2009

With so many things happening this year, good and bad, I'm happy to say good-bye to 2008. Not that I believe Thursday morning will be any different that any other Thursday morning, it's just a formality. Maybe this Thursday will be a bit different. We are planning to go camping to the beach and I'd love to wake up on a brand new year at the Rincon, our favorite spot. A twenty-five dollar spot with a million-dollar view.

Twenty O (insert number here). I've never liked the sound of that but somehow, Twenty ten slips easier off the tongue.; I'll have to wait one more year.

Cheers, it's Christmas time

Do you ever wonder how we get through the holidays? Vodka? Not so much these days but at the House of Moon though my darling and I did have a glass of wine last night. Wine is so versatile. Summer time, it's a cooler with ice and fruit while Winter evening it warms your body. So it seems a little glass of Old Vine Zin is helping me get through the season.

Not that I have a lot to do this year. I've cut way back. My baking consisted of decorated sugar cookies and one batch of peanut brittle. These items will be given to family and friends as my darling and I have absolutely no willpower. None.

So with a little extra time I'm sitting here thinking of my best Christmas ever and honestly, it's difficult to find one. I've been fortunate to have wonderful family and friends around me at the holidays and all year long. When I was six Santa brought me a red firetruck pedal car that I thought was the best. It had wooden ladders and a bell. I have no idea what happened to it as a few years later we moved to California and sold most everything before we left.

Much older, my darling bought me a little stuffed bear we'd seen in an antique store weeks before Christmas. It looked exactly like one of the only toys I still have from my childhood only bigger. He went back to the store the next week and wrapped it himself. Over the years he's given me more expensive gifts but that one stands out in my heart.

We no longer give gifts but that is by my choice. We usually take a trip, or buy something for the two of us and that's fine with me. You see, my darling husband, quite regularly, surprises me with flowers for no good reason other than to see me smile. I'll take those types of gifts any day.

Our tiny family will be celebrating together, all seven of us, and that will be the best present this year!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

My downward facing dog is biting my ass

No, I did not get a new dog. Downward Facing Dog is a Yoga pose and I've added a photo of someone, other than me, doing it correctly. You see, this is one of those positions that is difficult for me to do correctly. Try as I might I'm still up on my tippy-toes.



Come to think of it I think the only one I can actually do semi-correctly is Child's Pose, though yet again, I can't seem to get my head to the ground. I'm thinking Yogi-masters have no boobs to get in the way. My instructor said to give it time, and I will since I'm way too much of a wimp to participate in the outdoor water aerobics class. Winter has finally come to Southern California and I don't care how much they heat the pool you still have to get out. Like I said, major in the wimp army, here.

Now my darling daughter has been Yoging around for a number of years and I never saw what she liked about it. Yes, now I'm a true believer. It is difficult but not impossible and quite a good stretching workout. Plus I feeling I'm strengthening some muscles and that's what us old broads need. Stronger "core" muscles keeps us from tipping over as we get older and I certainly don't want to do anymore falling. Let's not forget how much trouble my last tumble caused.

They do name their poses some odd but descriptive names: Tree, Cobra, Wind Relieving. Wind? Like the wind gently blowing your willowy tree like limbs around? No, it's the first thing you thought of. Get the wind out your body! Luckily we've never done this pose and thank you, the last thing I want to hear is the person next to me passing gas. Decorum, please.

There are two Yoga classes I attend and I love that each teacher has a different workout. Friday is what you'd think of as classic Yoga. The teacher dims the lights and we go through a number of poses and she gives the proper names. Then, at the end, she gives us my favorite, the Corpse and yes, you lay there like a dead body and relax. We even end the workout sitting cross-legged saying OOOOOOooooooommmmmmm.

Now Saturday morning, it's what I call Bootcamp Yoga. Just a little more strenuous stretching and faster. This wakes you up because it's at 6:45 am. and the teacher is relentless. I've noticed quite a bit more groaning in that class but I'm trying not to miss it because I come out feeling ready to get moving. I wish she taught this early every morning.

