are married for less than 72 hours and you are sitting on the floor in the hotel screaming at a hotel clerk about your honeymoon, so who is that woman that looks like your mother sitting next to a person that looks like she might be your new wife?

Then riding in the elevator with a young girl complaining about her hair and how she has a gray hair. I lean over and whisper "trust me, you never have to have a gray hair on your head" the man she was with giggled.

Then it was off to the wedding. Sara & Brandon got married at the Little Chapel of Flowers. I was amazed at the business of getting peeps married. The bridal couple arrives in a limo and everyone hangs around until their time slot. This chapel does about four weddings an hour. I got there a little early and was able to watch a few people come to get married. They ran the gambit, from the traditional bride in the long white dress to the entire wedding party that looked like they just walked away from the stripper pole. Great people watching.

It was really a great ceremony and I was very happy to have participated.

And then on the way out of town I arrived at the airport and smiled as a young girl hung over a trash can holding her hair out of the way as she puked and I said a quick thank you to who ever is in charge that I gave up drinking a long time ago or I would have been one of those very hung over people on my very early morning flight home.

And there was the unfortunate incident of my cell phone meeting some bubbles, but sometimes what happens in Vegas does stay in Vegas.

Sick

2011-02-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

I am watching the news and am yet once more sickened by the people. And I use the term people very loosely. I am not even sure these things are worthy of being called human, let alone people.

The Oakland police are looking for two perhaps more men that followed a seven year old boy into a bathroom in a boys & girls club and raped him.

At least two, perhaps more????

I will never understand rape. I will never understand the rape of a child.

I will never understand why animals like these walk the planet.

Bad girl, bad girl

2011-02-07T18:50:00.001-08:00

OK, so I have had a couple of days to think about bad girl driving school and what I think is that it is a total waste of time. There were people there that were there for the third time, so you gotta ask - how much good does it really do?

The instructor was a 59 year old, ex-dead head, that was having hot flashes, did not shave her underarms and needs to invest in a much better bra. She was also a cat rescuer. She has 8 cats that live in her home and 5 more in the garage. Then there are all the ones she traps so she can get them fixed so they don't have little kitties.

This was supposed to be the "comedy" traffic school and it was not very funny. Not that there is anything funny about traffic violations, but one would think that if they advertise "comedy" it would be funny. Not so much.

The people ranged from 16 year old speeders to one little old Asian lady who looked about 500 and I wondered how she could even see over the dash to drive, let alone get a ticket. There were 34 of us in the class, 25 speeders and the rest did other stupid stuff. Guess we all can't be speeders.

Then there were the talkers. Sitting right behind me. For the first half of the class they spoke in a low irritating buzz and I looked at them a couple times, hoping they would get the hint. But no.... After the lunch break they sat there and talked in their every day voices, I finally spoke up.

Excuse me!!!! Then I turned to them and said, would you please be quiet. I am trying to listen to the instructor!!

I wanted to add - you know I don't want to be here anymore than you do, but since I'm here I'd like to be able to fucking hear what she is saying!!!

Them woman sitting next to me said "right on sister" as she snorted - her nose ran the entire class.

So, what did I get out of this class? Speeding is not good. Not only does it put your life in danger, it puts other peoples lives in danger. I also learned that the real punishment for speeding is not the $275 I had to pay for the ticket, nor the $39 I had to pay to attend comedy traffic school, no the real punishment is having to sit in a room with a woman suffering from hot flashes with control of the air conditioning for 8 hours on a chair that was comfortable for about 30 seconds listening to her talk about feral cats, while wanting to smack the talkers and give the woman next to me a tissue.

Bad Girl Driving School

2011-02-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I am off to Bad Girl Driving School.

Some of you may remember that a few months ago I was popped for speeding.

Well I pay the piper this weekend. I have to go and sit from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon and listen to a comedian tell me it is bad to drive fast.

What if they are not funny?

I'll let you know.

And yeah, I was doing 83 in a 65. And yeah again, I have been using my don't speed control while driving and I will say again NOBODY but me is driving the fucking speed limit. And a third yeah, that pisses me off.

To Go or Not To Go

2011-02-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

Imagine it if you can. Your wife is shot in the head and you are scheduled to fly the fucking space shuttle to the space station. What would you do?

I'd like to think that if I was the one in rehab recovering from a bullet to my head, I'd still want the person I love most in the world to fulfill their dreams. I would hope that even if I could not speak they would know that.

