Now...Seven Things

Stacy tagged me for this, so, in the spirit of reciprocity, I will do this one.

Here are the rules:


1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird.

3 Tag 7 people (if possible) at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Seven Random, Weird or Random & Weird Facts about Me:

(I know there must be a hundred random or weird things about me, but presented with the opportunity to share these factoids, my mind goes blank)

1) I've been a vegetarian for 17 years! Vegetarianism has been the one constant in an evolving life. Sometimes I've been strict, sometimes lax but the basic rules have been the same: no chicken, pork or beef. Eggs and dairy have always been okay and fish depends on what phase I am going through.

2) I really only have one phobia but it can make life difficult: I hate having strangers touch me! For example, I hate having my hair cut--I cringe when they touch my scalp. This one definitely qualifies as a weird fact.

3) I have a really bad tendency to say totally inappropriate things. As I've aged, I have gotten much better; however, I never quite eliminate it. Last year, Pat almost died when I told his friend who works for Anheiser-Bush and worships the company: "The problem with all their beers is that THEY SUCK!" I also recently told friends with a newborn that "you have the pastiest, whitest baby I've ever seen!" Sigh...

4) One of my goals is to hike to the highest point in 48 states (minus Washington and Alaska-I see no need to die). So far, I've got three: Texas, Tennessee and California.

5) Since I left home 19 years ago, I've never lived in the same house/apartment for more than 2 years.

6) I'm addicted to sports radio.

7) Although I go running nearly every day, I only enjoy it about 10% of the time. I get really annoyed by those peppy jogger types who gush about endorphin rushes and runners' highs. I don't think I've experienced either!

I am not going to tag anyone specifically since I just tagged everyone last week but if anyone feels inspired to do this one, I encourage it.

8 Things

Note: This isn't the first time Audra has tagged me but, since, according to her own blog, she will only be in Long Beach for another 10 days, 19 hours and 44 minutes (and counting), I though I would indulge her!

8 TV Shows I watch: (without cable or dish, it is impossible for me to get to eight on this one):

College Football
Pro Football (Go, Steelers)
Grey's Anatomy
The Amazing Race
48 Hours Mystery (secret embarrassing indulgence)
The Office (how could I forget this one?)

Sorry, that is all I got on that question!

8 Favorite Restaurants: (whew, an easy one)

River's End
Shorehouse Cafe
Rock Bottom
Schooner or Later
The bagelry
Belmont Brewery
Harbour House
Ocean Rock (Fort Worth)

8 Favorite Singers/Bands:

Eddie Vedder
Counting Crows
Mark Knoffler & Emmylou Harris (together)
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Tony Furtado
Nanci Griffith
Robert Earle Keen
Guy Clarke

8 Books I have read recently:

The brief, wondrous life of Oscar Wao
Beautiful Children
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
The Zookeeper's Wife
Harvest for Hope, a Guide to Mindful Eating
Coming into the Country
Blackwater: the Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Oh, the Glory of It All


8 Things that happened yesterday:

I woke up with a cold.
I got a raise.
I took a day off from running.
I went to a party.
I drank a fair amount of red wine.
I talked to Pat on the phone.
I watched An Inconvenient Truth.
New Tenants moved into our house in Bozeman.

8 Things I am looking forward to:

The turmoil at work abating.
The weather cooling down a bit.
Seeing my kitties when I get home.
Going home for Christmas.
Going camping over Thanksgiving.
Going out to breakfast tomorrow morning.
Being in better shape.
My next blog entry.

8 Things I wish for:

Good health for myself, family and friends.
Happy endings for my friends at work.
Pat to get home safely from Stanford.
To keep in touch better with my friends.
A cleaner house.
For Obama to stay safe.
More trails to run on.
A quiet life.

8 People I am tagging (and by eight, I mean five--I don't even know eight bloggers!)

Carolyn (you need something to write about)
Jen (ditto)
Stacy (you oughta be able to work it in sometime this month)
The Mize Family (you have tons of blogger friends to send this to)
Claire and Jim (just for fun)

Y'all better do it!

Proposition H8 (California Fails the Nation)

Disclaimer: Those of you who read this blog are an eclectic group with a wide range of views and opinions. I'm proud to call you all my friends which is one reason that I generally shy away from politics and religion, the two big issues that tend to polarize people. However, my heart is broken over this issue, and it has really been on my mind. So, forgive me...

Last Friday night when I arrived home, our street was barricaded off, news helicopters were hovering and motorcycled police officers were standing guard. I had no idea what was going on, and I called Pat to see if he had been taken hostage. Inside our apartment, he had no idea what I was talking about. We soon learned that protesters of Proposition 8 had filled the streets. We immediately decided to join them.

California's Proposition 8 approved an constitutional amendment that recognizes marriage as between a man and a woman only, dashing the hopes of gay and lesbians who wish to marry. The 52% of Californians who voted for Proposition 8 hold that "gay marriage" will somehow undermine traditional marriage and traditional family values. I don't understand this--legalizing gay marriage is certainly not going to cause us straight folks to change teams! By the same token, a constitutional ban on gay marriage sure isn't going to cause gay families to suddenly decide to straighten up and fly right!