My generation, what ever you do as a workout regimen try a good set of Yoga stretches to start your day and maybe get rid of a little gas.

Only the lucky need apply

Monday started a week of calling a phone number each night to see if I needed to appear the next morning for jury duty. Yes, I remember I just finished four-plus month stint with the Grand Jury. It should have been six months but we got off for good behavior. I went as far as Monday night before getting the news, do come 37 miles and say, why don't you bring a good book with you. I should have packed a lunch the cafe was hideous.

Tuesday morning, before the orientation video was over, my name was called for a panel. "Go to the courtroom, and be quick about it. The judge doesn't like to be kept waiting." Unfortunately, he doesn't mind keeping jurors waiting and we sat for twenty minutes outside his court.

"This trial will be easy, two days and you're already here which leaves one more day for the trial. If I excuse you, you'll go back to the bullpen, likely get selected for a month long murder case. So, let's get started, said the judge." I was picked, interviewed, and accepted and he was correct; it only last two days.

To be honest, I wasn't troubled by this except for the fact I missed a day at the Getty. I'd never had the opportunity to decide guilt or innocence so it sounded interesting. This is your civic duty to serve and I'd like someone impartial if I ever have to go to trial.

The case was a young couple, with an ambulance chasing attorney and two sketchy doctors, suing for damages from an automobile accident three years ago. I'd like the Grand Jury to investigate these doctors, please. The big question for everyone deliberating: who only goes to the doctor once and the chiropractor six months? They never had a follow-up with the doctor, who was provided by the attorney, and had a number of MRIs that showed no damage. They even stated they both were fine.

Pain and suffering is a difficult to award. Some felt nothing while other felt they should get more. I was of the opinion the accident was not their fault. They did have the aggravation that comes with an soft tissue injuries and I'm sure the accident was scary. I never want to see my airbag deploy. The jury awarded them a much smaller amount than they asked for and I would have loved to be in the conversation with them and the attorney. The woman had quite a scowl when we walked out of the courtroom.

Cases such as these, and the woman who sued our insurance company, are opportunistic and down right dishonest and I was happy my fellow jurors felt the same was as I did. Now you may say, because we were sued, I had a grudge; far from that. As I heard about the accident I wanted this couple to get everything they needed to heal, which they did. But as the case progressed it was evident they went overboard on the extent of injuries they suffered and I can't help but think the attorney was behind this. On all the bills in evidence the attorney's name was under "responsible for bills".

I know there are accidents that do need an attorney because there are real and serious injuries but this wasn't one of them.

A rather Gay musical

This is so hysterical I had to watch it twice.

Get over yourselves, people.

I was told by a friend of the marriage of a gay co-worker of mine. I'd knew and worked with this young girl and she was sweet and smart and quite professional at her job. It wasn't until she introduced me to her partner did I realize she was gay. Guess what, she was still sweet and smart and professional. She and her partner had been together for a long time living as a couple. I was thrilled they had the chance to be married. Now with Prop 8 winning I'm not sure what will happen. What a shame!

Crikey

Movie reviews should be left to the professionals. I do read them sometimes but what get's me to choke up eight bucks are the principals in the film or a recommendation from a trusted friend. Some I trust more than others. I do enjoy sitting in a large movie theater with other people watching the big screen. It's the communal story telling that brings me to the campfire.

For me to recommend a movie it doesn't have to be perfect, what is these days, but it needs to be entertaining. Australia, though way too long, did give me eight dollars worth of entertainment. If you can sit through this very long movie it does have some moments. It seems like a good old fashion western with good guys, and bad guys and Hugh Jackman.

It does touch on a horrible part of Australian history that, for the good of the child, removed Aboriginal children from their homes to "study" at a mission school. If you've seen Rabbit Proof Fence you'll know what their Stolen Generations went through. America was no better with removing our Native American children from the reservations to ship them off to boarding schools to learn the "American" ways. That meant death to their culture.

