What A Find!

During lunch last Friday I went to Target to pick up a bottle of foundation.  When I walked back into the office my Assistant was like a kid at Christmas, filled with curiosity about what was in my bag.

Why?

The bottle of foundation is about 3″ high, 1-1/4″ wide and 1/2″ deep but the bag in my hands was in the neighborhood of 10″ wide, 12″ high and 8″ deep!

I set the bag on the chair in front of her desk, fished around inside it and pulled out the purchase that was the reason for my visit – the bottle of foundation.

“See, I did get the foundation.”

“But what else is in there?”

I am known for finding some of the most interesting items when I shop, which is not often, and most of said items appeal to Assistant as much as they appeal to me, so her questions and curiosity weren’t unexpected.  Instead they added to my “I’m so proud of myself” feeling, especially about one of the goodies in the bag.

As if my glinting eye and slow motion movements were not enough to build the anticipation, Assistant’s phone rang and instantly froze my hands in place.  While her conversation was winding down I pulled out not one, but two bags of Brach’s Halloween candy – one of chocolate bottomed candy corn (called Harvest Selection) and the other a bag full of pumpkins.  Granted these are not healthy treats but sometimes, tastebud tickling is a far more important factor when choosing holiday treats. 

Dismayed look from Assistant…nothing fun or unique with the bags of candy…

My hands busied themselves with a new task and unwrapped the two pieces of glassware still sitting in the Target bag.  I put the two pieces together and proudly sat them on Assistant’s desk.  An 8″ tall and 7″ round treasure made by Anchor Hocking evoked a gasp and “WOW” from Assistant!!!

Isn’t it just the BEST candy jar???  I love the way the light bounces off the curves of the pumpkin and plays with the colors inside…

I wasn’t looking for a candy jar, in fact I didn’t know I needed one, but when my eyes spied this sitting on the top shelf of a seasonal dishware display, I was pretty sure that a pumpkin shaped glass candy jar was needed in order to make my life complete.  That inkling was confirmed when I hoisted the jar off the shelf and found the glass to be a good 1/4″ thick (very sturdy).

So how much was this missing piece to my life’s happiness going to set me back?  A mere $4.99 – regular price, not sale price!!!!  I was so surprised that  I actually had to read the tag hanging off the shelf to make sure that the price was for my treasured candy jar and not some other “thing” residing next to it on the same shelf.

So readers, if you’re looking for an awesome and inexpensive candy jar (which could also be filled with cookies), head to your nearest Tar-jay and hunt down this pumpkin.  It’s not Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin, it’s better than that because it’s MY Great Pumpkin!

The Fingers Are Willing…

…but the spirit is not.

I have started, edited and deleted several posts in the past 2 hours.  My fingers fly with enthusiasm, quickly banging out the thoughts that have been swirling in my head for hours.  Then they abruptly stop.  The silence is deafening, the blinking cursor is teasing and my stress is building.

I edit away, rearrangning the order of my thoughts and changing the words already typed, and yet a cohesive, humorous and well-organized post is no where to be found.  And not once, twice or even three times.  Nope, FOUR times!

Why?

Three reasons quickly come to mind.

One.  Many of you have read yesterday’s post, R.I.P. Scotch, so you know I’m mourning the loss of a feline roommate of 16 years.  It was a hard decision made after months of stress and weeks of meds and prescription food.  My emotions are ricocheting around like the ball in a pin ball machine, lighting up objects called guilt, sadness, anger and failure.

Two.  For the past week work has been extremely chaotic.  Not only did I work in the office +/- 45 hours, but I also put in 26-1/2 hours at home!  My bedtime pushed back to 11PM or later and my wakeup time moved up to 3AM.  All of that chaos came to a screeching halt late yesterday afternoon when the boss left the office, not to return again until Thursday, and then only after making a large and important sales presentation.  I feel like the person who participates in the challenges where they have to run so many miles then lay down and shoot a gun, hitting a tiny target many many yards away.  I’m still in the run, run, run stage and though the work flow has slowed down to the shooting stage, I have not.

