PUPPIES!!!!

A toddler lost in the Virginia woods was back home safe Sunday thanks to two puppies who kept him warm through a harrowing night of freezing temperatures.

Jaylynn Thorpe, 3, wandered away from his baby-sitter at 4 p.m. Friday and was missing for 21 hours as hundreds of friends, family and law enforcement officials searched for him in the thick woods of Halifax County, fearing the worst.

"The only thing we wanted to do was just keep searching until we found him," Halifax County Sheriff Stanley Noblin told reporters.

Jaylynn's frantic family knew time was not on its side.

"We didn't forget the issue that 17 degrees was almost unbearable," said his father, James Thorpe.

"People all over the State of Virginia was down there looking for that child. For a while there, one time, I didn't know whether they would find him or not," said the child's grandmother and guardian, Katherine Elliot.

Officials said the lost little boy and the two family puppies wandered up to a mile in the dark, even across a highway, but it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that members of the search team found him sitting by a tree, the two puppies nestled against him.

The little boy didn't say anything, according to rescue team member Jerry Gentry, but instead "just opened his arms up like, 'I'm ready to go.'"

"When I first saw him, he was like, 'Momma, I got cold. I slept in the woods last night. The puppies kept me warm.' He told me that ... the dogs slept up against him. And I'm sure the body heat kept him warm," said his mother, Sarah Ingram.

Billie Jo Roach, another member of the search party that found the boy, said the puppies refused to leave his side.

As the child was placed in an ambulance to be taken to a local hospital for examination, "The puppies were watching where he went.

"Where he went, they went," Roach said.

As word went out that the child was alive and well, family members cheered and cried for joy.

"Praise the Lord! Welcome home, Jaylynn!" yelled his aunt, Amy Zimmerman.

Close to 300 people from North Carolina and Virginia joined in the search to find Jaylynn.

"I love you! God bless you," Ingram told the rescue teams.

"I think I just said, 'Thank you Lord' ... for us to have another chance!" said the child's father.

The boy spent Saturday night under observation at Halifax Regional Hospital and chowed down on a double cheeseburger, a hot dog, strawberry ice cream and French fries.

Meanwhile, the furry heroes, their tails wagging, were rewarded with food.

"I definitely call this a miracle," said Noblin.

Honesty & Integrity on the Streets of New York City

At the end of November New York saw a bank robbery. One that went wrong the good way.

Walking up to a teller a man demanded money. She gave him a little over $1000. As he was leaving the bank the teller yelled “Stop him! He just robbed the bank!”

Technicians repairing the bank’s ATM chased the guy and caught him on 38th street.

As they shoved him on the hood of a car the money scattered all about.

When police officers arrived at the scene, pedestrians walked up to them and bank employees present, handing over bills they had picked up.

“Even in the bad economy, all $1,082 that had been scattered before the police arrived was recovered in full.”
– Paul J. Browne, chief police spokesman

Secret Santas in 3 states spread cheer, $100 bills

I'm tired of bad news, so I'm only going to post good news for the next.....until I can once again handle "reality" :-). So, here's some good news from the world, and may you all have plenty of good news in your lives as well...

ST. LOUIS – At a suburban Goodwill store on Friday, Theresa Settles selected a large, black comforter to warm her family until she can raise the money to turn the gas heat back on. A petite woman approached, her face obscured by dark sunglasses and a wrapped winter scarf, and handed Settles two $100 bills stamped with the words "secret Santa." "The only condition," she said, "is that you do something nice for someone. Pass it on."

"I will," Settles said, the only words she could get out of her mouth.

The secret Santa was a protege of Kansas City's undercover gift giver, Larry Stewart, who died of cancer nearly two years ago. Stewart roamed city streets each December doling out $100 bills to anyone who looked like they might need a lift.

Before his death in January 2007, Stewart told a friend how much he would miss his 26 years of anonymous streetside giving, during which he gave away about $1.3 million. Stewart, from the city suburb of Lee's Summit, made millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.

The friend promised Stewart he would be a secret Santa the next year. "He squeezed my hand and that was it," said the Kansas City Santa, who would say only that he was an area businessman and investor. "I honored a promise."

Two secret Santas, one from the Kansas City area and the other from the St. Louis area, descended on thrift stores, a health clinic, convenience store and small auto repair shop to dole out $20,000 in $100 bills, hugs and words of encouragement to unsuspecting souls in need.

In this economy, they weren't hard to find.

Cynthia Brown, 40, was laid off three weeks ago from her food service job. Santa found her at the St. Louis County health clinic and gave her $100, exactly what she had asked to borrow from her mother a night ago to buy food.

"I have three daughters, and I can't get unemployment yet. I was down in food," she said.

Leotta Burbank, 50, of West Frankfurt, Ill., was at a thrift store Friday to buy decorations for her sister-in-law's room at a St. Louis hospice, where she is dying of pancreatic cancer.

When Santa gave her money, Burbank collapsed into his arms and wouldn't stop hugging him.

"God provides," she said. "This is real emotional for me."