What I liked:

• Hugh Jackman
• the precious little Nullah
• Hugh Jackman without a shirt
• the cinematography
• Hugh Jackman in a tux

What I didn't like:

• Too much CGI for the broad cattle stampede (way too fake)
• Too long
• Not enough Hugh Jackman
• Brian Brown's character was not developed, sadly. Hell, they had the time.

So if you are in need of seeing Hugh Jackman or maybe Nicole Kidman and you can sit for 165 minutes break loose with eight bucks and give it a try. I'd be interested in your review.

File this under No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

The day before Thanksgiving at the Getty last year was very busy. We could have used a few extra docents. I knew I'd be working from 1:30 - 5:30 so when the call for help came in I offered to come in at 10 and work all day. Rain dampened more than the streets resulting in a less than normal crowd. Not a problem, I gave two tours, saw an exhibit I'd been meaning to get to and had a nice lunch with friends; my glass is always half-full.

My generous friends covered my last half-hour so I could catch an earlier bus and I was at the northbound stop by 5:00. Great, it will take the bus 40 minutes to the Van Nuys Metrolink station and I'll get the train that gets into Simi by 7:00. That's when I normally get home on Wednesday evenings.

After I'd waited an hour for my bus--way too long--I noticed two of my buses go by on the freeway. Since the southbound bus goes to Westwood, turns around to become the northbound bus, I went back across the street to find out what was going on. The bus driver said the traffic was a nightmare because of an accident and I could ride with him until he turned around and came back. He'd then get on the freeway at Montana.

When I saw the traffic on Sunset I got off at Belagio and got back on the northbound bus only to inch along Sunset back to the Montana on-ramp. By this time I'd missed my last train home so I took the bus to Topanga Plaza rather than Van Nuys, much closer for my beloved to pick me up. I had an umbrella but it was too cold for my lightweight coat so by the time he came I was chilled to the bone. I finally got home at 9:30. I should have been home by 7:00.

Now the odd thing this morning, I couldn't find one word of the accident that caused all this mess. Silly me, I took the bus to avoid the traffic mess, ha!

With all of this, my glass is still half-full; though a bit water-logged. We had our family Thanksgiving last Saturday so I had no cooking to do today and could sleep in. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Cats, go figure

I've never owned a cat so this is quite amazing to me. Dogs can be funny, too but cats seem to have some strange ideas and act on them.

I love LA

For years my mom had a bridal shop in Thousand Oaks and most of her business was custom so that meant frequent trips to the Garment District in downtown Los Angeles. Since she didn't drive I would take her down during the week to buy fabric, sewing supplies, and whatever else she needed to send those brides, smiling, down the aisle. My daughter and sister were frequent flyers on these journeys and the prize for everyone one was a trip to Olivera Street for lunch.

Saturday the three of us, daughter lil bird, sister Doodles and I made the journey one more time. Lil bird heads down to that area quite often to either visit the flower market on Wall Street or Michael Levine's, a great fabric store. Walking in brought back so many memories it was hard not to see a portion of my life whiz by.

We also visited some bead stores so lil bird could find the goodies to build her aunt a necklace. She's gotten quite talented in making jewelry. The other mission was to find supplies for a crafty little project these two had been working on.

ML's is on Maple, as is a variey of small "jobbers" selling end lots of fabric, shoes, clothes, and just about anything else you'd want. By 10:oo am the street was packed with weekend shoppers with children in tow. Street vendors were cooking up their fare on makeshift stoves and though it smelled delicious we were saving our appetites for Phillipe's. Though that bowl of posole that passed us made us stop and inquire where it could be purchased.

The whole mood of the area was festive with music blaring from some stores and people chatting, in a variety of languages, and brightly colored merchandise pushed almost to the edge of the sidewalk. It was a feast for your senses.

