Yes, I am posting this 2 days in a row - that's how much I love this song! It may become my theme song.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday Evening Weekend Wrap Up
This weekend was a bit of a blur. Emotionally I was all over the map, had some weirdly disturbing dreams, and stayed up way too late. I however did NOT do any work for work. I needed time away from that part of my life.
Friday I worked in The Boys' classroom in the afternoon, and spent the evening doing laundry and dishes and getting ready for Saturday, so it was kind of mellow. I did drive The Dude to pick up his truck after it got a new fuel pump, which is what I had diagnosed was the issue all along (without even having driven it), but of course he had to replace the O2 sensor, and talk about replacing the computer. I didn't say "I told you so", but there is a hole in my tongue. The had a late soccer game and The Boys and I hung out.
Saturday morning at 8:00, I was supposed to be at The Boys' school again, helping to spread crushed gravel on the track. However, The Youngest had a baseball game, and had to be at the field at 8:30 with The Dude, and The Oldest and I were kind of slow moving, and didn't make it. I had my usual class where I had to leave by 9:30, The Oldest had a Tae Kwon Do review at 12:30, I worked the snack bar from 2:30-5:30, and we went to some friends' house for dinner. Dinner was relaxing, but I felt bad because I sent The Dude and The Boys while I was working and didn't get there until late. I also felt like I was running all day long. Finally back home and in bed about midnight.
Sunday I desperately wanted to sleep in. I was even all set to do that until my subconscious stepped in with a series of vivid and disturbing dreams that included sexual encounters, squids falling from the sky, tattoos, piercings, a flash flood, homeless people and drowning. After getting out of bed, The Dude had to leave for a soccer game. I made breakfast for The Boys and did dishes and finished the laundry. I decided to be outside, and wash my car. The Boys and I went out to do just that, and had just finished emptying the trash and taking out the floor mats when The Dude arrived from soccer to say he needed my car to show property as soon as he was out of the shower. So we put that on hold, I threw the mats in the wash, and went out back to work in the garden. I pulled some weeds, scooped the poop, and got to the volunteer berry bush that was starting to take over, but couldn't find my heavy gloves, so that went on hold too. I had a snack while listening to music in the yard and trying to figure out what to do next. Ended up pulling the mats out to discover I may have broken the washer with that load. Great. Fed The Boys lunch and by then The Dude was home. Was able to finish washing the car, and decided to also wash the dogs. Went to pick up new gloves, and also picked up 3 more tomato plants, a pepper plant, strawberry and basil plants, and onion seeds. I thought I had all my seeds from last year, but couldn't find them when I got home - I seem to recall (now) that they may have gotten into some water and rotted last year. I still have swiss chard coming up from last year as well as an artichoke plant that hasn't flowered either of the 2 years we've had it, but for fresh artichokes I'll wait as long as it takes. I pulled the thorny bush, planted all but the peppers, and hung the 2 tomato buckets that have been growing for about 3 weeks. An aside - I found many slugs under the buckets. I still need to get my squash and maybe some broccoli in. Maybe some melons too, but I've had horrible luck with those over the past few years. Went grocery shopping and made a roast for dinner. Read with The Boys and FINALLY got to sit down and catch up with some of my DVR from the last few weeks.
Friday I worked in The Boys' classroom in the afternoon, and spent the evening doing laundry and dishes and getting ready for Saturday, so it was kind of mellow. I did drive The Dude to pick up his truck after it got a new fuel pump, which is what I had diagnosed was the issue all along (without even having driven it), but of course he had to replace the O2 sensor, and talk about replacing the computer. I didn't say "I told you so", but there is a hole in my tongue. The had a late soccer game and The Boys and I hung out.
Saturday morning at 8:00, I was supposed to be at The Boys' school again, helping to spread crushed gravel on the track. However, The Youngest had a baseball game, and had to be at the field at 8:30 with The Dude, and The Oldest and I were kind of slow moving, and didn't make it. I had my usual class where I had to leave by 9:30, The Oldest had a Tae Kwon Do review at 12:30, I worked the snack bar from 2:30-5:30, and we went to some friends' house for dinner. Dinner was relaxing, but I felt bad because I sent The Dude and The Boys while I was working and didn't get there until late. I also felt like I was running all day long. Finally back home and in bed about midnight.