I'd like to think if I was the one scheduled to drive the shuttle I would be willing to give it up for the one with the bullet in their head and that the one in the bed would know that.

So, how do you make that decision. To go or not to go?

Will some people always look at Commander Kelly and think - there goes the guy that left his wife in rehab after she got shot in the head and went up in the space shuttle?

Will some people look at Representative Gifford and think oh poor thing, she was in rehab and her husband left her bedside to go fly the space shuttle?

Let's face it how often would this situation crop up in a normal every day life? How can anyone judge this decision? How can anyone know them better than they know each other? Why is there the need to justify this decision to the public?

I say fly safe Commander Kelly.

I say get better Representative Gifford.

I say everybody else butt out.

Rude People

2011-02-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

I am reading a book called "I See Rude People" by Amy Alkon. She talks about the rudeness we all encounter every day. From the asshole that cuts you off on the highway to the person giving out personal information on their cell phone while having lunch next to you.

I know I for one am sick and tired of people being rude. I am at the point where I don't even want to go to the movies because people seem to think that they are sitting in their own living room and they can talk and do whatever they want.

Rudeness comes in all forms. I am reminded of a littering situation, I find littering very rude. Anyway, one morning, long ago I was riding BART to work. They guy sitting across from me decided to clean out his briefcase. Not a problem so far. Well the problem came when he finished up as he came to his stop and stuffed all the papers he did not want into the crack next to his seat and got up and left the car.

I sat there and thought "are you fucking kidding me?" So I got up and moved to where he was sitting and took all that paper. I went into work and taped things back together and figured out what his name was, where he worked, who his boss was, how much he made, how much other people in his department made, how much was being budgeted for salaries in the coming year.

I wrote a letter to his boss, explaining that I did not appreciate his employees using BART as his personal trash can. That leaving all that information for someone else to pick up was just stupid. I guess I was hoping for some kind of answer because I did sign my name.

The boss took it very seriously because he found me and called me. This was way before so much information was available on the internet about us all, so an impressive feat. He assured me that his employees did not consider BART their private trash can and you can be believe that this particular employee will never do something like this again. Is there any thing we can do to make this up to you. I said no, but thank you.

Then the guy calls me to apologize and could he take me to lunch?

Yeah, right. Like I just got you reamed a new asshole at work and I'm going to let you know where I work and who I am?

Needless to say that did not happen, but it all made me feel good.

Perhaps I am going to find that whatever it was that allowed me to do that and confront some rude people.

Sunday Ritual Returns

2011-02-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

So, while I have not been blogging about it I am still reading the Sunday Obits and wondering about them. Last week there was an obit about a Japanese guy that was sent to an internment camp during world war two. Now that is bad enough, but then he got drafted.

What is up with that? We don't trust you enough to live freely in the country you were born in. We are going to take your family's possessions.

And now we are are going to draft you into the army so that you can serve your country.

Some things make me sad to be an American.

Regular blogging resolution

2011-02-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

My friend Mona has a friend named Tracy that recently was pointed in the direction of my blog. Tracy thinks my posts are amusing, that I am funny, well sometimes I agree with her, so I am resolving to blog more often.

Thanks Tracy, it is all your fault from now on.

Creepy

2010-12-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

Call me anything you want, but am I the only one in the world that thinks the fact that 84 year old Hugh Hefner is engaged to 24 year old Crystal Harris is creepy.

Facebook

2010-12-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

Facebook is a weird thing. You create a profile and let people look at it and you look at other profiles and you all decide if you want to be friends. It feels kind of like being on the playground in grammer school and waiting to be picked for a team in kickball. I have been thinking about dropping off of Facebook cause I just didn't see the point.

You find or are found by people you have not seen in a long time or people you see every day become a more intimate part of your daily life.

Some people feel the need to put every detail of their day out there. Do I really need to know that you are hitting the floor running with a cup of coffee this morning or you are not hitting the floor this morning due to an influx of mucus in your life?

Sometimes you are sent back into your past to places you might not want to go. I am Facebook friends with someone that I was friends with a long time ago. The first year of high school is hard for anyone. I grew up on a small island and went from the first day of kindergarten to the graduation ceremony of eighth grade with the same core group of kids. I knew every single person in my class and my parents knew their parents. When it was time for high school we were bussed to the mainland to a school most of us did not know existed. I can only imagine now after the gift of time how difficult it must have been for Marge to enter that school, that island, that life.