We all decided we need some sitdown food so got the car and headed towards Chinatown. I do know this area and headed for Main St forgetting there was a planned march swirling around the protest of Prop 8 passing making it illegal for same sex to marry in California. Try as we did we could not get close to Phillipe's and after an hour of gridlocked traffic we headed home.

Why do we have a law to keep California taxpayers from getting married in this state? Why are we letting a church, any church, tell us what laws to have? Our founding fathers made sure there was a separation of church and state, what happened to that?

Keep bailing I think we're about to drown

Bail out the Big Three? Why? What have they done for the American consumer other than create gas guzzling cars no one needs. In 2002 we looked for an American made hybrid vehicle. We talked to Ford and Chevy and when do you suppose they would have one on the market and what were we told? Ah, we haven't got the bugs worked out, yet. Yet? Asian markets not only had the bugs worked out, they had them stomped into the ground. In 2003 we gave up and bought the Honda Hybrid.

We are now standing on the brink of a crisis in this country and the automakers are begging for their lives. Where were they when we wanted help with reducing our oil consumption or getting a handle on air pollution? I know where they were, those fat-cat bastards were spending their profits in huge salaries for their execs and not thinking about the future of this country. Their business model for making and selling cars isn't in step with the 21st century and keeping them afloat will only drag us down with them. Are we not still a free-market economy?

It is so true

There is really so much to say about last night but I do need to collect my thoughts. We invited sister and brother-outlaw over for dinner and to watch the returns. We also asked a friend to join us for dessert, her husband would be gone and I thought it would be fun to watch all the goings-on with other folks. Like minded folks such as us.

Now I'd planned this would not be settled until somewhere around midnight and I also was hesitant about the outcome. Boy was I wrong. The polls closed in California and immediately they announced Obama the winner. The mood was ebullient, cheerful and full of energy. When I called our daughter she was screaming, "Is it true?" Yes, lil bird, this is true, so very true.

When I talked of why I was voting for Obama it was never for the fact he was a black man. That never played into my decision. Just like I didn't vote for Hillary because she was a woman. I voted for the person that would give me the most change from what we have and deep in my heart I know it's him. When he spoke last night it gave me chills and made me feel prouder to be an American than I have in eight years. Made me feel like we can do anything. Economy in the toilet? Sure but we are moving on.

Does this mean the evil presidency of George Bush is over? Nope, not yet. Look what they have in store for us now. When will it end?

Whew!

Finally, a change!

Election 2008: my Voting Parlor

Thinking of long lines at the voting parlor my darling companion and I voted at 8:00 am. Our parlor is at the neighborhood grammar school a short walk away and we would have walked if the weather would have been better. There was rain on and off last night and the skies look threatening so we drove.

As we were walking from the car a woman came up to me to give me a No on 8 fliers. I told her to save it as both of us were voting no already. We chatted a bit about the outcome or whether this very Republican town we live in would vote it down. I asked her about people's tempers on this hot-button topic and said she told me about one man this morning who said "I voted against you!" And she replied, "On this issue yes, but we voted on a lot of things this morning and I bet we agreed on some of those issues." Love that answer.

There was a line for the second half of the alphabet but husband and I just walked up to our section with no wait. I believe after work hours will be more hectic but that shouldn't deter anyone, hopefully. Being in California we feel things are decided before we even get out to vote but I take voting seriously and want my counted. You never know how close it will be.

Your vote counts!

The following is a quote from ABC news blog.

"Obama was not yet in the Senate when Congress voted to authorize the use of force in the fall of 2002. But he spoke out against it as a Senate candidate that year."

Obama came out against the war at the same time, and for the same reasons, I felt it was wrong. We needed strength in Afghanistan, that's where the terrorists were. The witch hunt to Iraq was Cheney, Wolfowitz and the other war criminals. Wolfowitz was the mastermind behind the first Gulf War and for some reason, couldn't wait to go back and finish Iraq off.

