So lucky to have been raised amongst catalogs!

If you've seen the movie "Best in Show", you know this is a line from the movie. After arriving home from the acupuncturist, who told me in no uncertain terms, that I am to stay OFF my bicycle until my back settles down, and the only exercise I should be doing right now is s t r e c h i n g and walking, the mail carrier delivered a catalog from Garnet Hill. There is this adorable shower curtain (never mind that I am not in the market for a shower curtain, adorable or otherwise) that has bicycles on it!

CHEERS!

As we prepare to sweep out 2009 and welcome in 2010, a pause for reflection might be in order. Let's see...how was 2009, really?

For most of us, there were certainly many events we would like to put behind us, or simply forget.

And, for the majority of us, there were a at least a few events that were memorable, pleasant, fun, surprising, or just that...memorable.

I can say, with utmost certainty and yes, even authority, that 2009 brought so many changes...some wanted, savored, cherished, and some, not so much. But isn't that just the way life is?

I hope 2010 finds family and friends enjoying better days ahead, however one chooses to define "better".

Let me begin 2010 with a renewed passion to give, to forgive, to learn, to love, and to enjoy.

Cheers to us all. Here's hoping this finds you and yours well-fed, warm, dry, comfortable, with a roof over your head, loved one(s) nearby, something great in the oven/toaster oven/hotplate, something remarkable to read, or someone remarkable to chat with, and at the end of the evening, may you have sweet, lovely dreams waiting in the wings for you tonight as you drift off into dreamland.

Happy New Year!

SO PINK!

My friend Dean sent me a video of a fundraising effort about breast cancer. What started out as a promo for their new pink exam gloves turned into a wonderful opportunity to have some fun, raise awareness and funds. (You'll have to click on the link below. The video will open in a new window. Don't worry. It's worth it!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

Sunday, Sunday

Another warm Sunday... hoping it will cool off soon...watching my sunflowers grow and my pumpkins begin to look like pumpkins! Actually, I should be ready to harvest around Christmas, because I only put the pumpkins in a couple of weeks ago. Too late, I know. I just couldn't help myself! I finally have a yard, a garden, and room to dig. No more container gardening for me. Nope. I've hit the big time now. Living in a house brings out all things domestic in me. Feverishly sewing to finish a baby quilt, planting flowers and veggies in the garden, forever sweeping the beautiful but pain-in-the-ass hardwood floors, and enjoying the view from my front porch. Yep. It's domestic bliss. Except for the part where Maeg and I disagree, argue, and get mad. Not so blissful. And here I thought I was doing a good job of keeping my big mouth shut. Apparently not. (Have you ever really known me to keep my big mouth shut? Oh, be serious, Leslie.)

Sunday, Sunday.

Dog Days of Summer

It's late August, and we're sweltering! The heat finally made it's way up to the Bay area, and while I would like to be fantasizing about cuddling up to a nice warm fire in the fireplace and wearing my favorite sweaters, I am dreaming about root beer floats, ice cream baths, and have already sneaked over to my old apartment complex to swim last night. Since the water was soooo cold (some of us brave souls went in anyway, some of us chickens did not go in), I voted for going to the local pizzeria and enjoying a frosty pitcher of micro-brewed Tied House beer, which we did, followed by pizza and garlic breadsticks, followed by yet another frosty pitcher of beer. Since I hadn't eaten all day, it was absolutely marvelous!

We have had a very busy, emotional, and decision-laden week. I went back to work, and Maeg and Krus took the train to the City one day, found Pho locally, which Maeg adores, and made the monumental decision to stay with us in Sunnyvale, rather than relocate to Seattle before the baby is born. I must say, I am very relieved, and also a little nervous. What will all this be like? Will Maeg get health insurance before the baby is born? How will Maeg and I survive under the same roof?

Hopping the Hound

We decided to take the bus to Trader Joe's, just for the experience of public transportation in Sunnyvale, as well as to familiarize Maeg with the joys and sorrows of hopping the hound in the Bay area. Maeg is very adept at getting around in any city, having mastered the transportation system in Seattle, as well as traveling to and from Jakarta (a 12-14 hour bus ride or 9 hour train ride from Solo) many times. So, I felt very confident that she would find our little transit system easy, relatively pleasant, and somewhat efficient.

We are within walking distance to the cool, hip, and historic downtown Sunnyvale area which houses the old Del Monte building, many drinking (so many Irish pubs) and eating establishments, as well as a great new and used book store, coffee houses, and the farmer's market. Murphy Street is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Hacienda. Trader Joe's, on the other hand, is definitely doable by bicycle, but may be a little strenuous for Maeg right now,who started her pregnancy as a high risk one, and who is concentrating now on eating every few hours and napping frequently (oh, the joys of pregnant life!). We also live incredibly close to the transit center, where one can catch Caltrain up to the City, or any number of buses.

So, off to the bus we go, with Maeg doing the mental math from rupiah to dollars (one U.S. dime is roughly equivalent to 1,000 rupiah, so even math-challenged people like me can do it), and hunting for words in English to describe how different our journey is than shopping in Surakarta (aka Solo), Indo (read easier).



After taking the bus successfully, not getting lost or even turned around, upon arriving home, Maeg announced that the trip was "okay, but not very exciting". Humm.
How very boring we must seem here.

Day of Dragon Full Stop

Today, I learned, or rather, re-learned Dragon Naturally Speaking, a speech to text software program. My, how this program has changed! Now, not only does this program recognize accents when speaking English, it even distinguishes between American English and British English, spoken with an Indian accent, Spanish accent, Asian accent, and a couple more I can't remember right now. Which means, if you grew up in South Africa, for example, you most likely learned British English.