She just kind of showed up. I am not even really sure how we met. Our mothers were friends, perhaps they put us together like a blind date. All I knew was that I thought she was cool. She was goth before there was a name for it. She came to live with her mother and her mother's second husband and their children. I probably never even asked her how hard that must have been or what her life was like before she came to our little town. Where did she come from? How come she was here? She spent the night at my house, but I don't remember staying at hers. Our mothers drove us to Providence one night to see my first concert. Jethro Tull. I think we had a good time? Then one day she was gone. I'm not sure she even finished the school year and sadly I am not sure I even asked where she went. I think that says an awful lot about me and it is not very complimentary.

Well, one day close to forty years later she friends me on facebook and truthfully I am not sure why. I don't think I was a very good friend then, why would she want to find out if I was going to be any better now?

After trading a few pleasantries we did what most facebook friends do, we exist. We read postings, we look at pictures, we say nice things. This all changed a few days ago when her postings changed to vague things about how horrible this Christmas season was going to be. Other friends, that seem to be geographically and emotionally closer were comforting her with words that contained no information for me. All I really knew what that someone she loved had died from suicide.

So I did what I might not have done if it were not for Facebook, I asked. At first I felt as if I might be intruding where I really was not wanted or had any right to be, because in truth I am a stranger to this grown woman and her life.

Her oldest son had been missing for over two years, his body had been found hanging from a tree by two strangers out hunting. Her pain is evident in her words, in the posting of songs she has put up on her page, to the lack of postings of her daily life which I had come to enjoy reading about.

So I reach out and ask questions. I say a little about my experience with suicide and hope they help. But, what I really want is just for her to talk to me. To tell me about her son. To help in the little way I can.

So maybe this Facebook think is not as lame as as I thought. Maybe this Facebook thing might just catch on.

580 Rant

2010-11-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

OK, this it today's highway rant.

I have never noticed before how many people read on the highway. I don't mean the passenger in the car either. This week I have seen three people driving their cars and reading. Yes, reading. One girl was reading a magazine, one guy was reading a newspaper and the third person was reading a printed document of some kind.

Now we have a hands free law for cell phones (which nobody pays attention to) one would think people might make the natural progression that driving while reading, might just be fucking dangerous!!!

Me? I'm going to start looking for that luxury CLS550 being driven by someone in a really nice suit reading the newspaper and then I am going to get in front of them and step on my brakes.

I won Publishers Clearing House

2010-11-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

I won $350K in Publishers Clearing House. At least that is what I was told Saturday morning in a phone call from Richard at the U.S. Treasury Department. That's right. The U.S. Treasury called me to tell me that this was my last chance to collect the money I had won or it would be donated to charity. All I had to do was to call a number to arrange with the UPS Delivery Service for a time to deliver this windfall!!!

So, being so excited I called the number supplied and spoke to another very nice man who told me that I needed to arrange for the delivery of my new found wealth. First I needed to give them a time today that I would be home to receive this wonderful surprise. OK, 2:00 pm would work. Next I needed to provide the name of a beneficiary of my check. Why? In case I die between now and four hours from now? Well, yes. Do I have a checking account? Why? Well, because you will need to have a check ready for the delivery fee. Delivery fee? Oh dear, didn't the Treasury Dept. guy mention this fee? Um no. Oh my, well there is a $360 delivery fee payable to, do you have a pen handy? Payable to David Cook of ???, New York.

Hmmm, a delivery fee for an unexpected sweepstakes winning? Why yes, of course. A delivery fee is necessary to cover the expenses of getting this check to you.

Let me tell you something, I say. If you or anyone else shows up at my house with or without a check at 2:00 o'clock today the police will be here waiting for you.

The response? Click......

I will admit that when the initial phone caller told me I had won Publishers Clearing House I was very excited for a minute or so. I knew is was a scam from about the first moment, but I will say I was sure hoping it was real.

580

2010-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

Did everyone forget how to drive over the weekend? I know that it rained on Sunday and rain really throws California drivers for a loop, but today was crazy.

Big accidents on every road I had to be on. Stupid people not paying attention to anything other than what song was playing on the radio.

Pay attention!

580

2010-11-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

Bumper sticker:

I am a proud member of the East Bay Pet Sitters Association.