Before we went into Iraq someone told me the administration didn't care what or why just wanted to cause unrest in that part of the world. Could it have been that simple? I thought them crazy for that statement but now think they could not have been more right.

So if I only had one reason, I have many more but this one reason--the quote above--is enough for me to desire Obama to be our next president. I hope you will make your voting decision based on the facts; FactCheck.org is priceless in a time of indecision.

Princess Pooh?

Cleverly disguised as Winnie the Pooh, our princess paid us a visit Halloween night. She was not real sure about all this and had just woke up from a nap, to boot.

She did eventually get happier but I'd love to know what was going through that little brain when we took her to the neighbors house complete with scary music and flashing lights. She never lost sight of mom and dad but really scrutinized all the decorations and people in costumes.

We loved Mommy and Daddy for bringing her by to show off her costume.

After they left we had a stream of little, and not so little, trick or treaters come to our door. One tyke, so adorable I had to comment on his costume, left the door yelling, "Hey, her liked my dinosaur and look what she gave me!" I'm always so pleased when the kids say thanks and most this year said, Happy Halloween.

Her had a good time, too.

His later years

Just in case you haven't gotten a costume for your pooch, yet. This made me do a "spit-take" with my morning tea.

Clever folks.

Reasons to vote for Obama

This country has got to get as far from George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz and Tim Griffen as we possibly can. If you have the time just check out some of the dirty politics these folks have rained down on this country. Proud to be an American? Not until we get rid of this gang. I truly believe they could be tried as war criminals. And is we don't boot them out we are responsible.

Listen, I'm not stupid enough to think every thing either candidate promises will ever happen. So why vote for either one? Mc Cain changed his core values to become the nominee and will stop at nothing to get elected. Check this new smear ad from Mc Cain: A License to Kill.

Mc Cain was:

• Big supporter of the War in Iraq
• Broke with administration about war strategy
• Lead charge against Abu Grabe Prision scandal and Rumsfeld (another war criminal)
  
• Lead legislation to change policy on torture
• Was against Bush's tax cuts

Because Mc Cain was determined to be president nominee he then:

• Became supporter of Bush's tax cuts
• Agreed with administration plan to let CIA use tougher interrogation techniques than the military
• Hired Karl Rove's henchmen to run his final campaign. The very people who ran the smear campaign in the south when he was running against Bush for the Rep. nomination; the very same people

After all of the above, if you don't think John Mc Cain is tied to the current administration and their henchmen, I give up. I've tried and you might just deserve the horrible state this country will be in with another four years of the past coming up to bite us on the ass. Just wait, it will only get worse.

One of Obama's shinning qualities for me? He had many but he taught Constituinal Law, he knows the importance of the Consitution and possible won't use it as a desk blotter.

Fact Check, a great resource for correct information. Also a wonderful presentation on Frontline, The Choice.

Get out there and VOTE!

We're ready for our close-up, Mr DeMille

The Princess and her entourage and lil' Ethan and his fellow Bruins finally met. The arranged meeting took place on Saturday and the Pumpkin Patch never had so many photographers. There were pumpkins of all sizes, hay, and a few snacks. All in all everyone had a fine time. Thanks to the managers of the Patch, my sister and brother-outlaw, Mr and Mrs Doodles. Check their site for more snaps of the kiddies.

Next year there will be at least one additional tot. Princess' Auntie is with child and should add to the family in April. Seeing how big she is at five months we figure, boy or girl, the baby will be 24 inches at birth.

Not all milk and cookies with grandma anymore

Let's hope the economy doesn't get this bad.

Not feeling unwanted here

As you know, I've just finished four and a half lovely months of Grand Jury duty, just finished. Yesterday I received a jury summons for my county court. I'm must be on a list somewhere. Lucky me I don't have to go until Dec 1 and I've never sat on a trial so let's see if my luck holds out. I was looking for something to do with my Fridays.