Name: Anduin Anduin
From: California, United States
About me: I'm a So Cal girl born and raised. I've known my husband for over 19 years and we've been married for 15. My cat is also 15 years old and his name is Yoshi. He is the ruler of the house and has me under complete submission using his super feline mind control abilities.
Anduin's World
FAVORITE SAYINGS, THINGS I LIVE BY: If you don't ask, you don't get, What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Michigan
I landed in Detroit at 6:15 a.m. this morning and thankfully the weather is great. This place is so green and there are trees everywhere, and there are these huge open fields with these ancient looking barns dotting the landscape everywhere I've driven to today. I've been stopping along the roadside to take pictures of some of these structures.
I am enjoying myself but I do miss my husband very much. I've managed very well on my own so far; I've only gotten lost twice! I'll be posting more on Monday after I get back. See you then.
I am enjoying myself but I do miss my husband very much. I've managed very well on my own so far; I've only gotten lost twice! I'll be posting more on Monday after I get back. See you then.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
What's in a Name?
Some of my friends and family have read my blog and asked me the question “Where did you get the name Anduin Andorian from?” Well, they know it’s not my real name, so I guess they were wondering why I used it and where did it come from. When I set up my blog I didn’t want any of my personal information to be available because I didn’t know what to expect from the whole blogging experience, so I used an alias.
The name comes from when I was in high school and I began being interested in writing. I had a friend who was writing short stories so I thought I would try my hand at it too. I figured the first thing I needed to do was develop the main character of the story. I named her Anduin Andorian. I got the name Anduin from J.R.R.Tolkien’s book the Lord of the Rings. In it he writes about the Great River Anduin that flows east of the Misty Mountains. I thought it sounded very romantic and mysterious so I picked that to be my character’s first name. I’m not entirely sure anymore where Anodorian came from. I’ve done a Google search on both names and came up with lots of different things. Apparently, Andorian comes from Star Trek, the race of Andor which are the blue people with the eyeball antennas on the top of their heads. I’m pretty sure I didn’t pick it from that. I think it just flowed well with Anduin. I never wrote the story though. I got too caught up in trying to describe what my character looked like, her clothing, powers and abilities that I just decided it was too exhausting to write this way. It required too much detail, so I was left with a name and not much more.
I have been thinking about changing the name on my blog, but now people have linked me and it just seems like a bad idea so I’m going to leave it for now. My real name isn’t so romantic or mysterious but I like it just fine. Maybe if you ask nicely I’ll tell you what it is (wink, wink).
The name comes from when I was in high school and I began being interested in writing. I had a friend who was writing short stories so I thought I would try my hand at it too. I figured the first thing I needed to do was develop the main character of the story. I named her Anduin Andorian. I got the name Anduin from J.R.R.Tolkien’s book the Lord of the Rings. In it he writes about the Great River Anduin that flows east of the Misty Mountains. I thought it sounded very romantic and mysterious so I picked that to be my character’s first name. I’m not entirely sure anymore where Anodorian came from. I’ve done a Google search on both names and came up with lots of different things. Apparently, Andorian comes from Star Trek, the race of Andor which are the blue people with the eyeball antennas on the top of their heads. I’m pretty sure I didn’t pick it from that. I think it just flowed well with Anduin. I never wrote the story though. I got too caught up in trying to describe what my character looked like, her clothing, powers and abilities that I just decided it was too exhausting to write this way. It required too much detail, so I was left with a name and not much more.
I have been thinking about changing the name on my blog, but now people have linked me and it just seems like a bad idea so I’m going to leave it for now. My real name isn’t so romantic or mysterious but I like it just fine. Maybe if you ask nicely I’ll tell you what it is (wink, wink).
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Getting Ready
I’ve been getting ready for my trip to Michigan this week. I’m excited about going to see family but I’m also excited and a little nervous because I’m going solo. It’s not something I’m used to doing. Usually, anytime I go anywhere I am with my husband. This time I decided that I wanted to go alone. He’s been to Mexico several times in the last few years by himself, and being that I’m kind of competitive I want to do the same. Silly I know. So, I’ll be flying alone, then renting a car and driving to meet my aunts and cousin. After that I won’t really be alone, but it will be an adventure for sure. There is sure to be opportunity for me to get lost, maybe meet some interesting people and gain a feeling of independence.