Sunday I desperately wanted to sleep in. I was even all set to do that until my subconscious stepped in with a series of vivid and disturbing dreams that included sexual encounters, squids falling from the sky, tattoos, piercings, a flash flood, homeless people and drowning. After getting out of bed, The Dude had to leave for a soccer game. I made breakfast for The Boys and did dishes and finished the laundry. I decided to be outside, and wash my car. The Boys and I went out to do just that, and had just finished emptying the trash and taking out the floor mats when The Dude arrived from soccer to say he needed my car to show property as soon as he was out of the shower. So we put that on hold, I threw the mats in the wash, and went out back to work in the garden. I pulled some weeds, scooped the poop, and got to the volunteer berry bush that was starting to take over, but couldn't find my heavy gloves, so that went on hold too. I had a snack while listening to music in the yard and trying to figure out what to do next. Ended up pulling the mats out to discover I may have broken the washer with that load. Great. Fed The Boys lunch and by then The Dude was home. Was able to finish washing the car, and decided to also wash the dogs. Went to pick up new gloves, and also picked up 3 more tomato plants, a pepper plant, strawberry and basil plants, and onion seeds. I thought I had all my seeds from last year, but couldn't find them when I got home - I seem to recall (now) that they may have gotten into some water and rotted last year. I still have swiss chard coming up from last year as well as an artichoke plant that hasn't flowered either of the 2 years we've had it, but for fresh artichokes I'll wait as long as it takes. I pulled the thorny bush, planted all but the peppers, and hung the 2 tomato buckets that have been growing for about 3 weeks. An aside - I found many slugs under the buckets. I still need to get my squash and maybe some broccoli in. Maybe some melons too, but I've had horrible luck with those over the past few years. Went grocery shopping and made a roast for dinner. Read with The Boys and FINALLY got to sit down and catch up with some of my DVR from the last few weeks.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wow, a week already?
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| From J9 and stuff |
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Happy Anniversary to us!
I know many people congratulate themselves on reaching a blog anniversary, but mine isn't for a bit (July).
However, today is the 19th anniversary of The Dude and my wedding. So I am wishing us a happy 19th anniversary. This past year has been hairy from a relationship point of view and we are working on our communication difficulties in order to grow closer to each other.
Happy anniversary Dude!
However, today is the 19th anniversary of The Dude and my wedding. So I am wishing us a happy 19th anniversary. This past year has been hairy from a relationship point of view and we are working on our communication difficulties in order to grow closer to each other.
Happy anniversary Dude!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Music Monday and RIP
While I was on vacation with my family, three notable people passed from this world into the next. I can only imagine the conversation they had at the pearly gates...
Firstly Al Ross, former boxer and the founder of Doggie Diner. I've been talking about Doggie Diner lately having just adopted a dashchund who resmbles the DD mascot, minus the chef's hat and bow tie.
Secondly Dixie Carter, actress and singer. I LOVED her character on Designing Women. She was one fireball of a woman, and will be missed:
Thirdly Meinhardt Raabe, actor and most well known as the Munchkin Coroner in The Wizard of Oz, and as Little Oscar, in the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile:
Rest in Peace to all.
Firstly Al Ross, former boxer and the founder of Doggie Diner. I've been talking about Doggie Diner lately having just adopted a dashchund who resmbles the DD mascot, minus the chef's hat and bow tie.