For the secret Santas, it's not about keeping Stewart's memory alive as much as the meaning behind his legacy.

"It's not about the man, it's not about the money, it's about the message," the Kansas City Santa said. "Anyone can be a secret Santa with a kind word, gesture, a helping hand."

He said the money is given without judgment, but on the condition that the receiver pass along a kindness to someone else. Stewart began his holiday tradition at a restaurant in December 1979, after he had just been fired. He gave a waitress $20 and told her to keep the change and was struck by her gratitude.

Stewart also gave money to community causes in Kansas City and his hometown of Bruce, Miss.

The secret Santas want to expand their operation to every state, but so far only nine givers operate in Charlotte, N.C., Phoenix, St. Louis and Kansas City. They plan to start giving in Detroit this holiday season.

With A Little Help From My Friends:

Yesterday, my friends helped me spend some money.

I mentioned, via email, I was looking into getting some trekking/walking poles to my friend Anit and he went crazy. He'd purchased a great pair from a discount website and LOVED them. He gave me the website and advised I keep checking to see if they were selling them again. An hour later I get a call from Anit, in New York, saying "Laura! Laura! Go onto the site! They're selling them right now, and they're going fast"! Oh my god, Me, spent money quickly!? Can you say, "outside the box"? So I put my faith in Anit and bought them. And get this, they were mailed out the same day! Wow, that was fast. Anit also advised I take a trip to REI and get "trained" on the poles. Trained on poles? Ok, again, I'm going to trust the guy. I'll keep you posted.

Then, last night, my friends, Satarupa and Regina met me over at Costco, in Redwood City, where we went through almost every pair of glasses they sell...ok, so I'm exaggerating... a little, to find me a pair of new eye glasses, to replace my broken pair (thank goodness for super glue) :-) It took us a while, but we finally settled on a pair. I swear, I could NOT have done it without them!!!! I tried making up my mind all by my little lonesome the day before, but it was not happening. I called my two friends and they came to my rescue! Yeaaaaaaa Satarupa, and Regina!!!!!!

"Thank you"! "Thank you"! "Thank you"! Regina, Satarupa and Anit!

8 Miles!

That's how far I walked yesterday! 8 Miles!!! Good Night Irene! I didn't think I had it in me. I went on a walk through one of my meetup groups: Walking in SF for Health & History. http://www.meetup.com/walking-in-SF/calendar/8804826/ Check out the description of the walk and some pictures.

I really had a good time. I was unusually warm in The City yesterday, 77 degrees at 4:30 pm!!!!! Seen as I was taking BART up to The City, and my "condo cats" are near the BART station, I swung by to feed them. On the way, I saw a Yes on Prop 8 sign in the meridian on Alvarado Blvd. Now, I've seen a lot of Yes on Prop 8 signs in people's yards and I have to respect them because I believe in freedom of speech and the signs are on personal property, even if I am 100% opposed to Yes on 8, but this was on public land and no one puts political signs in meridians. So I hung a U-turn and removed it! I felt great to remove that sign! With a smile on my face, I hopped on BART, deleted all 946 pictures from my camera on the ride and arrived in SF in time to meet at Starbucks. Big group of people, I think close to 30. They seemed pretty friendly and as the day went on, they did nothing to change my original opinion of them.

To start the walk off right, our first stop was at the Hyatt hotel's bathrooms. Unfortunately, they were having a conference of some sort, lots of people all over the place and we lost about 12-14 people from our group! I don't know what the hell happened, but they were gone. Maybe there's some type of black hole thing going on at the Hyatt :-)

After a lovely bathroom break, we walked down to Embarcadero. Our leader, Howard didn't just walk up along the street, he took us out and around 3 docks....just to add distance, to an already loooooong walk :-) That's were we came across the largest yacht in the world! It's called the Maltese Falcon and it's the oddest looking sailing vessel I've ever seen! I got a pictures, of course, but check out this site, they show the interior as well. Scroll down to the end of the article for the interior pictures: http://www.luxist.com/2008/03/27/maltese-falcon-yacht-for-sale/

Walking further up Embarcadero and our next bathroom stop was at the Aquarium of the Bay or by the Bay or whatever it's called. It's the one at Pier 39. Most of us bought more water there, as well :-) Did I mention we had record breaking hear in The City this day? Well they weren't kidding! If it was 77 at 4:30, it must have been 82 at the peak of the day. Now that may not sound hot for most areas, but San Francisco!? No way, that's HOT!

I thought we were walking all the way to Fort Mason....right under the Golden Gate bridge, but luckily, I was wrong. We walked to a part of Fort Mason, called Black Point: http://www.militarymuseum.org/BlackPointBty.html , which was thankfully, nowhere near as far as the Fort Mason located under the bridge. I'd have never made it all they way if we'd have walked that far :-) We had lunch at Black Point and then started the really tuff part of the day....walking to and up to Coit Tower. Good Night Irene! I saw how far it was, and how big the hill to Coit Tower was and I was scared. That was a fricken LONG way. And the hills! I'm glad I did it, but it didn't come w/out a lot of knee pain....BOTH knees :-( Needless to say, I was the caboose for the remainder of the walk, well, until we got down to the flat land, where I could keep up with the others.