The camera my husband bought me for the trip arrived last night. It’s a Pentax Optio, 5mp 3x optical zoom and it’s waterproof! How cool is that? The camera is tiny too, less than an inch thick so it will easily fit in a pocket. He also bought 1 gig of memory so I can take up to 400 pictures. I find that to be a challenge and I will do my best to see just how many pics I can get. Don’t worry; I won’t post them all here. I wouldn’t want to bore you to tears.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Home
I live in Southern California and I'm about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. The area is called the Inland Empire and used to be thought of as the "boonies" because 23 years ago when I moved here there wasn't much around. The city I live in is called Rancho Cucamonga (yes, it's a real place). It's a growing city and rated one of the safest cities in the nation to live. I've been here since I was 14 and I've seen this city go from being miles of vineyards and two lane streets to houses, malls and movie theatres.
Since we are so far inland from the sea, the weather can get pretty bad. We've had a couple of weeks of tripple digit heat along with high humidity. Makes it miserable to do anything outside. Air quality is bad too. Yet, people are pouring into this area to live. It's not like housing is cheap here, because it definitely is not. It's just available because there is so much open land that has not been developed yet. I've wondered myself why we continue to live here with the heat and the smog. Maybe because it's the only place that's ever felt like home. I'm familiar with it. I know where things are. Of course, if the opportunity presented itself, I would move to San Diego. I like it there, a lot. I guess it's just getting out of your comfort zone, making that life changing decision to leave all you know behind and start over again. I find that harder to do the older I get.
Since we are so far inland from the sea, the weather can get pretty bad. We've had a couple of weeks of tripple digit heat along with high humidity. Makes it miserable to do anything outside. Air quality is bad too. Yet, people are pouring into this area to live. It's not like housing is cheap here, because it definitely is not. It's just available because there is so much open land that has not been developed yet. I've wondered myself why we continue to live here with the heat and the smog. Maybe because it's the only place that's ever felt like home. I'm familiar with it. I know where things are. Of course, if the opportunity presented itself, I would move to San Diego. I like it there, a lot. I guess it's just getting out of your comfort zone, making that life changing decision to leave all you know behind and start over again. I find that harder to do the older I get.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Poem
A gentle lover
With a humble heart
Music flows from his thoughts
Always painting life
Drawing me ever nearer
Abundant joy
Builds up inside
When I see his shinning face
Laughter fills my heart
Like a little child's embrace
All at once he is there
To kiss away my tears
Nighttime brings such loneliness
But he is always near
If only in my dreams dear love
Forever hold me close
If only in my dreams dear love
Never let me go
With a humble heart
Music flows from his thoughts
Always painting life
Drawing me ever nearer
Abundant joy
Builds up inside
When I see his shinning face
Laughter fills my heart
Like a little child's embrace
All at once he is there
To kiss away my tears
Nighttime brings such loneliness
But he is always near
If only in my dreams dear love
Forever hold me close
If only in my dreams dear love
Never let me go
Enough!
Okay, I've had enough of this spam thing. No more please. Although I am getting a lot of comments...Hmmm, maybe a little controversy is a good thing.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
It's All Good
So some guber spammed me, but my wonderful, super genius husband fixed the problem for me. He is so smart, and handsome and funny. I truly am lucky to have him for my husband. For my birthday and my upcoming trip to Michigan which is next week, he bought me a very nice digital camera with lots of memory so I can take lots of pictures. Isn't he wonderful?
I Got Spammed
Some idiot spammed me so I've turned off comments until I can delete everything which will be sometime later today or tonight.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Island Dream
The beautiful islands of Tahiti. I've never been, but would like to someday.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
The Things I Do...