Secondly Dixie Carter, actress and singer. I LOVED her character on Designing Women. She was one fireball of a woman, and will be missed:
Thirdly Meinhardt Raabe, actor and most well known as the Munchkin Coroner in The Wizard of Oz, and as Little Oscar, in the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile:
Rest in Peace to all.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday Morning Spring Break Round Up - Part 3
Day 3 found us without a plan, and so we slept in. The Dude looked up some things to do in the area, and we decided on going to the USS Midway. Drove South for about an hour and toured the Midway. the Youngest will never be a Navy man, because being below deck freaked him out. He whinned the whole time about wanting to get out, but loved sitting in all of the cockpits and planes and helicopters. The Oldest actually liked the tour as weel (I thought he'd be bored). Ended up with a late lunch in Old Town San Diego. Once back at the condo, I took The Boys swimming while The Dude napped. We ended up snacking for dinner, and headed home the next morning. Overall a great time spending time together, and my only regret was not spending time at the beach. A beach trip is in order to renew myself, and soon.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Sunday Morning Spring Break Round Up - Part 2
On day 2, we decided to surprise The Boys and got up early to drive the hour to Disneyland. We didn't tell them where we were going, and they figured it out when we got to the freeway exit. We spent 14 hours in the park, and Downtown Disney, had dinner at House of Blues, and watched the fireworks from outside the restaurant. Had to DRAG The Oldest on Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones. He cried in every line, working up tears worthy of an Oscar nomination. As soon as we got off of Pirates he wanted to go again. Haunted Mansion, he admited, was not that bad (though he hated the stetching room at the beginning), And he spent Indiana Jones with his head buried between his arms, white knuckling the hand rail, and only looked up on the 3 times I told him that Indy was there. The Youngest loved all of the rides, but did spend Indiana Jones with his eyes closed, a serene smile on his face. He was in his happy place, and made me worry about causing multiple personality disorder. They really loved Toon Town, and the Roger Rabbit ride. They rode together, while The Dude tried to make me barf by spinning the taxi. Oh, and while in line for Indiana Jones, The Oldest read the warning sign about heart and stomach problems, pregnancy, etc., turned to me and we had the the following exchange:
The Oldest (quite concerned): Mom, do I have high blood pressure?
Me: No honey, you are 9, and do not have high blood pressure.
The Oldest: Do you have high blood pressure?
Me: Yes honey, I do.
The Oldest: Well, you can't ride this ride. I'll wait with you.
Me: Honey, I take medicine for my high blood pressure, and I'll be fine on this ride. I've ridden it before, and survived, and you will too.
This was followed by more begging and tears. Finally, The Dude made a deal with him that if The Oldest got off the ride and didn't say he wanted to go again, he would be paid $5.00, AND we would not make him go on another ride all day. As soon as we were off the ride, I asked if he wanted to go again. He shook his head, smiled and held out his hand for the money. Later in the day, another family was in line behind us and trying to talk their son (who looked about 9) into going on Indiana Jones. They asked The Oldest if it was scary. He shook his head no, saw our raised eyebrows, and quickly qualified his answer with, "but I'm not going on it again."
Also, The Youngest was really mad that he wasn't picked for the Jedi training show until we explained that he was an actual Jedi, he already knew all the moves they did, so he wasn't a Paduan, and didn't need the training. After that, he was much happier.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
The Oldest (quite concerned): Mom, do I have high blood pressure?
Me: No honey, you are 9, and do not have high blood pressure.
The Oldest: Do you have high blood pressure?
Me: Yes honey, I do.
The Oldest: Well, you can't ride this ride. I'll wait with you.
Me: Honey, I take medicine for my high blood pressure, and I'll be fine on this ride. I've ridden it before, and survived, and you will too.
This was followed by more begging and tears. Finally, The Dude made a deal with him that if The Oldest got off the ride and didn't say he wanted to go again, he would be paid $5.00, AND we would not make him go on another ride all day. As soon as we were off the ride, I asked if he wanted to go again. He shook his head, smiled and held out his hand for the money. Later in the day, another family was in line behind us and trying to talk their son (who looked about 9) into going on Indiana Jones. They asked The Oldest if it was scary. He shook his head no, saw our raised eyebrows, and quickly qualified his answer with, "but I'm not going on it again."
Also, The Youngest was really mad that he wasn't picked for the Jedi training show until we explained that he was an actual Jedi, he already knew all the moves they did, so he wasn't a Paduan, and didn't need the training. After that, he was much happier.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Sunday Morning Spring Break Round Up - Part 1
Well, I've been off line for a week or so, though still reading personal e-mails and posting on fb from vacation.