Then our fearless leader, Howard, invited us to go for a drink at the beautiful Palace Hotel's Pied Piper bar: http://www.sfpalace.com/Pied-Piper-Bar This place is gorgeous! and in walks in this sweaty, exhausted group of 9 people...us. I was feeling fairly self conscience as we walked in; through all the men dressed in their suits and women in their best.... But after we sat down and ordered our drinks, I forgot about everyone else and had fun talking w/everyone. We all ordered water ASAP and most had ice tea or lemonade. I had orange juice and guess what Satarupa? This time is was really good orange juice :-) We hung around talking and drinking for probably about an hour. Then, on the way out, we of course hit the bathrooms, and stepped outside into unusually balmy air. We were all shocked at how warm it was at 5:30 pm in SF! Three of us headed to BART, while the rest went on their separate ways home.

I was glad not to have to drive home. I was feeling sooooo tired. It did seem as if it took longer to get home, than it did to get to SF, I think mostly because I was getting hungrier by the minute.

I was so tired! I was in bed by 9:15 pm. I thought I'd sleep like the dead, but I didn't. It's not as if my legs were hurting, but....I could "feel" them. You know how when you have cold, and you're now "aware" of your breathing? Well, it's kinda the same, I was "aware" of my legs. I think a nap may be in my near future. I'm going to make sure I do a lot of stretching in the coming days. This next weekend I'll be in San Diego visiting Chuck and Tony, so no SF walk that weekend, but the saturday after, there is another long, hilly walk, and I'm going to see how I feel and maybe go on it as well.

Minus the pain in my knees during the last of the down hills of the walk, I had a really good time. I chatted w/a bunch of great people and had a grand 'ole time. Took some pictures, but not an obscene amount, and I even went to a bar for drinks and chit chat. All in all, a great day. We'll see how my legs feel tomorrow. I think they're going to be damn stiff and I'm going to be"feeling" the walk.

It's a long day, and a fairly early one, for a saturday, but I would recommend these walks to whomever is interested. Oh, and people came from near and far. There were a hand full of us from the East bay, some local SF'ers, Anita came from Petaluma, and I think I heard someone came in from.....the Central Valley somewhere. Oh yeah, and a guy named Randy came down for San Rafael.

Ok, now it's time for me to upload some pictures and see if I can add them to this post. If not, I'll just post the link. I'm still not all that adept at loading pictures to this blog. I read other peoples blogs and they're so complicate and sophisticated and I feel my is too simplistic....and it is what it is, until I can figure all the tricks of the blogging trade.

Ciao

Cold!

First cold day in I don't know how long. When someone leaves the building door open, you can feel it today :-) And my hands have been cold all morning. Fall is here, and with it, my friend, Sylvia's birthday! 10-10. And I called her at 10:10 am. Aren't I tricky?

I'm going on one of my cemetery walks tomorrow. Thank goodness it's not one in Colma, but in the Oakland/Piedmont hills. It's going to be cold in the morning. The walk begins at 10 am, and I'm going to try and get there early and see what kind of light there is, and take some pictures. The best, softest light is early and late in the day so...... Then I'm going to hop over the hill, to Lafayette and get my hair trimmed, and see if I can get any suggestions from my SF living hair stylest and colorist as to where I might be able to have a good view of the Blue Angels sunday...w/out being in the huge crowd down at Pier 39 and the marina. We shall see. You'll know if I find a good spot, because you can be sure I'll be posting pictures here. :-)

Ok, it's time to sit on my hands and try and warm them up. Have a great weekend everyone!

Comments, Comments, Comments

I learned today that you have to be register with Google to leave comments on my blog, and I LOVE comments. It's really easy to register, my co-worker did it. All they as you for is your email address and to create a password. That's it. It's fast. It's easy. So pleeeease, register and leave me some comments. Without comments, I feel as if no one is reading, or you don't love me. :-)

Jury Duty Update

I'm released! Well, excused is the official terminology. The important thing is, I don't have to sit around for a day or two at the Fremont Court House. I will say this, if I'm ever chosen, I'd like it to be Fremont's, and NOT Oakland or San Francisco.

So thank you for all the great jury duty karma everyone! Now let's work on finding me someone to go to Fleet week with :-) Thanks!

Chihuly Show

Ok, so I'm a little late in getting these pictures up...:-) I had a great time at the museum and show. My friend, Regina, and I were suppose to go, but unfortunately Miss Regina broke her leg recently and really wasn't up for the crowds and the walking on crutches or even rolling around in a wheelchair. After having gone through the show, I think she made the right choice, given her circumstances....and....it's all her fault I took so many damn pictures that day. If she would have been there w/me, I would never have taken the time to take so many damn pictures. Not only did I go through the Chihuly show, I went through the entire museum, up to the observation deck (for the first time and I LOVED IT), but I walked around the museum, drove over to The Legion of Honor to see their one, outdoor Chihuly installation and then drove back along the ocean and took some pictures of a couple guys surfing! GOOD NIGHT IRENE! How could Regina leave me to control my own addiction? It is all her fault.....:-)

Here are links to more Chihuly pictures, as well as pictures of the exterior of the de Young, views from the observation tower, Chihuly installation at the Legion of Honor and a quiet trip to the beach....