I’m going to Michigan at the end of July for my first family reunion. I’ve visited this side of the family before but I will be meeting some of my relatives for the first time. Being that I am a California native, some might get the impression that I am one of those golden haired, sun worshiping goddesses that you see all over the television and movies that are supposed to represent the California lifestyle. Well, I am not any of that. I am a fair skinned brunette that hates “sunning” and spends as little time in the sun as I can get away with. The result is that I am very white or pale as some would say. People often ask me if I am feeling well because there is no color in my face. It’s embarrassing sometimes, especially when people (mostly men) blurt out that I need to get a tan. Idiots. All of them.
Anyways, I wanted to go back looking somewhat “healthy” with a little color to my skin without having to bake in the sun for the next two weeks. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who happened to have some spray on tan and offered it to me. She said it was great stuff although I've never seen her use it. Even though, I thought I would try it. So I spray this stuff on my legs and it’s a red-brown color, kind of like terra-cotta. Then it says to rub and blend it all over my skin for a “natural” look.
Right….
I looked like an Oompa Loompa! No way was I going to leave this stuff on my skin. I know if my husband saw it, he would be laughing for days. So I rinsed it off and walked away from that idea. Silly me, what was I thinking? That it would work and all would be well? Shah, not! The things I do to try to fit in and be acceptable to others. So I guess I’ll just have to be me, and they’ll just have to deal with my pasty white self. Hehehe!
Anyways, I wanted to go back looking somewhat “healthy” with a little color to my skin without having to bake in the sun for the next two weeks. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who happened to have some spray on tan and offered it to me. She said it was great stuff although I've never seen her use it. Even though, I thought I would try it. So I spray this stuff on my legs and it’s a red-brown color, kind of like terra-cotta. Then it says to rub and blend it all over my skin for a “natural” look.
Right….
I looked like an Oompa Loompa! No way was I going to leave this stuff on my skin. I know if my husband saw it, he would be laughing for days. So I rinsed it off and walked away from that idea. Silly me, what was I thinking? That it would work and all would be well? Shah, not! The things I do to try to fit in and be acceptable to others. So I guess I’ll just have to be me, and they’ll just have to deal with my pasty white self. Hehehe!
Monday, July 18, 2005
Taking Time Off
I find it amazing how much stuff I can get done when I take time off from work. Since I had such a crappy weekend and I didn't get anything done that I had planned, I took half a day off from work and ran some errands. The streets were empty, the mall was half empty, I walked into the beauty salon and got my hair done right away, and I was in and out of the car wash place in like 10 minutes. Same with the grocery store, no long lines. These are things I try to do after work and end up getting home so late that I'm exhausted by the time I'm done. Wish I could do this every week. No way my boss would go for it though.
Hubby just called and said we're going to see a movie tonight with one of his friends from work. I think he said 'The Wedding Crashers' with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Anything Vince is in I'll go see. He is sooo tall, and very handsome too.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
The Morning After Disaster
I wrote yesterday morning about our girls night out and what fun I had. Well, later that morning I was still feeling punchy, and my husband and I were supposed to go out for the day to a nice brunch at one of our favorite restaurants in Malibu and then some shopping. I figured that after a nice hot shower I would feel better. Not so. Little did I know that the rest of the day would be spent in total misery.
I had eaten some toast and fruit to hold me over until we got to the restaurant which is over an hour away, but my stomach was not liking any of it. Eventually I threw that up and felt a little better, for a while. So then I drank some water and threw that up too and violently. You know you are in for a bad day when you can't even keep water down.
In the beginning my husband was kind of laughing at me and I'm thinking "what the f**k"? I'm extremely ill here, with major stomach pain and he's smirking at my discomfort? Well if you read his blog, he explains his point of view on the situation. Either way, I was too sick to be concerned about it for long. As the day progressed, I got worse and eventually he came and helped me out. I guess he realized that it was more serious than he thought it was. We were then thinking that maybe I had food poisoning because it was so bad. I even thought that maybe I should go to the emergency room because I was concerned I would get dehydrated. Thankfully, by midnight or 1:00 a.m. I was able to get some sleep and my stomach stopped hurting and now I am able to keep water down. I'm also eating a little bit of toast, but I feel 'tore up from the floor up'.