Three.  earlier tonight I scampered over and read Quinn Cummings most recent blog post  and realized that I can’t write.  Quinn writes so incredibly well, stringing words and thoughts together in a way that not only entertains, but also paints a picture so clear that the reader is instantly transported from wherever they are to wherever Quinn wants them to be.  Definitely something to aspire to, but tonight it just managed to derail the messages my brain was sending to my fingers.

I know I should stop visiting her blog so that I don’t feel so inept when it comes to writing, but I can’t, it’s just THAT entertaining.  My only hope is that since Quinn only posts about once a week it takes her that long to write, edit and basically perfect her posts.  I write the vast majority of mine in the wee hours of the morning during that magical hour that comes after the first sip of coffee and before the sun, people and critters wake up.

The spirit can rule tonight and tomorrow, but after that, control reverts back to me on points one and two.  As for point three, that will disappear once my spirit is not at such loose ends…I hope.

Hey, point three has already started to ebb — I just wrote a full post that though not my best work, is definitely better than the drafts I started, edited and deleted!  A change is in the air…and it’s not just the cold air coming into So. Cal.!

R.I.P. Scotch

Thank you for letting me live with you for the past 16 years and for gracing my life with soft and furry unconditional love. 

Celebrate the next chapter in your life in the company of Sandy – my aunt and the the owner of your first home.

No More Sympathy From Me

I did not set this shot up, I swear on Scarpetto’s adorableness that I did not.  If you doubt me, let me pose this question.  If I set up this shot, wouldn’t I have removed the aqua pj bottoms and yesterday’s black t-shirt before I snapped the picture?

Now that I’ve made believers of all of you, let me explain why I no longer have sympathy…

I live in Southern California in an area that is just inches shy of being called a desert.  During the summer months it is very hot here, often over 100 degrees for weeks on end with high temperatures venturing over the 110 degree mark several times.  It is also very dry here, our humidity level during the day is rarely over 20% and when the Santa Ana winds blow, the levels don’t even reach the double digits.

When I moved into my house 4 years ago it was brand new so it is very well insulated.  That combined with the lack of humidity, the addition of ceiling fans and my New England conservativeness of closing the blinds during the day means there’s no reason for me to have the air conditioning on while I’m at work.  No matter how hot it gets outside I have never come home to an inside house temperature higher than 83 degrees.  And during my work hours, the only living things in the house are my kitties. 

WAIT!!!!!

Before all of you that suffer with heat AND humidity crucify me because the kitties have fur coats, please note that the lack of said humidity out here means we have “feels like” temperatures that are lower than the actual temperatures – a wind chill of sorts (without the wind).  In addition, I leave the ceiling fan in the family room spinning so there is not only a lower “feels like” temperature, but there is also a wind chill temperature to factor into the mix!!!

OK, there are days when I don’t buy the above explanation either.  

On these days, kitty Scotch meets me at the door when I come home from work, incessantly meowing that she needs moist food, and NOW!  We walk to the great rooom (family room/dining room/kitchen combo) and there I see Scarpetto sprawled out on my large wooden coffee table.  He is directly underneath the ceiling fan and looking at me with sad puppy dog…err…kitty eyes, protesting by inactivity that I dared to leave him without the cooling benefit of the central air conditioning.  Or at least the guilty parent in me is convinced that’s his message.  In reality he may be thinking “let’s see how much I can mess with her head”…

Though I often have twinges of guilt, they were never so severe over the past two years that I felt the need to turn on the A/C before heading out to work.  Ceiling fan?  Yes!  Air conditioning?  No.

But…there were still lingering doubts about my kitty-parenting skills, or lack there of.

Until today.

Scarpetto no longer has the ability to make a single doubtful thought enter my head!  Even though he glared at me, I have pictorial proof that there is no reason to leave the A/C on while I’m at work…

Scarpetto is happily napping on top of and underneath the comforter for my bed (which yes, sits folded on the floor during the hot summer months).  If you look closely you will see that there is not just one comforter layer above him, but TWO layers!  And underneath him there are SIX layers!!!  Ooohhh…so comfy indeed…

BUT…

…also so WARM when the temperature in the house was 79 degrees and there was NO ceiling fan above to cool him!  OK, the fan was above him but it was not circling and moving any air.

