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Happy Independence Day
Go get your BBQ on, and while you’re enjoying feast, family and fireworks and a long weekend, let’s remember what we’re celebrating, what our little experiment in democracy means, how much we have gained these last 230 years, and just how much we stand to lose. Happy Birthday, America. Let’s all work together to make this the best country we can. K? (It’s been awhile since I read the whole document, which is indeed a very dangerous document – It brought about a complete change in government, after all – so if you’re interested in having a read, click here.)
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This Is Us*
A few nights ago, I was up watching Sex and the City DVDs, and it was the episode where Miranda and Steve get married. Miranda was saying that she didn’t want the cookie cutter wedding, didn’t want someone else’s idea of a wedding, that what she wanted was a wedding that represented them, and who they were. I liked that. I liked it, because it resonated with me. I felt like we had that, a wedding that represented us, 13 years ago today. When faced with the idea of a big white dress and a long walk down the aisle, I thought, “Well, that’s nice for other folks, but not…
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Mark Knopfler/Emmylou Harris concert
Last summer, Ted’s boss had 8 tickets to see Mark Knopfler at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, and then something came up, and he couldn’t use them. He knew how much Ted loved Mark Knopfler, so he very generously gave him the tickets. No $$, just tickets. NICE! So, we rounded up the family, and we all went. It was such a great concert, with SO MUCH energy, so much fun, wonderful wonderful. We had a great time. You all know how I feel about Dire Straits, and this was a great concert, because he played a lot of the old Dire Straits material for it. Friday was the last…
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Saturday Dog Blogging
I know, dog blogging is supposed to be on Fridays, but oh well. Sue me. 😉 Maya has requested that I write a blog telling how we got Genevieve. I have mentioned it once before, when we had dog visitors, but here’s the whole story. Back in 2002, we decided we were ready for a dog. Ted and I had both had dogs a lot as children…Ted a series of dogs, his favorite being Chamailie, and me one dog, my beloved Samantha. I had Samantha for 16 years, and when she died, it broke my heart. So I wasn’t ready for a dog for quite awhile. Add to that the…
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Almost Famous
Back in 2002, before I knew what the word ‘blog’ meant, before I realized the obsession and time suck that is the blogging world, I discovered the obsession and time suckiness of genealogy. My great-great Aunt had written a letter back in 1963, which appeared to detail our family tree back aways, and I thought a nice birthday gift to give my mom would be a map of the family tree for her wall. As I tried to put it together, I realized that there were holes and inconsistencies in the letter, and so I had to try to figure as many as possible out. What I discovered was that…
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Children Who Feel Empty…
I found this article in my SF Chronicle Magazine, from Sunday’s newspaper. It’s pretty long, but worth a look if you have some time. Really, there’s nothing here that I haven’t thought before…too many kids today are overscheduled, over-pressured, and very unhappy because of it. One thought that came to me, though, is that this story is about upper-middle to upper-class kids…what about the lower-middle and lower-class kids. When their parents push them and push them, isn’t it supposed to be a sign of caring? And conversely, if they DON’T push them, isn’t that a sign of failure? Where’s the happy medium? The article, which is really exerpts from the…
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Welcome to the World of Blogging!
Maya’s Granny, aka, my Mom, has decided to give this blogging thing a whirl, since she enjoys reading other peoples’ blogs so much. Go check her out. :)Â
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Everything Old is New Again
My buddy Neva and I went to dinner and a little shopping on Monday evening, and one of the places we ended up was Sephora. I wanted to get some Lorac mascara, as recommended by Gina. The girls who worked there had the bright, multi-colored eye shadow that was semi-popular in the mid-80s. You know, like Cyndi Lauper here used to wear. Seeing them made me think a couple of thoughts… 1st, boy, I’m getting old, because things that were trendy when I was in college are coming back around. 2nd, it reminded me of my mindset when I tried these looks…I just wanted to be cool. That was the…
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This Just In…Politicians SUCK
How else to explain the vote this week in the Senate, which would give the Congress the power to ban flag burning? What can this be, if not pandering to the right wing before the November elections? As to flag burning itself, I hate to see it. I do not enjoy watching someone burn a flag on TV, because of what it represents, the hatred which that person holds for America. Usually when you see a flag burned, it is happening in a foreign land, and the people there are ANGRY with America. I guess I just want to be liked, want my country to be liked, and I hate…
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Katy’s Kreek
Last weekend, we went to one of our favorite breakfast restaurants, called Katy’s Korner, in San Ramon. They are located in a little strip mall, and it’s kind of country kitchenish, and they have very yummy breakfasts. Ted loves the California Benedict, which is eggs benedict with avocado and turkey instead of the usual Canadian bacon. They have 9 different benedicts, some for vegetarians, some with crab or shrimp or smoked salmon. Mmmm. Tasty. They also have wonderful banana pancakes, and great omelets. Last weekend, I tried the Huevos Rancheros, which was a first for me. Tres’ Yummy. So, it turns out that Katy’s Korner has a new sister restaurant,…
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Why I Love Dire Straits
Saturday I went to the fabulous Dorothy’s house for her birthday party, where we wilted in the heat, got smart and came inside, drank margaritas and ate yummy food. It was a lovely time overall. Thanks, Dorothy! One of the guests, an across the street neighbor, had a DVD for Live Aid, which we popped in and watched. LOVED it. LOVED seeing my first husband back when he was younger (That’s David Bowie, and don’t worry, Ted was married to Michelle Pfieffer at the time, so he wasn’t jealous….and yes, when he sang, “I, I will be king, and you, you will be my queen” It only APPEARED that he…
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You Could Write a Book Full of the Stuff I Don’t Know…Make that a LIBRARY
I saw this on Ally Bean’s site, and thought I would give it a try. She rightly says that college was a long time ago, but really, I don’t think I ever knew the ones I missed. Sigh. Famous Monkey Challenge Quiz Your Final Quiz Score: 30 right out of a possible 60 The Monkey’s Final Score: 12 right out of 60 Well done, you have sent the monkey to his defeat. Your score is unquestionably higher, and thus the lowly monkey has been proven once again to be humankind’s intellectual inferior. Good work, however your score does leave room for improvement. We should like to see the human dominate…
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Calling All Dead Heads
Any Greatful Dead fans in the audience? Ted did an awesome interview, just for fun, with a HUGE Dead fan who works with him. I’m not a huge fan, but it’s fun to listen to someone who is, and hear what a smart guy who loves the music has to say. Go check it out. 🙂
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Resistance Is Futile
Now that I’m working from home, phone calls have been coming to my home phone, which I don’t really like. Sometimes someone else wants to use the phone, or if it’s during work hours, Ted and Maya feel funny answering it. Options: 1. A second phone line. 2. Vonage. 3. A cell phone. Let’s look at these, one at a time. 1. I don’t really have a big problem with a second phone line, but I’m not sure of the intricasies of having one for work, and having maybe a different calling plan than our regular phone. Our regular phone has no special provisions for long distance during the week,…
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Why do we live here again? Can anyone remind me?
Maya said she likes Girl Scout Camp, but it’s pretty hot, and I think she’s starting to get a little bit bored with doing the same activities every day. And seeing as how we’re in the middle of a fairly fierce heat wave, with the crappy air quality that goes with it, I don’t blame her for not really enjoying being outside all day. Right now it’s 11:20 in the morning, and it’s already 91 degrees. Blech. Maybe we should move to Portland. Today: Plentiful sunshine. Very hot. High 106F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Mainly clear. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow:…