And the thing is, I only had two martinis Friday night followed by two cups of coffee. I don't think I should have had such a bad time of it. I've drank more than that before and never got sick from it. I know now that I won't be drinking anything alcoholic from this point on. Not if yesterday was any indication of what the morning after will be like.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Girls Night Out
I had a great time last night with the ladies from my work. Feeling a little hung over this morning though. I don't drink that often and now I know why.
So I'm trying to sleep in this morning but my cat wasn't having it. At 5:00 a.m. sharp he is on the bed pestering me to get up. Sometimes he will stand on me which is very effective, because he weighs 17 lbs. and it feels like steel rods are being pressed into my chest. If that doesn't work he will jump on me which he did this morning a couple of times. When your bladder is full it definitely gets you moving. He also resorts to digging or scratching the sheets like he would if he was is in his litter box. This is his way of saying he wants out RIGHT NOW or he will be making a deposit in this very spot if I don't get up and let him out. As a last resort, he will sit right next to my face and stare at me, all the while purring loudly. It becomes too much to bear and I have to get up. Something about the staring really creeps me out. I wonder what he's thinking when he does that. Of course during all of this time I am kicking at him and pushing him off of the bed, but he is tenacious. He just won't allow me to ignore him, although he is very good at ignoring me whenever he wants to. Funny thing about all of this is that my husband is right next to me in bed and the cat never ever bothers him the way he does me.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Friday
Hey, I did it. I added some blogs and links to my sidebar without messing things up. I'm so proud of myself (gloating). I'm just a little slow to pick things up sometimes, but once I've got it, you better look out.
So it's Friday and tonight is 'Girls Night Out'. I'm going out with a few friends from work and we'll be going to a nice restaurant that has live music and happy hour. It should be fun. The women I work with are all very cool and a lot of fun to hang out with. A couple of years ago we rented a limo and went to see The Lion King at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. What a night that was. There were 14 of us ladies, plenty of alcohol and lots of fun. We are waiting for someone to have a significant birthday before we do the stripper thing, but we're all up for it. I think we should just do it for fun.
My husband is going to the movies with some of his friends from work tonight too. I think they are going to see Willy Wonka. I hope it is good, because the first one was great with Gene Wilder and I'm not too sure about Johnny Depp sometimes. He's a little weird.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Super Genius
My husband is a computer genius. He has spent hundreds or maybe thousands of hours on computers learning them inside and out. He started out back in the mid 1990’s not knowing much about how to use them. Gradually and with much time invested he has become the expert that he is today.
I have a good amount of computer knowledge, but nowhere near what he is capable of doing. Sometimes, though, I will get myself into trouble and I always go to him to figure it out. I messed up my blog last month and couldn’t post any new blogs or comments. I was linking and setting up counters and trackers and all those things we like to put on our blogs. Somehow I did it wrong, so being the kind of person I am, I started deleting everything I added. Made sense to me, but it didn’t work. So I innocently tell my husband that my blog doesn’t work. He asks me a few questions and I eventually tell him what I had done and that I deleted everything. Well, I know from experience that this irritates him because people at work do the same thing and he has to go in and fix it. I should have known better. Anyways, he looks at it for a while, asks a bunch of questions, and then says “From now on, don’t link anything without coming to me first”. Well, I didn’t like his tone and was going to say something when he says “Don’t make that face at me”, and so I realized that 1. He was right, 2. if I wanted my blog fixed, he was the only one that could fix it. So I keep my mouth shut and go into another room for a while. He gave the impression that he wasn’t going to fix it, but then I realized that he would because it’s a challenge for him and he can’t walk away from learning something new. About a half hour later he calls and asks me to come back. He says he fixed it. I smile to myself. I knew he would but didn’t say anything. He shows me everything he did and what he learned. I think he’s pretty cool, even though most of what he says sounds like Greek to me.
So now he’s learning how to write HTML so he can set up his own web pages. I have to admit that I am jealous but I’m not sure why. We have a kind of competitive thing going between us, even though he wins most of the time. Yeah, only because I let him!