Chihuly, de Young Museum, Sept. 2008

de Young Museum exterior

Other Interesting Stuff @ the de Young

Chihuly at the Legion of Honor

Chihuly Drive Home

Help with Jury Duty Karma

Once again, I've been called to jury duty. I swear, this is the 3rd damn time this year! The first was for Oakland, then I got a notice for San Francisco. That one scared me! I don't want to commute to SF!!!!! Now, I've gotten a notice for Fremont. I just checked in and they don't need me tomorrow at 8am! 8am! I don't get to work until 9 am. Thank god I don't have to be anywhere at 8 am :-). I need to call back tomorrow, between 11 am and noon so, during that time, please send "we don't want Laura to serve on a jury" karma my way. :-)

Thanks all!

Tuesday: Sept 30, 2008

Well, I'm back to work. It hasn't been that bad. I did have a long conversation this morning that strained my throat, but other than that, it's been a nice, light day....so far : -)

My nephew created a blog to update all of us about his new life in college, down in San Diego, and maybe more importantly to keep us off his myspace/facebook page, but he hasn't updated the damn thing in a month! I just sent him an email threatening to send all adults to his other sites, if he doesn't damn well update the thing. He's found a place to live....finally. Rumor has it, it's a 4 bedroom house. He and his friend, Austin are living there, and they say they want female roommates. Noooooooo, not for that reason, because they say girls are neater and more responsible than guys. They probably have a point there. No roommates yet.

Having him go away to college is bringing back a lot of fun college memories. Damn I loved college! Can I go back? Do you think my parents will still pay my tuition? Yeah, right!

TV: ok, I want to talk.....bitch about Heroes. For me, it's getting too fractured. Too many story lines all going on at once, but not enough overlap. I don't really like the new characters. Ok, remember the Level 5 bad guys? Why did they even keep them alive if they're so bad? Kill them! You have complete power. Kill them! Now, they're all out, and Sylar is going to get all their powers. Dip-wads! And what about Sylar? Do they really think they can "work" with him? Peter's mother is CRAZY! Speaking of Peter, I want more Peter. I like two Peters! Claire is bugging the crap out of me. Whine, whine, whine. Ok, so she got her skull lazered open, and she is only 17, but shut the f-up! We've got big issues going on here. I will say this, Peter could have told her a little bit, given her a hug, asked her to trust him and given her a few hints as to what was going on with the whole, time travel, the future has changed thing.

I think they could...should take these people off the show: Niki (yeah, she's one hot woman, but boring story line), also her son. Off the show! And the cop character. The one on his spirit walk in Africa. Gone! The woman who, when she gets mad, her eyes turn black and people start dropping like flies...look in the mirror babe, and kill yourself. Off the show! i like the cute scientist, but not the fact that he took the formula to give himself special powers! Especially the way it happened. Wouldn't a scientist want to take the formula in a controlled environment, with a video camera rolling? I still want him on the show....because he's cute, but even last season I thought they were making his character too stupid, for a the smart guy he's suppose to be.

Love Hiro and his friend! More Hiro and friend, Peter, Peter's brother, and mom, and I guess we have to keep Sylar, because he's so great to hate. I like Claire's dad.....who else? I know it sounds as if I only have complaints about the show, and maybe at best it's 50/50, but I still like the show. I like the changing the future story line. I guess my main negative critique is that there are too many characters now, w/too many story lines. Not that it's confusing, but I'd like to see them cut the characters down by 1/3 and then develop the remaining story lines to a greater extent, and I liked it in the old days, when the characters overlapped w/each other. I liked the interaction between the original heroes. Ok, enough bitching from me...for today. :-) I must be getting back to normal if I've got enough energy to rant and rave about a make believe tv program :-)

Mystery Photo: 9-29-08

The mystery photo is back, and I'm starting off with an easier one, but we warned....I'm going to get tuff later on.

Monday, Sept. 29, 2008

I love my problems! I watched Oprah today (home w/a cold) and it was all about people from middle America were are heroin addicts. I love my problems!

I'm glad I'm feeling better, but I don't want to go back to work. Now that I'm actually able to do more than lay on the couch and blow my fricken nose all day, I can't stay home and enjoy myself :-(

Stock market closed waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down today. I lost money today, but seen as I'm not cashing out anytime soon, I guess I'm ok. Am I being naive, or uneducated, cuz, I'm not panicked about the current financial situation. Don't get me wrong, it is VERY BAD, but I don't feel it's the end of the world. I tell you what I do feel, anger. Anger that people who "worked" the market and housing industry to make fast money, people who just want, want, want, want "I want those shoes", "I want that purse", I want that car". Of course they can't afford them, but who cares, "I want it" They charge, charge, charge, charge. Ok, it's hard to pay cash for a car but....do we need the biggest, newest car, with every known bell and whistle? NO! Get a fricken clue people, if you do not have the cash.....DON'T BUY IT! Hum, typical Laura rant.

