Doing my civic duty

Los Angeles is in one of the nastiest heat waves I've seen in a while. It was 110 on my patio but I had the luck of going downtown where it was only 98; like a vacation in the Arctic.

To get to the court I can take a variety of different modes of transportation with my favorite being the Metro-link. The station had oodles of parking, is only fifteen minutes for my house, and when I get on it isn't too crowded. The train is air-conditioned with comfortable seats though the leg room must be a challenge for someone tall. There are four seats two facing front; two back so if you're paired with a tall person it could be uncomfortable. With Ipod plugged in I'm content to listen and close my eyes from time to time. If I have a seat mate wanting to talk I'll respond but I can take or leave the morning conversation.

The hour trip last week stretched into better than an hour and a half and this didn't surprise any of the regulars. Seems there was an entry door problem. Some wouldn't open; some did so I boarded the car that did. For me, problem solved. The conductor seemed to have some issues so he fussed for about ten minutes at each stop and that made us late. I'd really intended to have breakfast at Philippe's so no harm for me, I just switched my plans to lunch, which was quite tasty I might add.

The photo at the top of the page is one of lil bird's doggies, Max. You've seen him before. Him and his "brother" Multi are staying with us while the kids are on vacation. Max love to be in the middle of things and since he looked quite important sitting on my desk, not unlike the architectural lions outside some buildings, so he'll be my snap for this post.

Tuesdays with Moon

To prove last Tuesday wasn't a fluke I didn't use my car again today. Posting about this means I'd have to be accountable to someone and I wasn't sure if I could live up to a challenge but here it is, another Tuesday and I've succeeded getting things done with public transportation and my own two feet. I logged about five miles and two buses and let me whine a bit, it was 92 sunny degrees out today.

Every time you start to feel smug about an accomplishment reality smacks you in your face. Getting on my final bus I stepped aside so a woman with five bags full of groceries could board. It then dawned on me she was using the bus because she had to not because she thought it stylishly green to do so. I hung my head in shame. Not that it's wrong to give up your car for a day from time to time, nope that's what we all should do. Riding the bus is a great reminder we need to control this runaway price increase in oil if for no other reason than that women with the five bags of groceries.

Graphs I can understand

I never was good at graphs but this one explains it all. Not all on Graph Jam are as funny but ever so often they hit the mark.
more graph humor and song chart memes

Why do the good ones go too soon?

NBC's Tim Russert died today.

Russert quote:

The best excercise you can do for yourself is lift-up someone else.

I like that.

This site is so free

Lil bird found this site and posted this on our food blog, Peanut Butter Étouffee. Like anything else, it can be addictive but at least you are helping someone. We throw away more food than some children get in a year so check it out, learn something, and feel good that you wasted a bit of time for someone else.

While you're there, check out some of the sponsors, they are the ones footing the bill.

Free Rice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com.

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.

2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on this site.

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you.

Why'd ya wait so long?

I love the title of Scott McClennan's book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception. Why the hell didn't he say something then? That would take real guts, screw this job, this career, this life--tell it all while it was happening.

I can dream, can't I?

Lady-in-waiting to the Princess

On this non-productive day you actually couldn't say I did nothing but I wasn't very productive. Now, ask me if I care; nope. I princess-sat with our little darling. This happens from time to time to even the most organized. A last minute change in the babysitting lineup and I was home. Glad to do it.

Now if you listen to the video you might think it's just gas, but look closely, the princess is givin' you the raspberry. Not bad for under four months.

We did find out something about this grandma, she is seriously challenged in doing the diaper change. No, I don't mind the stinky kind I just have trouble getting these new ones, with the tabs, on correctly. I laughed at the thought of doing the cloth diaper and pins as I did for my daughter. Then there was that little bit about her laying on the tail of her undershirt and then that needed to be changed. We made it through the day with only a few costume changes.

We played and talked and watched a little TV; she seems to like Don Imus which is odd, not many do. Our lunch menu was limited her a bottle; me some crackers and then, the stress of modern day life being what it is, she was off to nap. The only thing we didn't get to do was take our walk. Ah, well, next time.

Bobby, we hardly knew ye

If you wonder why some Baby Boomers are cynical just remember what we've been through. The answer to the 60s seemed to have been assassination

• John Kennedy-November 1963
• Martin Luther King-April 1968
• Bobby Kennedy-June 1968

Don't forget to throw in Cuba, Civil Rights, and the Vietnam War. The 60s was a hideous decade; there was always some sort of conflict. How we treated minorities, women, and the soldiers returning from a war. No wonder Tune in, Turn on, and Drop Out was popular. It was depressing just to turn on the news and listen to the body count.

Bobby Kennedy gave some of us hope that we could pull out of the 60s with him being elected president. On June 5th that hope was changed into one more violent static of that decade when he was shot and killed. The news of this was just one more numbing event of the 60s. The only thing good about the 60s was the music.

Carpinteria is a small town on the California coast about 15 minutes south of Santa Barbara. It has be one of my favorite places to stay. And for sure, the most beautiful sunsets I've photographed.