I have a good amount of computer knowledge, but nowhere near what he is capable of doing. Sometimes, though, I will get myself into trouble and I always go to him to figure it out. I messed up my blog last month and couldn’t post any new blogs or comments. I was linking and setting up counters and trackers and all those things we like to put on our blogs. Somehow I did it wrong, so being the kind of person I am, I started deleting everything I added. Made sense to me, but it didn’t work. So I innocently tell my husband that my blog doesn’t work. He asks me a few questions and I eventually tell him what I had done and that I deleted everything. Well, I know from experience that this irritates him because people at work do the same thing and he has to go in and fix it. I should have known better. Anyways, he looks at it for a while, asks a bunch of questions, and then says “From now on, don’t link anything without coming to me first”. Well, I didn’t like his tone and was going to say something when he says “Don’t make that face at me”, and so I realized that 1. He was right, 2. if I wanted my blog fixed, he was the only one that could fix it. So I keep my mouth shut and go into another room for a while. He gave the impression that he wasn’t going to fix it, but then I realized that he would because it’s a challenge for him and he can’t walk away from learning something new. About a half hour later he calls and asks me to come back. He says he fixed it. I smile to myself. I knew he would but didn’t say anything. He shows me everything he did and what he learned. I think he’s pretty cool, even though most of what he says sounds like Greek to me.
So now he’s learning how to write HTML so he can set up his own web pages. I have to admit that I am jealous but I’m not sure why. We have a kind of competitive thing going between us, even though he wins most of the time. Yeah, only because I let him!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Happy Place
I’m going to my happy placeAnd leave this all behind
‘Cuz when I’m in my happy place
I’ll have some peace of mind
So don’t call me on my cell phone
Or come knocking on my door
Don’t send me any e-mails
I won’t answer anymore
And there’s nothing you can say
And there’s nothing you can do
To bring me back or make me stay
I’ve gone on to my happy place
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Something Nice
It’s not the way you look
Or how you fix your hair
It’s not the shoes you have
Or the clothes you bought on sale
It’s more in the way you walk
And the brightness of your smile
The way your eyes sparkle
When you look at me
That really drives me wild
Or how you fix your hair
It’s not the shoes you have
Or the clothes you bought on sale
It’s more in the way you walk
And the brightness of your smile
The way your eyes sparkle
When you look at me
That really drives me wild
Monday, July 11, 2005
ME, ME, ME!!!
Since it's my birthday and I've had such a nice day, I wanted to post a picture of just me. It's actually pretty good and since I don't usually take good pictures, I wanted to take full advantage of this one. My eyes are open and they are not fiery red like some demon from hell, I don't have a goofy expression on my face and my hair looks decent, so I'm very happy to share it with everyone.
This was taken on one of my better days. I often wonder how other women manage to look so perfect all the time. I hate those women. I guess hate is too strong a word, but yeah, I hate them. I sometimes feel inferior to those french manicured Barbi doll looking blondies with the cute little outfits and stylish shoes that matches the purse bullshit. Oops! Did I just say that out loud??? Got a little carried away there. Anyways, when ever I walk by one of these chicks, I have to console myself that although I'm not all that, I am a great person to know, I'm smart, my husband and cat love me, I can carry on a conversation, blah, blah blah. Just once in my life I would like to look that hot. Just for a day. But, the reality of coming back to be me would probably fry my brain. I know, God made me the way I am for a reason. Well, He also made the platypus and there's just no explaining that one. I know that God has a sense of humor and I could be worse off than I am, but I get angry that there are better out there than me. I guess I should be happy that at least all of my parts work.
Wow, this entry sure took a turn didn't it?
Happy Birthday
It’s my birthday, it’s my birthday! Happy birthday to me!!! I am 37 years old today. I can’t believe it. I still don’t feel like an adult even though I’m so close to 40. I guess that’s a good thing.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Birthday Facts
My birthday is: 7/11/1968
I was born on a Thursday under the astrological sign Cancer.
I was born on a Thursday under the astrological sign Cancer.
My Life path number is 6.
The Julian calendar date of my birth is 2440048.5.
The golden number for 1968 is 12.