Sooo…Scarpetto’s habit of stretching out on the coffee table in order to, in my thought process, stay cool, no longer works.  Nope, no way.  If he’s going to nap on top of and underneath layers of a comforter without the benefit of ceiling fan circulated air, with house temperatures in the upper 70′s, Scarpetto hanging out underneath a fan in an 83 degree room will no longer result in sympathy from me!

I hope…

Ortega Highway Part II

A comment was made on my original post about seeing my photo op location from an area which is IN the photos I took.  I couldn’t really achieve that but I did manage to take this photo as I was driving on the 74 this morning…

You’ll notice there are two tan horizontal lines in the mountain.  One pretty much goes the entire width of the photo and the other is concentrated in the upper right corner.  I travel on the former and have not YET traveled on the latter.

As to where I was on the lower horizontal line when I took the photos in my previous post, I was more or less directly above the pick-up truck you see in the lower right corner.

Sooo…you may be wondering what makes those tan lines.  I can easily solve that mystery (if it is a mystery to you).  Those lines represent the area where man has left his mark on nature! 

Huh?

At some point, years ago (exactly how many I don’t know and I don’t have enough curiosity to “google” said topic), man blasted his way along the side of the Santa Ana Mountain in order to level the earth enough to make a 2-lane road that would directly connect the mid-area of Riverside County with the mid-area of Orange County.

The result?

The Ortega Highway!

As you travel along the entire length of this road (+/- 25 miles), whether you are the driver or the passenger, you are acutely aware of mans’ footprint on Nature, God or whatever entity you deem responsible for California’s topography.   Half of your journey is spent with your eyes uncontrollably drawn to the outer edge of the road, that line where terra firma meets air (and certain death should your vehicle, four tires or two, follow your eyes), while the other half of your journey finds your eyes seeing the scars left in the mountainside from the blasting needed to make the road.

For obvious reasons, I am much happier when I am in the latter journey, safely snugged against the mountainside where in the event of an accident, severe damage can occur when metal meets rock, but death, when metal meets air…is not guaranteed.

The journey up and over the Santa Ana Mountains (+/- 3200 feet) and through the Cleveland National Forest, is visually spectacular and driver engaging, images of both descriptions (hopefully) captured in these pix…

Ortega Highway heading West

Ortega Highway East well into Orange County

Ortega Highway East...again..but still in Orange County

Friday Reward

This past week has been extremely chaotic and busy on the work front, so much so that it has intruded into my after-work time in a big way.

How big?

Last night I was so mentally exhausted that I fell asleep on the sofa before 7:30PM!  Thankfully I was already in my jammies because when I woke up at 10:40PM I barely had enough energy to shut off the TV and the light, stumble to my bedroom and literally fall into bed…instantly sound asleep.

I woke up at 4AM (without electronic help) and after making a pot of coffee I set about work working AGAIN!  I was saddened by the realization that the pace of the past few days was going to continue through the weekend. 

I was in a funk after that realization hit, but I plodded through my pre-office morning then hopped in the CRV to go to work.  I never turned the CD player on, I just drove, letting my mind wander where it wanted.  I have learned that there are times, like this morning, that it’s best to just “be”.

Then my reward showed up!

I saw it when it was a quarter mile or so ahead of me and as I passed it I looked closely.  A smile inched across my face and a giggle escaped my lips.  Instantly my funk was gone!  When the light up ahead turned red I slowed down early, grabbed my camera and took a picture.

So, what miraculous site had such powers?  This was the first part of it…

…and the driver was the balance.  In my head I pictured what the driver should look like and was thrilled when my vision was correct!

Now you may be picturing a greaser in a white t-shirt, cigarette dangling from his mouth and a pack of cigarettes rolled up in the sleeve.