I feel sorry for the hard working Americans, who have been living w/in their means, and are retired and thanks to all the ya-whose (don't know if I spelt that one right, but...hey, everyone knows I'm the worlds worst speller) who are out there "working the system" to make a fast buck, they're now unable to afford their, fill in the blank: gas, food, housing, whatever.

Hum, I guess that rant wasn't over yet. I think it is now.

How about a much lighter topic? TV! One of my favorite light topics. Lots of new and re-turning shows on this week, and I can't wait. Although it does present a bit of a problem as to which ones to watch and which to tape. And then after taping, when can I find the time to watch them. Like I said at the beginning of this post. I love my problems! They don't involve heroin, foreclosure and things of that nature. Tonight I've got: Heroes, Chuck!, Gossip Girl, Prison Break (almost always a taper and I'm 2 weeks behind already) and Life. My life is so full :-)

I would really love to have a glass of milk w/dinner but....I'm thinking it's a little too close to the 5-day nose blowing festival to be drinking milk :-) Maybe in a couple of days.

Dave Matthews Band Concert: Part 2

I forgot to add a link to more, yes, more Dave Matthews Band concert photos....and I couldn't figure out how to add it to my previous post. So, if you want to see pictures of more people we met, and more Dave and the boys, click here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ljlilly10/DaveMatthewsBandConcertBerkSept2008#

Dave Matthews Band Concert

Granted, thes are a little late, but better late than never:

















I met Shasta while waiting in line on friday and we met up again on sunday. This is her partner, Stacey. Great people!










Kevin, Satarupa, & Anit. Veronica was there as well.











































































Carter!!

At Home

This is my last day at home w/a cold....hopefully. I'm feeling better. How can I tell I'm feeling better? Here are the signs: I don't need the blinds closed all day, I'm bored w/daytime TV, I can breath, I can taste, I'm feeling bored, bored, bored (it's much more fun to not be at work & do something fun) and....I want to clean my house :-)

Rescued Dog

Got some pictures of the dog I rescued earlier this week. Poor thing was sooooo scared. I saw him walking down the sidewalk, really wanting to see a person walking behind him, but alas, there was none. With the help of some neighbors (didn't know them until now), we got him out from under a car and I took him to our local animal shelter. No tags or name on him/her/it. Cute and friendly dog, and probably even more so after a good bath :-) So here he is, anyone interested in adopting him can all Tri-City Animal Shelter at: 510-790-6644. Once he/she/it got over being scared, he/she/it would lean into my leg and look up at me, as I petted he/she/it.

So, here he/she/it is:

Tri-City Animal Shelter: 510-790-6644

Paul Newman

I woke up to the news that Paul Newman had died yesterday, at the age of 83. Paul Newman dead...there are some people I just expect to always be around. I felt the same about Katherine Hepburn. He was a good actor, gorgeous man and one hell of a philanthropist.

Movie: Definitely, Maybe

Definitely......not. Although Kevin Kline is in it, and I like Kevin Kline. The movie is set around the premise about a dad telling his daughter about how he met her mom. Cute kid, the one from 'Little Miss Sunshine', but my thought is why not just make it a movie about a guy and his life? Why the attempt at a cute hook?

Ok, the movie grew on me a bit more than I had first expected. If you want to see a movie with a bunch of attractive people, that's light and, yes a bit of a cliche, then this is a movie you will enjoy. It's not bad, it's just not really good. Staring: Ryan Reynolds (cutie), Rachel Weisz (beautiful) and that crazy redhead from 'Wedding Crashers' - the one that stalks Vince Vaughn's character, Isla Fisher. I knew she looked familiar, but couldn't place her. She's not a stalker in this film :-) The kid's character even grew on me, although I didn't really "get" their relationship in the beginning.

I would give this movie 3 out of 6 stars. A good, average movie, so I've changed from Definitely, Not, to Definitely, Maybe.....ehh, ehh, cute huh? Even w/a cold, I'm still able to be cheesy.

How Do I Know I Have A Cold?

Well, going through a box of kleenex a day would be a start. Not being able to breath is another. Sneezing in double digits a day. A Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer nose in the mirror. Driving the speed limit or below (I always drive slow when I don't feel well). Spending time and money in the drug section of my local grocery store: Delsym, Mucinex, Advil Cold & Sinus, and throat logenzers I can't remember the name of. Note to self, invest in cold medicine stocks...there is no cure and there will always be colds. Oh and....I went to Blockbuster (even when I've got 3 Netflix movies, but they're the last season of the Wire, and that's too intense and may require more concentration than I'm able to give right now), anyway, back to Blockbuster, I rented 5, count them 5 movies! Hey, I ain't going anywhere this weekend :-) Here is my list of DVD's:

The Bank Job
Definitely, Maybe
Catch and Release
August Rush
Jessie James

I'll let you know how I like each. I also have the second hour of the new Grey's Anatomy season opener to watch. I had to stop right when the icicles falls into Christina's torso.