Who knew? Is this one of those only in California things?

A Nightmare come true

2010-11-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have written before about my phobia of mattresses on the highway. That I just know that that damn mattress you have tied with thread onto the roof of your car is going to come flying off and slam into me. So imagine my delight when we pulled up behind this on the way to the airport in Albuquerque. All I could think of was how many freaking people will this kill when those straps let loose?

And here for a close up. Where do you suppose these old things came from? Where are they going? I sure hope they got to where they were going without incident.

Just a thought

2010-10-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Why is that every time I am at one of these conferences I sit next to or in back of the smartest person in the room? You know the ones I mean. The ones that obviously don't need to be there because they are so fucking smart they don't need to pay any attention to what is going on.

The guy next to me in two sessions today with his new IPad that he spent the entire time fiddling with. Or the woman in front of me that had her laptop open and on the wireless checking her email and instant chatting with I don't know who.

Now, maybe these people are so smart they don't need to pay attention or perhaps they are so important at work that they can't be away from their email for 90 minutes at at shot. I don't really know, but what I do know is that if you are so fucking smart perhaps you are wasting your firms money going to these things and if you are so important perhaps you need to stay home?

Just a thought.

Spell it - Say it

2010-10-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

Albuquerque - who thought that spelling up?

Sitting at the Tamaya Resort right outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. From the room is a beautiful view of the mountains. The wind has kicked up and it has turned cold.

I am at a conference and tonight was the worst part of it for me. The networking, meet new people part.

I hate that.

Tomorrow will be better I am sure.

But is sure is beautiful here, I could stay for a while.

Beloved come down and meet me?

Eating in Sante Fe

2010-10-25T17:48:00.001-07:00

OK, so I am going to let all of my tens of thousands of readers in on a little secret. If you are ever in Sante Fe go to the Chocolate Maven for breakfast. It is a bakery that also serves breakfast/brunch on the weekends, not sure about during the week. They open at 9:00 get there early, there will be a line. Don't let the location scare you off and ask for a table downstairs where you can watch the bakers in action. We sat right next to the window and watched the baker make almond croissants and pain au chocolate.

I had the tofu scramble with veggie sausage and my travelling companion had the breakfast burrito. It was fantastic!

In fact it was so good that we went back the next morning for a follow up visit. Just as yummy!!

Saturday in Santa Fe

2010-10-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico this weekend. I have to be at a conference for work in Albuquerque next week and decided to come here for the weekend. I am travelling with a friend from work and this morning we went on a hike. We spent a while looking for the Dale Bass trails, but could not find them, so we pulled over and hiked the Chamisa Trail, about 5 miles round trip and about 7500 feet. First few minutes were hard, the altitude really does a number on me.

We were passed by a young couple on our way up, didn't think too much of it except they were young and in much better shape than me. When we got to the intersection to come back down the canyon, this couple was there. He was taking her picture and she was standing with her left hand displayed. I immediately thought engagement? And of course asked. Yes, he had just proposed to her and she was beyond happy. So I took a picture of them together and then said oh let me take one for my blog. I asked when they were going to get married and she said soon!!! I told her I better not see her on Bridezilla. I will post a picture if I can get my camera to cooperate.

After our hike, we went to the historical section of Santa Fe, the little town square. So cute and so full of turquoise jewelery. Walked around for a couple of hours and then came back to the hotel for a while.

THEN we went to dinner at a place called Body!!! Had basil hummus with sweet potato chips, tomato tortilla soup and a tempheh taco. All vegan and all glutton free. It was delicious!

580 Ride

2010-10-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

On my ride home tonight I felt like I was stuck in a loop of some kind.

It seemed that every time I looked into my rear view mirror I saw the uni-bomber.

He seemed to be in every car.

It was weird.

580 Ride

2010-10-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

On 580 they are building new sound walls thru Oakland and San Leandro. Big giant walls of concrete block and in some places big walls of glass. During the building process they have covered everything they build with black plastic - kind of like a Christo installation, but not even pretty.

It is to protect it all from graffiti, that's right. As soon as they get a bit built it gets tagged, so they cover it up.

Which leads me to the question. Will they just leave the plastic up forever or once they get finished they don't really care if it gets tagged?

I will admit that the building of these walls does make me feel a bit like a hamster in a habitrail.

Today's bumper sticker: Remember who you always wanted to be