Not me…

I pictured an old guy with white hair and a button-down denim shirt.  And I was right!!!  But he was so much more than that…

His hair was shoulder length, a bit on the thin side and “poofy”.  It wasn’t curly and it wasn’t wiry, but still it didn’t fall straight down, it poofed out a bit.  He had wire-rimmed round glasses and he was sporting a dark brown cowboy hat, the chin strap hanging loosely, the bead not pushed up against his chin.  The hat was of an older style, the brim flat, not curled against the hat crown – the kind of hat that offers better face and neck protection from the sun.

The reality of the workday set in hours ago but it hasn’t been able to get me back into that early morning funk.  Nothing has changed as far as the work that needs to be done both at the office and at home…the only thing that has changed is the boost I received from my early morning encounter with the cowboy and his orange Chevrolet.

Laughter Is The Best Medicine…

…so here are two funnies for you.

This one was e-mailed from my brother.  He doesn’t forward e-mails very often so when he does, you can be assured that they are funny!

HYPNOTIST AT THE SENIOR CENTER

It was entertainment night at the Senior Center . 

Claude the hypnotist exclaimed: “I’m here to put you into a trance.  I intend to hypnotize each and every member of the audience.”

The excitement was almost electric as Claude withdrew a beautiful antique pocket watch from his coat. “I want you each to keep your eye on this antique watch.  It’s a very special watch. It’s been in my family for six generations”

He began to swing the watch gently back and forth while quietly chanting, “Watch the watch, watch the watch, watch the watch. . .”

The crowd became mesmerized as the watch swayed back and forth, light gleaming off its polished surface.  Hundreds of pairs eyes followed the swaying watch, until suddenly, it slipped from the hypnotist’s fingers and fell to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces.
 
“SHIT!” said the Hypnotist.

It took three days to clean up the Senior Center.  Claude was never invited back to entertain.

This video was e-mailed to me by my friend and fellow NASCAR lover Kelly.  Even if you’re not a fan of NASCAR you will definitely enjoy the humor as the boys play the game on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon…

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2009/09/nascar-drivers-play-shock-absorbers/

You’ll probably have to watch a 30 second commercial first, but trust me, both the commercial and the chatter before the game starts are so rewarded by the game itself…

Ortega Highway

There is a state route that directly connects the Southern California Inland Empire area to the San Luis Capistrano area of Orange County.  This route is 74….otherwise known as Ortega Highway.  It’s a two lane road that on the eastern side (Lake Elsinore) winds its way up the Santa Ana Mountains before taking a gently winding journey through the Cleveland National Forest before ending near the coast in Orange County.

The good news about this journey is that it is VERY scenic!  The bad news is that there is an east-to-west section, about a mile or so in length, that is beyond excrutiating for me.  Once I’m past that, the rest of the 20+ mile drive is awesome! 

So, why the stressful mile?  Here’s what happened to me this past Saturday during the drive…

I made a right hand turn onto Ortega Highway and proceeded up the next two miles fine and dandy.  Then I encountered the yellow and black sign with 25mph in the middle of a circular line with an arrow at one end, signalling a change in direction involved than a U-turn, and one that also meant I was now going to be in the outside lane instead of the inside lane.

That’s when “it” happened….

My heart started thumping, sweat made itself known, the CD player was silenced, the A/C was turned on, the steering wheel was clenched (ditto for my teeth), my ears began popping, my eyes focused on the double yellow line and the realization that I had coffee but no breakfast was recognized as a very bad decision as nothing was calming the caffeine racing through my veins.

Why was all of this happening?

Along that infamous west-bound mile, there are very few, if any, guardrails.

So?

Let’s just say that a mis-judgement of 4 feet could make me nothing more than a memory.  These photos I took a couple years ago when I had pulled over to one of the many look-outs and…well…looked out!

North Lake Elsinore

South Lake Elsinore

The key here is that these views are awesome because the mountain side is pretty much vertical, it’s not one of those nice sloping kind, so when you’re driving in the outside lane, the road curves left and all you see in front of you before you follow the road is blue sky, you know that there is no hope if you make any error either on your own or with the help of another driver.