The epact number for 1968 is 0.
The year 1968 was a leap year.
As of 7/9/2005 7:54:12 PM CDT, I am 36 years old.
I am 444 months old.
I am 1,930 weeks old.
I am 13,512 days old.
I am 324,307 hours old.
I am 19,458,474 minutes old.
I am 1,167,508,452 seconds old.
There are 2 days till my next birthday on which my cake will have 37 candles on it.
Those 37 candles produce 37 BTU's,or 9,324 calories of heat (that's only 9.3240 food Calories!).
You can boil 4.23 US ounces of water with that many candles.
My birthstone is Ruby.
The Mystical properties of Ruby:
Ruby is said to open one's heart to love.
Some lists consider these stones to be my birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewlers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
Carnelian
Some lists consider these stones to be my birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewlers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
Carnelian
My birth tree is
Fir Tree, the Mysterious
Extraordinary taste, dignity, cultivated airs, loves anything beautiful, moody, stubborn, tends to egoism but cares for those close to it, rather modest, very ambitious, talented, industrious uncontent lover, many friends, many foes, very reliable.
There are 169 days till Christmas 2005!
The moon's phase on the day I was born was waning gibbous.
I've Been Tagged!!!
I was reading one of my favorite blogs today by Mark in the Cayman Islands called First Time. He wrote that he tagged me with a question which I missed somehow. This is what he wrote:
‘I pass it on to Anduin because I want to know the story about the cat on her profile picture but I'm afraid to ask. I think its some type of space alien poodle haired feline.’
‘I pass it on to Anduin because I want to know the story about the cat on her profile picture but I'm afraid to ask. I think its some type of space alien poodle haired feline.’
Well, I’ve never been tagged before and I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to do, but I will give it my best shot.
Yes, he is a space alien poodle haired feline. You are very perceptive; I see that you are one of those people that cannot be fooled. Just kidding! Mark, you are too funny. I really like reading your comments on my blog and I am very pleased that you tagged me on your blog (you’re a very cool guy).
Actually, my husband found his picture on the net somewhere and we both laughed so hard at his sad looking self. The cat just looks so messed up. Ever have one of those days? Like you’ve been chewed up and spit out? He looks like that, like he picked a fight with a lawnmower and lost. Poor, sad, pissed off looking kitty. So, I just felt like having him be my mascot picture. I feel like him sometimes.
So, am I supposed to tag someone else now? I think I will tag JLG. I would like him to tell us about his profile picture. I think there may be a really cool story behind it. Hehehehe! Bwahahaha.
Yes, he is a space alien poodle haired feline. You are very perceptive; I see that you are one of those people that cannot be fooled. Just kidding! Mark, you are too funny. I really like reading your comments on my blog and I am very pleased that you tagged me on your blog (you’re a very cool guy).
Actually, my husband found his picture on the net somewhere and we both laughed so hard at his sad looking self. The cat just looks so messed up. Ever have one of those days? Like you’ve been chewed up and spit out? He looks like that, like he picked a fight with a lawnmower and lost. Poor, sad, pissed off looking kitty. So, I just felt like having him be my mascot picture. I feel like him sometimes.
So, am I supposed to tag someone else now? I think I will tag JLG. I would like him to tell us about his profile picture. I think there may be a really cool story behind it. Hehehehe! Bwahahaha.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Something Strange
The bizarre world
In which I live
Has left skid-marks
On my soul
Reckless abandon
Rubber on the road
Fleeing the scene of the crime
I scatter and run
The delinquent driver
Of my mind
Has lost her license
One last time
In which I live
Has left skid-marks
On my soul
Reckless abandon
Rubber on the road
Fleeing the scene of the crime
I scatter and run
The delinquent driver
Of my mind
Has lost her license
One last time
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Terror in London
I heard about the bombings in London this morning and my heart sank. Was I surprised? No, not after 9/11. Nothing really surprises me since that happened. But this is just awful; all of those people going about their business, bothering no one and now they are dead or wounded. Stupid, stupid terrorists. What message are these idiots trying to send? That they are a bunch of peckerheads that want to make the world miserable because they are losers?