If you'd like to use this month's calendar as your desktop pattern for your computer please use the following instructions. If you have any questions you can leave a comment or email me at mooncrazy.debono@gmail.com

• Click on appropriate link. large calendar, 1024 x 680 or small calendar, 800 x 500
• PC users-right click or Mac users Control click, the image and select "Set as Desktop Background"

The calendar is now your background and all your files or shortcuts will be floating on top. You can rearrange them but not the background calendar.
Don't want it once you've selected it?
PC users:

• Select Start, Control Panel, Appearance & Themes, Change desktop background.
• If the image is distorted, select "center" under Position.
• To remove, select none and apply.

MAC users:

• Select System Preferences
• Desktop & Screen Saver
• Select a new image
• If the image is distorted, select "center" from the pull-down

What Happened: it's just a scarf

Crap! The inmates have finally taken over the asylum. Rachel Ray's scarf in this add looks, to some, like the headgear Muslim extremists wear so after some conservative bloggers raised enough ruckus Dunkin' Donuts gave it the dunk.

The linked article goes on to say how celebs in the past have inadvertently caused problems with clothes that have a statement in a language they don't understand. I have seen this with just normal folk but we don't have the press watching every step we take.

Last week I saw a family of four on vacation from an Asia country. Nice, mom, dad, younger sister and about a 12/13 year-old boy. These folks didn't speak English but they were quite. Doesn't bother me they are spending money here. They were all conservatively dresses but the lad was wearing a brand new t-shirt that said "Heavy Fucking Metal" in huge letters across the front. I had to laugh, the kid might have known what it said but I can guarantee his parents didn't. Should I have been insulted and told them this would offend some? Don't think so, I've seen lots on t-shirts and don't take offense.

If you want to be upset about Ray wearing a scarf, go right ahead but I also hope you are outraged about being lied to by our current administration. Good grief, even Scott McClellan, one of his long time people from Texas, is speaking out. Better yet, while you're questioning her sense of style, what's up with those eyebrows?

Missing anything?

This is another funny video. If you've ever been troubled by these little thieves you'll get a kick from this one.

Yet another one equally as funny.

Is there a goldmine in my desk drawer?

When I pulled out a few items at the back of my desk drawer today I thought I might have found a goldmine. To be honest, and I would, it would be my daughter's gold I mined. What did I find? An old baseball card from 1982. Remembering how much some old autographed cards were valued on the Antiques Road Show I got real interested.

I only slightly remember how this card came to us. I think she stood in line at a local shop to get Steve Sax's, then with the Los Angeles Dodgers, autograph on his card. First thing I did was check the 'net and though this is his rookie card, he came to the Dodgers half season in '81, it wasn't worth much. Closest price I could find was about twenty dollars and it would all hers if she had the notion to part with it. Not exactly enough to retire on.

Yes, ranting about gas, again

It's very difficult to have a discussion with some who agrees with you. The conversation usually goes something like:

Statement of a fact: blah, blah, blah.
Answer: Yeah, yes, your damn straight it is.

My beloved and I, in general, have much the same politics so most of the time I just take note of what he says because he can be quite humorous at times and profound at others. Take this morning when a news report mentioned a loophole in a law that restricts drilling off our coast. An example, China could drill off our coast where we couldn't and they cursed the "tree huggers" for getting laws such as this enacted. It does sound stupid and probably right because some of our legislators have lettered in stupid. I'll check this one further but people, you are missing the point. Drilling for more oil isn't going to change anything because that oil will run dry, in time and we'll be in the same sinking boat. We can not continue to pass on this problem to the next generation.

We had the chance in the 70s with that gas crisis and what did we learn? If you look at the number of gas sucking as apposed to gas sipping vehicles on the road you could assume we learned nuttin'. Does anyone need to drive their kids to school, outside of Iraq, in a Humvee? I think not but there they are at the pumps sucking down gas.

In the 70s did we invest in a better public transportation system? Nope, Amtrak and Greyhound almost went under for the lack of riders. How about the Metro? It's only recently it's ridership is up. Maybe the threat of $4 a gallon is hitting home. I know it makes me question that trip to the market to get one item.

Find at least one day you can, take alternate form of transportation, car pool, ride your bike, or walk but we have to reduce our dependency on gas. Also think of investing in some green technology companies.

Magical moments

Our darling daughter has a blog, Maltese Parakeet and from that we've nicknamed her lil bird. She's the only one and parents couldn't hope for a nicer kid. Not going to college wasn't an option and she got her degree then went on to put herself through law school and is an accomplished professional at her job.

When she was little we could pridefully boast about her accomplishments because we did have something to do with them. She spoke early and I'd like to think it's because I taught her but more likely it's because I chatter on incessantly. I will take credit for teaching her to read and for her love of reading. She was read to every night until she was old enough to take the book herself.

When she was nine I taught her to do laundry and balance my check book. No, I wasn't that lazy, it was summer and she was bored. She wasn't much older when she picked up a camera and as a teen she became quite accomplished on her own. It was about then we could no longer brag about what we'd taught her and switch to feeling good about what she was learning on her own. That was a magical moment.