After surviving that scary mile, driving the interior portion of the highway is a blast!  Twists and turns that engage the driver rather than lull said driver offer incredible opportunities for sightseeing (and picture taking even while driving) as well as a just plain fun driving experience. 

Driving West on Ortega Highway

Driving East on Ortega

Though easily tempted, there is no need for any bravado other than that which is recognized when one safely reaches a destination at the other end of the road.  The windy nature of this road, the false sense of ease that accompanies all but that fearfull mile and the awesome scenery that draws ones eye from the road sometimes pull together to create “vehicle over the side” alerts on Sigalert.  Yep, as in over the edge, off the road, down the cliff…whatever phrase you prefer. 

Remembering that this is a two lane windy road, tempers can be riled if slow drivers don’t pull over into any of the numerous turnouts and let the faster drivers pass.  The end result?  More activity on Sigalert for accidents caused by passing on a no-passing road.

If the beginning of this road bothers me so much you may wonder why I drove on it.  This past Saturday I took a gardening workshop at a nursery on this road so it’s the fastest and most direct way to get from here to there.  There are additional workshops on each of the next seven Saturdays that I’m going to attend, and I’m going to get there by taking Ortega.  Hopefully after another week or so I’ll enjoy driving the ENTIRE highway, nasty mile included.

One thing for sure, I’ll have a good breakfast before I head out, not just coffee.

How I Spent My Late Afternoon

This afternoon I looked out the sliding glass doors and saw a lizard on the block wall behind my house.  I grabbed my camera, quietly opened the sliding glass door, slid the screen door and looked up in dismay as said lizard scurried away.

Ten minutes later I looked out the window and the lizard was back!  I repeated the above exercise and even took a couple steps onto my patio before the lizard went back into hiding.

For the next 3/4 hour I looked out the window at least a dozen times, and each time, the frown sagged further down my face because the only thing climbing the block wall was, well…the blocks!

Backyard Block Wall

See…nothing but blocks 

But do you see that vertical cut in the wall?  The cut is there for earthquake reasons — there is a bit of mortar in some areas, but the majority is open in order to allow the wall sections to move with the earth.  This will supposedly prevent the wall from falling over by reducing the stress on a shaking wall (I’m all for NOT testing that theory!).

I don’t know what motivated me to do this, but I grabbed my camera (again) and went out to the cut to see what I could see.  And what do you think I saw?  Yep — a couple feet above the ground, safely tucked into the cut was the lizard!

"I see you" said the lizard to the camera!

After taking a couple pictures I slowly stood up and was stunned to find this guy about 3 feet higher up!

"I'm camera shy"

At this point I really didn’t care how silly I looked to anyone who happened to see me.  My face and camera were nearly pinned to the wall as I lizard-watched but that was fine by me even if anyone who saw me thought I was standing against the wall as punishment for something (remember having to stand in the corner when you messed up?). 

I tried waiting patiently for the upper lizard to look at me but he was not in a co-operative mood so I scratched the block to the right of the cut, hoping to awaken his curiosity.

But…

He’s not a cat, he’s a lizard, and I don’t think they’re curious creatures.

Why?

Though I did succeed in getting the lizard to move, instead of getting a picture perfect post, I got this advice…

KISS MY ASS!!!

Classy vs. Class-less

Is it just me or are the examples of these two behaviors becoming more and more commonplace amongst those we regular folk have elevated to celebrity or hero status?

Just to be sure we’re of the same mind, let me define the two terms as I see them. 

Classy behavior is that which leaves the critics with nothing to complain about except that the person in question was “too nice” or “hiding their true emotions”.  This person is cliche city – lives by the golden rule, doesn’t say anything if they can’t say something nice, views life as the glass is half full, etc.  In short, this person is the best role model possible.

Class-less behavior is that which has critics and we common folk referring to the person in question as a spoiled brat.  This person believes that because they are who they are, the world should revolve around them – their wants, needs, desires and beliefs.  This is most evident in situations known as “the heat of the moment”, the  times which truly separate the classy from the class-less.