This kind of thing just pisses me off. It irks me. I want revenge; revenge for New York, revenge for Spain and now for London. They need to be taught a lesson - don't mess with world powers when you are just a speck on the face of the earth. The more I think about this, the angrier I get. Friggin cowards.
This kind of thing just pisses me off. It irks me. I want revenge; revenge for New York, revenge for Spain and now for London. They need to be taught a lesson - don't mess with world powers when you are just a speck on the face of the earth. The more I think about this, the angrier I get. Friggin cowards.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Some Embarrassing Moments
Sorry I’ve not posted in a few days. I find it difficult to spend time on the computer during the week. I was thinking of what I could write about that would be funny and came up with ‘My most embarrassing moments in life’. As anyone else might do, I’ve managed to block out most of these occurrences, but since I was lacking something quick to write about, I was able to remember some of the more humiliating times to share with you today. Here we go:
- Thanksgiving dinner at my parent’s house, my turn to pray and I say “Father God we thank you for this meal, please make it fit for consumption, in Jesus’ name”. Oops! Sorry mom!
- I stepped out of our car and up onto the curb and somehow lost my footing and fell headlong into the bushes. Didn’t hurt myself but I really messed up the bush.
- We bought a car for my husband and had to take it back to the dealer for some work. I had forgotten something in the car so we had to go back that night to pick it up. The manager at the dealer took us with him to get the keys from the shed where they keep the keys. It was dark and he couldn’t find the light so all three of us were looking at the keys on the board using our cell phones to light them up. We couldn’t find the keys and the manager asked what they looked like. I remembered that I had the spare in my purse, so I pulled it out and held it up to them and said “It looks like this”. They both nodded their heads and continued to look for the keys. It took a moment before they caught on that I had the key and they could stop looking. I didn’t do this on purpose; it took the same amount of time for me to get it too. We all laughed and a few comments were made that I won’t repeat here. My husband’s response was “She’s mine, she’s all mine” with a roll of the eyes and a heavy sigh. I laughed all the way home. I told my husband I knew what I did was messed up, but the funny part was that they both went with it. I think this would be my most embarrassing moment to date. I have many more, but not the time to write about them today.
Monday, July 04, 2005
My Family
July is going to be a busy month for me. My birthday is coming up, my aunt and uncle are visiting from Michigan next week and I will be taking a trip back to Michigan for a family reunion at the end of the month. I haven’t been there since November of 2000 and that was for 10 days. I’ve grown up in Southern California, away from family except for my parents so I have no real relationships with any of the rest of them. My dad’s side of the family is small. I have my grandmother, two aunts and a cousin. My mom’s side of the family is big in comparison. She grew up with 17 brothers and sisters, so now I have many, many cousins. My mom wanted to get away from her family because they lived in poverty and ignorance, so she married my dad and they moved to California a couple of years later. I am so thankful that she did, because if she hadn’t I would have grown up around them and may have turned out differently.