That's it for today. Send clear and open sinus thoughts my way. I'm going to try and post some pictures from my Dave Matthews concerts, trip to San Diego and San Francisco Chihuly show.

The Truck That Ate My Couch!

New Camera - Part 3

I'm excited, my camera is suppose to arrive tomorrow!!!! Of course I've got the day off, and it's being delivered to the office, but I can make a special trip into the office on my day off for my new camera. I've taken a few days off, and attached them to the 4th of July 3-day weekend. I'm going to use wed/thurs to get some stuff done, ie: tires rotated, oil change, curtains for my 3rd bedroom, working on getting by backyard in order, you know, fun stuff like that. You know, all those things we put off for months...and months...and months...and then, opps, it's been a year :-).

I also plan on seeing the latest Indiana Jones movie tomorrow afternoon. That is if I can keep my hands off my new camera long enough:-) Now I'll be able to practice taking pictures at the 4th of July party. I'll keep you posted and even post some pictures. See if you can tell the difference between cameras.

New Camera

Just got word that my new camera was shipped today. Hurry! I need to figure out how to use you before my mom's birthday party on July 19!

New Camera

Ok, I finally did it. I got, well ordered, a new camera. Problem is, I waited so damn long to make up my mind that Costco doesn't have the one I want in their stores...new version D60 is out, and in stores now :-( I ordered the Nikon D40, w/2 lens. I want it in time for my mother's 70th birthday party on July 19, and it's going to be close. 10 to 15 days for delivery. I've decided I'm going to get it w/in the 10 days, NOT 15 :-) So send your speedy delivery thoughts and intentions out into the universe for me :-)

I need a few days, at least, to figure out how to use the darn thing. Procrastination! Arrrrrgggggg!

I'll keep you posted.

Haagen-Dazs Needs Your Help!

Seriously! Haagen-Dazs needs YOUR help with bees. That's right, bees :-)

As some of you may already be aware of, there is a crisis in the bee population. Massive amount of bee hives are being abandoned, and that means fewer bees, which means fewer bees pollinating plants, that means fewer strawberries, almonds, etc, which means more expensive strawberry ice cream. Hah, no you see how important the bee crisis is my friends.

Everyone knows bees are honey makers but the most important job they perform is pollination. One out of every three bites of food we eat and drink is animal pollinated! And, all kinds of wildlife depend on pollinated plants for food. Read that again: "one out of every 3 bites of food we eat & drink is animal pollinated"! Could sound a little gross, but you know what I mean :-)

Here are a few fun and yes, even sexy facts about bees:

1. -After five days, the Queen's the flight outside of the hive takes place. The queen mates with many drone bees from other colonies and then returns to the hive with enough sperm to successfully lay fertile eggs for many months and years ahead. She does not ever need to mate again and yet she can continue to lay up to 2,000 eggs a day! This is her only job in the hive society.

2. If the hive becomes overcrowded, many of the bees take the queen and leave the hive. This is called swarming. The old hive needs a queen so the bees build queen cells and
feed and nurse the baby Queens inside the cells. When they hatch, they fight and the strongest wins and becomes the new hive queen.

3. Bees have been producing honey for at least 150 million years!

4. Honey bees are the only insects that produce food for humans.

5. Honey bees aren’t native to North America. They were brought from Europe by settlers in the 17th century for their honey (the main sweetener) and for their wax (for candles).

6. Here's an important one: Honey bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of all the foods we eat.

7. Honey bees are responsible for the pollination of more than 100 crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, providing 80 percent of the country’s pollination services.

8. An average worker bee will only make 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

What can I do? I'm glad you asked.

1.You can plant or buy bee friendly plants: azaleas, begonias, chrysanthemums (had to copy that spelling ;-)), daisies, gardenias, geraniums, heather, marigolds, mint, orchids, pansies, petunias, roses, snapdragons, sunflowers, and tulips, to name a few.

2. Also, use only pollinator-friendly products in our yards. (I'm going to research this more & see what specifics I can find for us).

3. Buy honey and bee products (bees wax candles) from local growers to help bee owners.

The group, at www.pollinator.org, is issuing guides for each of 35 eco-regions of the country that can be used by farmers, public-land managers, corporations and consumers for choosing pollinator-friendly plants and practices.

I love honey! I like strawberry ice cream! I don't necessarily love bees, but I sure love what they produce and help produce, so spread the honey and the word: Help Save The Bees!

Deals Await the Flexible Flier

If you're like me, you may be feeling a little depressed about airline fares of late. I keep wanting to go somewhere but with all the reports of airline prices doubling over the past year......

I just read an article with some helpful hints with regard to how to keep your airfare down in these high priced fuel times. Here are a few suggestions:

Act fast. Many airlines are reducing their fleets this year, starting in September, Mr. Harteveldt said, so travelers will compete for fewer seats. "If you see a good price, it's where you want to go, a price you can afford, then don't wait around. Chances are there aren't going to be many seats at that low price," he said.