Our first day in Southern California, spent in Legoland was really fun. We were kind of bummed that the place was only open for 8 hours, but it was worth the trip. None of us had ever been there, and The Boys loved it! The coolest part was that many of the rides are rider powered. You pull yourself up for the drop ride, you pedal the rollercoaster, you pump the water to spray. There is also a robot arm ride where you can select the intensity of the ride from 1-5. The Dude rode it alone (because the rest of us are chicken), on 5 and said it was a great ride. You can see a video of it here:
Obviously, not The Dude, but it gives you the level 5 ride.
We spent the final 2 hours of the day in the water park and we were all exhausted at the end of the day.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Our first day in Southern California, spent in Legoland was really fun. We were kind of bummed that the place was only open for 8 hours, but it was worth the trip. None of us had ever been there, and The Boys loved it! The coolest part was that many of the rides are rider powered. You pull yourself up for the drop ride, you pedal the rollercoaster, you pump the water to spray. There is also a robot arm ride where you can select the intensity of the ride from 1-5. The Dude rode it alone (because the rest of us are chicken), on 5 and said it was a great ride. You can see a video of it here:
Obviously, not The Dude, but it gives you the level 5 ride.
We spent the final 2 hours of the day in the water park and we were all exhausted at the end of the day.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
This year's Easter Basket Treasure Hunt
The Easter Bunny once again hid The Boys' baskets and set them on a hunt. I took these shots with my iphone, so apologies for quality - it was difficult enough to get them to stand still at all!
The clues and answers follow:
1. Welcome to your Easter Basket hunt! The clues are fun, your hunt is true, at the end your baskets are
A. The Dude's guitar case.
4. When you take a bath or go to pee, the next clue is what you’ll see.
A. Inside the bathtub
5. It’s a sign of the season in the dirt out front, your clue if you want.
A. The "Spring" yard sign
6. As high as you can climb, way out back and under the roof there is where you’ll find some proof.
A. Inside the roof of the fort
7. When you run out of juice or milk before of the store, you go here to look for more.
A. Garage fridge
The clues and answers follow:
waiting for you! Hold on to your seat – the first clue is where Dad grills his meat.
A. The BBQ Gril on the Back Patio
2. If a clue is feeling awful, maybe it would like a waffle.
A. The kitchen freezer
3. It has six strings, and plays a fine tune, on the case of dad’s in the living room.
A. The Dude's guitar case.
A. Inside the bathtub
A. The "Spring" yard sign
A. Inside the roof of the fort
A. Garage fridge
8. Take out the trash, and you may find a clue of a different kind.
A. Outside trashcan
9. Where your Mom lays her head, your final clue can be read.
A. Under my pillow
(and the photo of this was so blurry, it really could have been anywhere)
10. If you are looking for a banjo or some games to play, you know where your baskets have space to stay.
A. Playroom closet
Happy Easter All!
Friday, April 2, 2010
My Town Shoot Out - Bokeh Updated
I found additional images on my other computer - they are at the end of the post.
I love bokeh, and didn't know what they were called until pretty recently, so I scoured my backlog for them, as I've got an assignment due tomorrow...
Bokeh is the choice this week from T of Picture This. "In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light." Differences in lens aberrations and aperture shape cause some lens designs to blur the image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce blurring that is unpleasant or distracting— "good" or "bad" bokeh, respectively. Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions."
I encourage you to go and see everyone's contributions here or here.
These are all from my archives on Picassa:
And I felt bad for not having anything better all ready to go, AND I've been wanting to play with bokeh for a while - I may get the chance, once this semester ends!!
Found some more while looking at images to turn in tomorrow!!
Pretty much all Bokeh shot intentially this way:
Good Weekend to all!
I love bokeh, and didn't know what they were called until pretty recently, so I scoured my backlog for them, as I've got an assignment due tomorrow...
Bokeh is the choice this week from T of Picture This. "In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light." Differences in lens aberrations and aperture shape cause some lens designs to blur the image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce blurring that is unpleasant or distracting— "good" or "bad" bokeh, respectively. Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions."
I encourage you to go and see everyone's contributions here or here.
These are all from my archives on Picassa:
 |
| From J9 and stuff |
 |
| From J9 and stuff |
 |
| From J9 and stuff |
Found some more while looking at images to turn in tomorrow!!
Pretty much all Bokeh shot intentially this way:
Foreground Bokeh, intentionally shot:
Good Weekend to all!
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