You must let the computer know which type of English you will be speaking, British or American, and then stick with it, because if you tell the computer you will be speaking British English and you say "period" the program types out p-e-r-i-o-d, rather than the dot at the end of a sentence, as we say in American English. You must say "full stop", which is how the British end their sentences. The program also recognizes Northern American accents (New England), southern accents (think dahlin and y'all), and is most comfortable with midwestern English (rather flat).

Apparently, this program would not react surprisingly if you used the expression "dead slow", which is what I read when I was driving in London and entered a parking garage.

This program, however, does not appreciate giggling. I got the giggles when I was dictating this afternoon, because we were practicing dictating tongue twisters, and I thought they were hilarious. It didn't help that the fellow next to me also saw the humor in what we were dictating and started to laugh at the same time. Actually, what started the giggling in the first place was the simultaneous dictating he and I were completing. We apparently have about the same rate of speech (somewhat fast, but not hideously so), and we were attempting to bomb through the exercises quickly, as some of them seemed rather absurd. That was enough to get me giggling (you put me in a room for any long period of time and expect me to concentrate fully on the task at hand for hours on end, and I am bound to see some humor in what I am doing; hence the giggling. I admit it. I started it). I was keeping it under control, and then he started laughing, and that was it. I was a giggling idiot. It's really difficult to not giggle. I believe it's better just to get the damn giggles out and be done with it. Which is what I eventually did, and got back to business (full stop).

Tomorrow is the advanced workshop on Dragon. Let's hope I can giggle a lot on the way in, in the morning, to get it out of my system (full stop).

Happy Tiffins

While reading this month's bon appetit magazine, under "The Conscious Cook", I read about tiffin tins as a thrifty and green way to transport your lunch to work each day. Although I am a firm believer in bringing my lunch from home every day, I don't have nearly the snazzy ensemble pictured in the magazine. While I won't be rushing out to purchase a tiffin, as I am quite satisfied hauling my cottage cheese and fruit in an old tupperware container I've had for years, there is a video on youtube I thought you might enjoy. The music is the best part; quite a jazzy little number! At one point in the short video it almost looks like the video camera operator got a little dizzy watching the demonstrator tip the tiffin upside down over and over again to prove that it is "leakproof", which made me laugh and want to watch it again! The little shake comes at 0:48; watch for it. If you blink, you'll miss it! (Note: you can also buy tiffins at greenfeet.com)

Dare to be fabulous

I heard this poem the other night when I was watching Akeelah and the Bee, and I thought it was really great. See if you agree:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

It was written by Marianne Williamson and published in her book, "A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles".

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

Thanks to Janet, I would like to share a very delightful video with you, entitled "The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun":

Grateful is sometimes scraping the bottom of the barrel

I guess it's time to take out my "lucky list". I do this when I am feeling especially UNlucky or UNgrateful, as I do right now. My cute little car blew up again this weekend on my way to visit my parents in Reno. What a hassle. Just got it back from the mechanics in Pleasanton, revved it up, and off to Reno we went. Not quite.

The good news is that the tow truck driver really liked my homemade chocolate chip cookies I was taking to my parents, and that made the 10:00 p.m. call in the middle of nowhere a little sweeter for him. Plus, he drove us all the way to our destination, and entertained us with tales of a horrific 62 car pile-up on Hwy. 80 between Auburn and Tahoe. Not 62 separate accidents. No, sixty-two cars in one really, really big fender bender. He also provided us with an illustrative account of the woman in an SUV who jumped out of her SUV and flew down a mountain to search for her dog in a snow storm; she then got confused and lost in the snow storm, and didn't realize that the search and rescue team had found her dog and was looking for her. Oh, my.

The good news is that the search and rescue team found her, alive. Cold, miserable, shaken, but alive.

So, I guess the first thing on my lucky list is that I didn't break down in the snow. See, already feeling so much more grateful and lucky. It was a balmy evening, actually, by Tahoe standards. I actually remembered to pack a sweatshirt, so I was set. Plus, I also remembered to bring a lot of water. So, watered and bundled up, we were able to tear into the chocolate chip cookies (remember they were for my parents) after we finished cussing and cursing the mechanics that had just finished repairing my car last week, to a tune of $2,500, which doesn't even include the part the extended warranty people paid (Old Glory, I think is the name, who paid another $2,500). Once the sotrming and stomping and cursing was finished, we were thirsty and hungry. Out came the cookies. Yum. Plus, we had some cold coffee leftover from our pit stop at Starbucks earlier in the drive. Double yum. We were set.

The car was towed to Sacramento. No clue how I am going to get it back, or when, or how much it is going to cost. We were towed to Reno and arrived very late, but in one piece and full of sugar and caffeine (parents always love that).

Grace in Small Things: 33/365

1. While I am not happy about my car, I didn't kill it on purpose, nor was I killed
2. I did get to Reno and then home in one piece; not happy, but in one piece
3. 7 days of the semester left
4. My friend Cindy, who I heard from when I got home; just hearing her voice was so delightful, and reminded me how lucky I am to have such interesting and thoughtful friends
5. Little Johnny Handyman, who can curse and stomp around even better than I can
5.

Spring break is really all about the FRIENDS and food

I've decided that this week is really a LOT about friends, a little about the food and wine, and also about the never ending journey of parenthood. It certainly does not stop when children grow up and move out and move on. Remembering the lessons I learned as a parent when they were younger, and translating that into allowing them to make life-altering decisions on their own, means I have done my job; sometimes well, sometimes not so well. While I am often very pleased with their decisions, right now, at this exact moment, I am crossing my fingers that they have what it takes to make good decisions and good choices, regardless of what I think and feel about those very important decisions and choices. Please cross your fingers with me and hope that everything works out as it should. Details and particulars will follow soon.