Now, for the most recent example in the world of celebrities…

CLASS-LESS

Kayne West.  Just in case you’ve been experimenting with an across the board news blackout, including but not limited to television, internet, newspaper and radio, I’ll fill you in.  Sunday night, September 13th, at the VMA’s (Video Music Awards), Taylor Swift won for best female video.  While this teenager was on-stage giving her acceptance speech “Mr.” West jumped up on the stage, took away her microphone (mid-speech), told her she had a lot of talent then proceeded to tell everyone watching that Beyonce had THE best video ever!

Here to represent the celebrity crowd…

CLASSY

Taylor Swift.  Not once did this composed, okay – shocked, 19-year old utter any of the unkind thoughts that surely made themselves known at least once in her head.  The worst thing I heard her say was along the lines of “I was excited to be here, I was excited to win, then I wasn’t.”  Everywhere Taylor has turned in the days following the incident, questions were peppered at her but her responses have never even come close to including anything negative about Kayne.

Beyonce.  After winning Video of The Year, this classy lady’s acceptance speech went something like this…I remember being 17 and being so excited at my first Awards show with Destiny’s Child.  So I’d like to invite Taylor back out here so she can finish her speech…  That was it, nothing more was said by Beyonce.  Though some critics have said that it was a publicity stunt directed by Beyonce’s handlers so they could take advantage of what would become THE most talked about moment at the VMA’s, the gesture was cleary seen as genuine by every member in attendance as they quickly gave both ladies a standing ovation. 

Representing the political arena…

CLASS-LESS

South Carolina Republican Representative Joe Wilson.  “You Lie”.  Two words that reverberated throughout the chambers, city, nation and I’m sure, world.  In the heat of the moment, he forgot to engage his brain before engaging his mouth, and his disprution of President Obama’s speech on health care is still making news nearly two weeks later.

House of Representatives.  This Democratically controlled body of our government has elected to keep this um…error in judgement…alive and in the forefront of the news by voting to admonish Wilson because in addition to the outburst, he refused to apologize to the House (he had already apologized to the President).  It should surprise no one that for the most part, the vote went along party lines.  The result?  Wasted taxpayer dollars and more fuel added to the partisanship that is our national government. 

A sad postscript to this story is that had the politcal parties been reversed, the same result would have occurred.  Sometimes we elect the most party loyal/logic stupid people!

CLASSY

Barack Obama.  Apology from Rep. Wilson heard and accepted, and for President Obama, the issue is over and it’s time to move on to the important issues. 

Time now to hop, skip and jump into the sports world…

CLASS-LESS

Serena Williams.  Roger Federer.  Yep, two examples from the U.S. Open Tennis tournament.  Honestly, on this one I think Federer demonstrated a larger lack of class given Serena’s example happened in advance of his, and he should have known better given the public fall-out for Serena.

“Ladies” before “Gentlemen”…

A foot fault was called against Serena in a semi-final match between her and Kim Clijsters.  Granted, such a fault is often overlooked, especially in the final matches, but it happened and was called.  Serena not only made a verbal attack against the line judge but she also moved towards her in a threatening manner.  This was her second violation in the match – the first occurred when Serena slammer her tennis raquet into the court so hard that she broke it. 

The penalty for this second offense?  One point given to her opponent.  In this case, said point also handed the match to said opponent, Kim Clijsters (who eventually won the tournament).  Was Serena sorry?  Not based upon her comments in the post-match press conference.

Ahhh…the men MUST top the women so in steps Roger Federer.  He was so upset at the length of time it was taking a line judge to make calls that Roger ended up in a verbal altercation with the umpire where his speech was riddled with profanity.

CLASSY

All linespeople and umpires for not only standing their ground, but for doing so in a professional way that only furthered to illustrate the spoiled and self-centered behavior exhibited by the athletes.

Now I have a question for you, the readers.  Aren’t you just peachy-kin thrilled that so many people in our society, both young and old, look up to our celebrities as role models?  There are awesome examples to follow, but unfortunately, the press only spotlights the negative; most of the positive examples I listed above are MINE, they’re not ones you’re going to find highlighted in news stories.