Rethink your destination. If you have got to get away but prices are hindering you, think about changing your destination. Airfares to New York are up about 23% this summer from last summer, versus a 7% rise on airfares to Seattle, according to Travelocity, based on booking data. Airfares to Rome are up 19%, while airfares to Cancún are up 2%. Airfares to the Bahamas are up 14%, while those to the U.S. Virgin Islands are down almost 3%, according to Travelocity.
I would LOVE to visit NY this Fall but....Seattle sounds good as well. Sorry Anit :-) Also, Jessica, my co-worker, just got back from a wonderful time in Cancun. Great ruins! Hot weather :-(

Plan. Some industry watchers see prices rising higher; others aren't so sure. Still, planning is often a better strategy than waiting. "Half of us know where we want to be for Thanksgiving ... yet most of us wait. If you know right now, book now," said Rudy Maxa, host of the travel show "Rudy Maxa's World" on PBS.

Time your search. Start looking for deals midweek. Airlines often file their weekly Web specials on Tuesdays, said Amy Ziff, editor at large with Travelocity. "As those come online, that availability will be seen Tuesday or Wednesday."

If you're interested in the remaining tips, here's the link: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/105304/Deals-Await-the-Flexible-Flier

And you know, for those of us in the Bay Area, we have so many fun, beautiful, educational places to visit and things to do right here in our own backyard. So call me and we'll go do something.....and take BART :-)

Cool Picture!

While reading through my friend, Satarupa's, blog (http://tardytothetable.blogspot.com/), I came across one of her friend's blog (http://lifeinallitsrandomness.blogspot.com/) with the coolest picture.

You've GOT to see this: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080620.html

On a happier note...

Check out this cutie pie. Everyone, say "Hi" to Gizmo.

In Memory of Big Grey Cat

In memory of Big Grey Cat, who experienced his ninth life and has now moved onto his tenth, in kitty heaven. He is no longer in pain and discomfort and can have all the food he wants and all the mice he can chase :-) Here's to you, Big Grey Cat!

Tiger

I'd like you to meet Tiger.

A cat who used up one of his lives today. I came home after work, to find him stuck under my neighbors garage door. Just sitting there, with the front part of his body reclining on the driveway, and the back half, hidden inside the garage. I'd gotten out of my car and happen to glance, for whatever reason, to my neighbors house. A lot of cats hang out over there, cuz my neighbors feed a lot of the feral cats in our neighborhood, and I saw Tiger handing out. Something stuck me as odd about the way he was laying. It just didn't look right. So, being the busy-body that I am, I went over to see what was up. HOLY CRAP! The garage door was all the way down on the ground and piercing Tiger's body in half. Of course I couldn't life the door up. I ran to my neighbors front door and started pounding on it. Pounding, and pounding, but no answer. What the hell was I going to do???? How was I going to get Tiger out??? Why weren't my damn neighbors home?? As I ran back across the street to my house, my neighbors came out of their house. The poor people :-), I yelled at them "OPEN YOUR GARAGE DOOR"!!! About 3 times. They must have thought I was bleeping crazy! :-) They didn't know what was going on, and they open their door to a mad-woman yelling at them to do something that didn't make sense to them.

We got to Tiger and his back legs weren't working, so we bundled him up, put him in one of my laundry basket and off to the vet my neighbor and I went. We got there 5 minutes before they closed, took some x-rays and got lucky. There was no damage to his spine, or pelvic bone. The vet said he should be up in walking in a few days, after some needed rest and inactivity.

Tiger is a very friendly cat. He visits my backyard to "share" my outdoor kitty's food all the time. It was because of him that I started putting out 2 bowls of food, so my outdoor cat, Ginger, and Tiger could eat at the same time. Tiger seemed to have figured out my feeding patterns."-) Both my neighbor and I were sooooooooooooooooooo relieved that he was going to make, we gave each other a big hug in the vet's examination room. The feeling of relief and joy was huge....thank god I don't have kids, far to intense emotions there.

Tiger is now convalescing at my neighbors house, and ms thinkm he may not be coming over to "share" my cat food much anymore. I'm not sure my neighbors are ever going to let him out of the house again. We'll see what happens in a couple weeks. I know they're worried about him getting injured again. He's been in a few fights and such, but he's an outdoor cat, and these things happen. I'm not sure he'll be content to live indoors. But that's for another time. Now, our Tiger is getting lots of love and attention and hopefully will be as good as new in the very near future :-)

I'll keep you posted. I just hope he has a number of lives left to live :-)

Katie Couric & Eddie Vedder - Together

Katie & Eddie!? Together? How can that be? Click below for answers:
http://www.standup2cancer.org/

Same-Sex Marriage Legal in California! WaaaWhoo!

Happy Wedding Day!

Finally same-sex marriages are legal in our state, and may I say, "it's about damn time"! Equal rights for all people. I'm proud of our state! Let's make sure everyone votes against the constitutional amendment this November. Never in our history, state or federal, have we voted discrimination into the constitution. Every single change to the constitution has opened up freedoms, not limited them.

Congratulations to all those that got married today and who will get married in the future. May you have many happy years together, and remember, with the freedom of marriage, could come the freedom of divorce. Ahhh, I couldn't keep it positive could I?