I was talking to my mom about my upcoming trip and giving her my schedule so she could tell her mom when I would be there to visit. I was only planning on dropping by to say hi and then be on my way up to Lansing for my dad’s side of the family that is having the reunion. She said that she told Grandma I would be by on Friday at about 8:00 a.m. and wanted to know if that would be okay with her. Apparently my grandma said no, that she did not want me to come by at all. My mom didn’t understand and said that she was upset by her answer. My grandma didn’t give a reason for not wanting me there but my mom suspects that things have gotten so out of hand and that Grandma may have been suspicious about my reason for visiting, like I was spying or something. Grandma lives with an aunt and uncle in a small house in the country. They have 8 cats and 21 dogs (I wish I were kidding but I’m not). They live off of Grandma’s social security and any odd jobs that my uncle can find, so they are still living in poverty and often resort to dishonest means to get by. A few years ago they asked my mom to send money to help pay for Grandma’s funeral plot, so my mom sent them money every month for a year. Come to find out it was all a scam, no plot was bought and Grandma was in on the scam. She did this to her own daughter. My mom, out of love and concern for her mom sent money she couldn’t afford to take care of her. I can only imagine how she feels about it now that she knows the truth. So she tells me about my grandma not wanting me to come by and I think, good, because I didn’t really want to go see them anyways, I was only going to do it for my mom since she wasn’t going with me. I had a difficult enough time on our last trip dealing with these people and their ignorance. I didn't want to have to deal with it again. I’ve always felt sad that I didn’t grow up with family around, like I lacked something in my life because I wasn’t involved with any of my relatives. Now I see that it is not such a bad thing to be isolated from them like I have been. It was actually to my benefit. Hearing that my grandmother didn’t want to see me doesn’t have much of an effect on my life. I have no attachment to her or any of them, it’s not like my feelings are hurt by it. I actually have to feel sad for them, because it’s more of their loss than mine. I am going to go to the reunion and get to know the other side of the family better and begin to develop some relationships there. I know that I will be successful because I want to get to know these people. They are intelligent, educated and productive members of society. That’s the family that I feel I belong to.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Batman Begins & War of the Worlds
My husband and I went to the movies yesterday and saw Batman Begins and War of the Worlds. I had heard good things about Batman Begins and I have to say I was not disappointed. I liked all of the characters and the actors that portrayed them. My very favorite actor Gary Olman was in the movie and I enjoyed seeing him on screen again. Christian Bale did a great job as Batman and I loved Michael Caine as Alfred. Liam Neeson was a badass and I liked watching his character go up against Bruce Wayne. It had all of the elements I like to see in a movie. I told my husband that it was disappointing because this was the last Batman movie and it made me want to see the sequals only there wouldn't be any because they've already been made and not very well either.
I was a little frustrated with War of the Worlds. The acting in some of the scenes was bad and difficult to watch. I was iritated while watching the movie because the acting was so obvious and it just pissed me off. The main actors were okay, I think I was just disappointed at the way some of the scenes were set up. The most important scene of the movie to me was when the alien machines revealed themselves. You would expect people to panic and run for the hills when the ground began to shake and crack open. Buildings were splitting and breaking apart, and yet the crowd stayed right on the edge of the destruction to watch. When the alien came up through the ground and rose to a tremendous height, people just ran and hid behind cars or crouched on the ground looking up at the monstrous invader. I mean really, not very believable. After that you just felt that they deserved to get their asses toasted for such stupidity. Tom Cruise was ok as the clueless dad but I don't think he'll be winning any awards for this role. Dakota Fanning played the daughter who seems wise beyond her years but still manages to be a little girl. I guess the best part of the movie would be the aliens. They were awesome and terrifying. Hey, maybe the aliens will get nominated for something this year.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Independence Day
Monday is the 4th of July and we have the day off which makes this a three day weekend. I would like to go somewhere to see a firework show this year because I will not be able to enjoy the view from my apartment like I have in the past due to the fact that they have built these ginormous apartments directly across from us. When we first moved here in 2001, we had this spectacular view of the foothills and the mountains which included a beautiful 32 acre vineyard directly accross the street from us. At night we could see the city lights through our windows sparkling like stars in the sky. In the winter when the trees were bare and the nights were cold you could wake up in the morning to see that snow had covered the peaks of the mountain and it was so beautiful to behold it would make me stand there in wonder like a little child saying ooh pretty! There was even a family of coyotes living in the vineyard that we would sometimes hear howling in the night and on a couple of occasions we could see them from our balcony as they ran through the field. The view is what sold us on this apartment. It was peaceful and private. A couple of years ago, the land was sold and they destroyed the vineyard, turning a once beautiful landscape into an empty field of dirt. When the Santa Ana winds would come down through the Cajon Pass it would whip up all of the dirt and we would end up with one heck of a sand storm. Now, after a couple of years of being empty, they have finally started putting up structures. The new apartments are three stories high and completely obstruct any view of the foothills and mountains that we used to have. Every 4th of July, I would sit on the curb and enjoy a spectacular firework show from so many different sites around the foothills. It was something I looked forward to every year. Now, I think we will have to travel to one of those sites if we want to see anything at all.