As a parent, those moments are etched into your collective memory like first steps and first words; lots of "firsts" associated with kids. The one I'm thinking of today is one filled with all the emotions; joy, sadness, pride. Our goal was to raise her to think on her own. We felt independence was the most important thing we could give her and the day she got her driver's license and drove away, alone was that goal coming true. She was beginning a life on her own; that was our magical moment.

Thanks, lil bird for all you've given us.

Oud Babbies

The software I use to track how many visits come to this site is quite interesting. Among many of the statistics are how people find your site and many come from the search engine, Google. Another stat is where the visitor is from and I get visits from all over the world. Last week's had to be the funniest.

The visitor was from Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. Since I don't get many from that part of the world I looked into how they found me. Yep, Google. A few years back I posted about a friend, From the mouths of old babes. When I clicked on what the Saudi had Googled--boy, I was surprised--I'm too old to be shocked. Old Babes is X-rated photos of older women. Ha, bet they didn't expect to get to this blog.

Save gas; visit locally

If you are planning a trip to the Getty Center, and you should this summer, you'll have a wonderful selection of exhibits on view. It looks like August 26 to 31 would be the prime days to visit if you wanted to see all of the following for a truly great attractions for the summer.

Maria Sibylla Merian & Daughters: Women of Art and Science
June 10–August 31, 2008
This show should be great for kids, she was a painter of insects and flowers. Who doesn't like to see a big bug?

Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture
August 5–October 26, 2008
Bernini, the genius of Rome and stone, and a few of his contemporaries will be on exhibit this summer. Can't wait. Bernini was a womanizer, drinker, murderer, and all around fun guy but he did create work like the Ecstasy of St Theresa.

Faces of Power and Piety: Medieval Portraiture
August 12–October 26, 2008
Early Medieval portraits from the Manuscript's collection. Delicate jewels in miniature.

In Focus: The Landscape
August 26, 2008–January 11, 2009
The landscape in photographs from all the big guys in the Getty collection, twenty-five of them including--Gustave Le Gray, Alfred Stieglitz, and Robert Adams--to name a few. I'll be spending my free time here.

I don't know when there were so many at the same time which is good if you want to pack your summer with a bundle of great things to see. With gas prices going through the roof don't travel so far, visit locally. Did I forget the Central Garden? With Huell Howser's visit I'm sure we'll get visitors just wanting to see our beautiful garden.

Holy Smokes!

This was sent by a friend. I had to post it because I didn't want to clog up a whole bunch of bandwidth. You will want others to see this, it is very funny.

When you watch a second time, I know you will, notice that he looks at the ceiling. I'm sure this is in his kitchen. Love to hear how he explained this one.

Editor's note: This was just too funny so I Googled it and found the original on YouTube. This guy had made a few other videos, this one the funniest. There was a long list of comments about it being fake, how he did it, the lights coming on after the boom--but I really don't care--it's still funny.

Montana: Oro y Plata

My sister Doodles and husband, the Gypsy Caravan, are working in Montana this summer and having just arrived, they posted a few photos. You have got to head over to her site and check out more of the scenery. This is the view out the back of the trailer.

Hell, it's only 1,700 miles up there, why not head there for the summer. Ours should be a hot one here.




Ed note: their state motto, Oro y Plata means Silver and Gold.

Needles up: daugher becomes teacher

Mother's Day was yesterday and I'm very lucky to have such a thoughtful daughter. She asked me what I'd like to do on my special day and my request was for a knitting lesson. Lil Bird does many things well but she has turned into quite the knitter. She knit her Aunt Doodles wool socks before they headed out to the Great Northern Summer Experience. This would have made her Grandma Ann very proud as she was the knitter in the family.

Our dear friend has breast cancer and with the thought of having chemo, and the possibility of losing her hair, in the back of my mind, I wanted to make her a hat. Just in case. My darling child arrived Sunday morning, dogs in tow, with a wonderful present of knitting paraphernalia and printed out her favorite "easy" hat pattern from the 'net. She has a great site, Crazy Aunt Purl. She's a bit wacky and always funny.

We sat down and got busy with the lesson only to break and make a yummy pasta lunch. Check out a future blog on PBE about our lunch.

You see the hat, I finished last night after Lil Bird left and no, I wasn't up until mid-night. I finished by 9:00 pm. Under her tutelage I created a great hat and hope to make more. There is a children's cancer center at UCLA and I know they'd love to have hats donated for the kids.

So my Mother's Day was filled with yarn and needles and chit chat. That's what happens when you knit. It was also filled with cooking with my darling daugher. We even had some time for shopping and attending to the ears of one of the dogs. I didn't mind. I love them both. All in all it was a very special day, indeed.

see more cute dogs and puppies

When lil bird was braces-on-the-teeth age we spent a fair amount of time at the orthodontists' office which meant a longer than desired amount of time in the waiting room. To pass the time she'd read whatever was there and her favorite book was a cartoon graphic of what not to do with your retainer.

I hope this made her laugh today.