Happy Father's Day

It's been a good one for me. I've gotten a lot done today: trip to Costco (mainly for cat food, of course I ended up spending $105), Safeway for food for the week, Wally-World for a DVD head cleaner (far too many kids in that place), Orchard Supply to pick up some rocks, pebbles actually, for the space between my pavers, and Petco for kitty litter. I've had a nice dinner, healthy even and now I'm sitting on the couch, watching/listening to the tv and learning what features I can add to my blog (I just added a link to some of my favorite places...look to the left).

Last put NOT least, "My" Nadal wond his first grass court tournament today! Happy Day! Now it's on to Wimbledon, and Roger Federer. Just one thing, please, please, please can we put Novak Djokovic on Roger's side of the draw? Please!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2008/06/16/sthodg116.xml

Duce article "The Power & Passion" about Nadal: http://www.atptennis.com/5/en/deuce/may2008/nadal.asp

I know it's not cool but....

I like the movie 'The Transporter'. I know, I know....but I like it :-) The guy is CUTE (Jason Statham. He played "handsome Rob" in 'The Italian Job'. You don't name a character "handsome Rob", with out being good looking. nice There is a storyline and some smart-ass lines. It even has a cool slow motion fight scene in a hallway. I'm just saying...for it's genre, it's a good movie.

I'll have more movie reviews by Laura in a couple days. I've seen a few movies lately, Netflix, and need to write them up. Some good, some not so good. Ciao :-)

Happy Friday the 13th

Tim Russert dies. I pay my mortgage and quarterly taxes. An expensive day for Laura.....even more so for Tim Russert. Damn, I was having a good day until now.

Tim Russert :-(

Holy Crap-o-la! Tim Russert died today. On the job!!! Wow! I always liked him. I didn't watch his program, but I really liked, what I considered, his "everyman", down to earth style. I'm bummed. At first they reported the cause of death as a heart attack, but now they're saying they don't know for sure.

Here's the link to the article I just read: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080613/ap_on_en_tv/obit_russert
Although, I don't think anyone reads my blog just yet, so you'll all have heard the details on the news :-)

Wow! I'm shocked, as I'm sure everyone else is. I have kind of a silly thought, "now he'll never know who gets to be the next president".

Graduation Pictures

I couldn't get the picture of the cake where I wanted it, at the end of my last post, so I'm going to post it here:

Tony & Taylor's Graduation

I'd best post a few graduation pictures. After all, I did take a little over 1,200 pictures that weekend. No, that's not a typo. I took over 1,200 fricken pictures! Can you give me a, "Good Night Irene"!? I'm all for taking a lot of pictures, but that really is ridiculous. I've got to find a way to curtail my multiple picture taking. Is there a photo addicts group? If so, sign me you.

Graduation was nice. Not too long. Not too boring :-). I didn't know a lot of the kids, but Veronica kept saying, "There's Tony's friend so-and-so, get a picture of them". Now that I think about it, I can blame all my pictures on Veronica. Yeah, that could work :-) No, the first step in overcoming an addiction is to acknowledge having a problem. I have a problem.

My sister had a party for the boys at my parent's house on sunday. Weather was great. We had BBQ chicken, salad and a wonderful cake (I had a smallish piece). A good time was had by all. I planned to leave early, around noon, thinking I'd realistically get out of there about 1 pm. Weellllll, I left at 3 pm. :-) I had to take too many damn pictures....I couldn't leave. I got lucky with traffic and got home in 2 hours! There were a lot of cars on the road, but they were all going 70 mph, which made me a very happy girl.

Here's a picture of that cake!

French Open Semis

Well, I was worried about my Nadal against Djokovic (don't you love these guys names). Djokovic has been the best player so far this year and he played Nadal tuff the last time they met. I'm happy and relieved to say that my Nadal beat the pants off him today! The second set was pretty embarrassing for Djokovic, and maybe he needed a little humility :-) Right Anit?

As expected, it's going to be Nadal and Federer in the French Open final on sunday. The worlds #1 & 2, going at it again. They've both been playing very well this French, so it's up for grabs. I still think Nadal has a bit of an edge. He's the #1 player on clay and he's won the French Open the passt 3 years. Having said that, they guy's got to loose sometime. Will this be the year? I hope not. I think it's up to Federer. Can he figure out a way to beat Nadal on sunday? So, don't call me between the hours of 6 am and 9 am, or even later. Yes, I will be getting up at 6 am to watch the final from the very first point. Oh hell, I'll probably even watch the warm up :-) Keep your fingers crossed for my Nadal. I think Anit will be rooting for Federer, and that only makes it more interesting. Look for my post on Sunday where, hopefully, I'll be posting a bit of tennis history, with Nadal winning his 4th straight French Open Final! Fingers crossed!!!

Inaugural Post

Inspired by my friend Satarupa, I've started a blog of my own. I'll let her handle the food and wine of the world. Me, I'm going to write about...well, whatever strikes my fancy. That's it for my inaugural post. Now I'm going to go check out how it looks.