What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I enjoyed Disneyland along with a gazillion other people...

I went camping...I did not swim

I took some pictures, but summer light is pretty crappy so...

I went to an airshow...pretty cool. Wish I owned a good telephoto lens tho'.

Wandered around a car show in 100+ degrees

Acted like a tourist at Old Town (San Diego) - can highly recommend the Margaritas here!

I hit up The Presidio - but I should have gotten there earlier...

Finished off the summer with a mini vaca at Harrah's for Tory's b'day...yummy!

And...celebrated birthdays till I bled frosting!

Happy Birthday!

Good times!

Pink Streak

I don't have a 'pink' theme going. Pinky swear! But this weed/bush jumped into my path so I grabbed a quick shot and stumbled on my merry way. I found a really cool walking spot pretty close to home. Arlo loves it! Unfortunately, I probably shouldn't be walking it alone since there was evidence of multiple homeless camps set up. Arlo is worse than useless as a protector, although he might bark if he thought it would gain him a headstart. He doesn't really get the whole 'I'm a great big dog with super big teeth and I'm barking to warn you not to mess with me'. He's more the 'I'm barking in the hope that some big bi-ped will take mercy on me and come save my ass'. Well, he's cute, he doesn't pee on my feet and he's happy with the same damn menu every day.

Pink - In No Moderation

This is a happy picture. It brings to mind candy and strawberries and summer and shorts. All things bright and beautiful. This is in direct contrast to my frame of mind, so I offer this up to direct my mind to the antithesis of cold, ugly, mean and dark.

Hikaru Dorodango - The Ancient Art of Mudballs

This is sooo cool! I am going to do this as soon as I get a chance. Hikaru Dorodango are balls of mud (!), molded by hand into as perfect a sphere as you can get it, dried, then polished with more dirt to a depth of shine that seems impossible. The process is simple and straight forward, but the results are pure magic! Check it out here: http://www.dorodango.com/about.html

I'll let you know how it goes.

Take a Beating Sunday

My teams lost. Totally bummed on both the Padres & Chargers. And I don't want to talk about it any more - it's just too painful. Yeah, I know, dontcha just hate those people whose lives rise and fall with their teams score? Me too. I've become kinked from living in an all male household. Fall Sundays are all day sports fests, broken only by frequent trips to the frig for beer and only slightly less frequent sojourns to the bathroom to expel all that beer. Between games or at a convenient half-time we barbeque then eat in front of the tv with our fingers. We don need no steenkin forks! Ours is a vegetable and carbohydrate-free repast. MEAT. Ribs of every variety, fish, weenies (for all the kids), chicken and of course, no Sunday Game Day is complete without the shrimp appetizer. Every once in a while, as a concession to the women, a bag of chips (carbohydrate!) and a tiny bowl of guacamole (vegetable/fruit!) is thrown on the coffee table as an afterthought. Woohoo!

I'm striving for balance in my life and still looking for my inner girl. But I'm not gonna find it on a Sunday at my house.

Done! Fini! Case Closed.

I quit my job. I did not give 2 weeks notice. I have never done that before. I am responsible. I am considerate. I do the right thing. Well...mostly. I absolutely unequivocally HATED my job. It was none of the things I'd been led to believe throughout the interviewing process. My first thought upon waking was 'how can I get out of going to work today?' If I could only have a car accident and maybe break an arm! On my way to work I began to unravel; dizzy, unable to breathe and my heart would pound in my throat. Just getting through the work day was an exercise in doggedness. By the time I was out of there I was exhausted. Bone weary and mentally wasted. It wasn't that the work was so demanding - it wasn't. It was that I HATED it and the energy expenditure of that was greater than my reserves. The work was boring and pedantic, involving little creativity, interaction or even thought. Did I mention I hated it?

I resigned on a Tuesday. My eye stopped twitching! I feel great! I'm broke and I don't care! I think I'll go to school and learn Web Design. Maybe. I might decide to twirl signs on the street corner. ? I don't know what I'll do but it for damn sure is going to be something I enjoy. Life's too short.