Proposition 8 supporters have a tendency to view gays as depraved individuals who made a "choice" to be gay. My many gay friends tell me that isn't so: they knew from an early age that they were somehow "different." Just like those of us who are straight--we never made a "decision." Plus, why would anyone really make the decision to be gay? It is no easy life. Even with the most supportive families, the "coming out" process is long, elaborate and no picnic. In worst case scenarios, teens are shunned by the families and forced onto the streets. From strangers, gays face a lifetime of stereotypes, discrimination, abuse and judgement.

End of soapbox lecture. Thanks for reading.

Humiloween

I've never been a great fan of Halloween. So, yesterday, when everyone decided to dress up at work for the holiday, I said I had to work late and didn't have time to get a costume together. It was an excuse but a true one. Then I said "if someone brings me a costume, I will wear it." Immediately, I regretted those words because a gal I work with said that she had the perfect costume for me. The next day, the costume was waiting for me in my office when I arrived. Little Bo Peep! Being a woman of my word, I was forced to wear it all day. Everyone who saw me burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter. To show that I don't take myself that seriously, I thought I would share this picture with you. Enjoy!

Apple Pickin' in Oak Glen

California constantly surprises me. Who would have thought that the state has an apple producing region just 70 miles east of Long Beach? A co-worker told me about the area and suggested I go check it out. So, Jenn and I got up one Saturday morning and headed out in hopes of picking some apples. The area was quite bucolic; however, most of Southern California had also descended upon a Oak Glen--a sprawling mess of buildings along one tiny winding road.

The area was very much a tourist trap--you could even pan for gold!

This guy playing his three octave chimes from the 1800s was a highlight. We each gave him a little tip, and he asked what we wanted to hear. We looked blankly at each other--having no idea what one would play on such a contraption. Zepplin, maybe? Finally, he suggested the Tennesee Waltz, a song I did know.

We found the place to pick apples but first spent a little time visiting the farm's animals. Jenn got to feed the horse a carrot--he eats 20 pounds a day.

And we checked out the baby bacon.

Wow! It almost looks like a change of seasons here.

We finally did pick some apples, and, boy, are they delicious.

The day came to a somewhat disapointing conclusion when I accidently bumped into this car parked behind us. It was totally my own fault--just not paying attention. I left a note for the driver and went on my way. Almost immediately, I got a call back from the guy, saying there was "quite a bit of damage" to the car. From what we could tell, only the license plate was bent (check it out and decide yourself). This annoying experience has put me into a bit of a funk. Frankly, I think he is being petty--I never file a claim (I've had the opportunity to do so three times in the last two years) if the damage is very minor. But, maybe I am a hopeless idealist. I'd be interested to hear what everyone else thinks on this one.

A busy Sunday

Sunday, October 12 was a big day: Marathon Day! Neither Pat nor I had aspirations to run the Long Beach Marathon but Pat was in charge of the water stop at mile 17. His runners do it as part of their community service. So, that is how we found ourselves unloading two pallets of water from a very large truck (which we had to drive from near our house to the university) at 4:30 in the morning.

There was a lot of standing around and wishing it were warmer but finally at about 6:30 a.m. the bike tour came by. The lead pack seemed serious but after that it was just lots of people out for a Sunday ride.

We filled four tables with water which we thought would be plenty but we ended up filling up about eight tables worth of cups during the race. I don't know many but it seemed like a lot!

Here are the first two runners: the guy in the blue ended up winning the marathon in 2:21.

Here is the woman who won--she just looked like she was out for a jog. She finished in 3:04.

There were tons of runners from the track team who came out to pass out the water. They were energetic and did a nice job of supporting the runners.

After the race, we headed down to Newport Beach to meet up with our friends Deb and Bill. Deb is a long-time friend who I met my first year working in Yellowstone. Interestingly, we have managed to keep in touch even though she was in graduate school in Colorado by the time I returned to YNP for my second summer. Deb says we have stayed in touch because "we see eye to eye." I would agree.

Deb and Bill now live in Fort Collins, CO with their daughter, Amanda, who is now 6 years old (I gasped when Deb informed me of that--in my mind she was 4 or 5). Anyway, Amanda is quite precocious and is very charming. While we drove beside the ocean, she gave me a whole lecture about the Pacific and how it stretched the whole way to Asia. While the adults chatted on the balcony with a bottle of wine, she stole away into the bedroom for a little TV action. When we checked on her, she was totally zombified by the TV!

The List

Those of you who have learned to write our address book entries in pencil know how often we move. One of the best things about moving is the chance to explore new areas, whether in be the Fort Worth Stockyards or the sights of Southern California. When we moved to Long Beach, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while we are here. Over the course of the past year, the list has evolved, with lines being crossed off and other destinations being added. And, I seems to have developed a little obsession with The List--so much so that friends now ask "was that on The List?" when we do something interesting.

Here are some highlights from The List:

We crossed Sequoia National Park off the list last November on our annual Sufferfest...I mean annual Thanksgiving camping trip.

There is a tree that you can drive your car through!

General Grant, the world's largest tree, doesn't even fit into one picture.

In January, we went to Disneyland, and, yep, had our picture taken with Micky.

Ever since we went to the LBJ Library in Austin, I've been interested in presidential libraries. So, one rainy February day, we went to the Nixon Library in nearby Yorba Linda. Can you believe the word "Watergate" is not mentioned in the Nixon Library?

Even though we have been to Vegas a lot, it made the list. On President's Day weekend, we met my college roommate Jen and her husband for a weekend of gambling. Ouch: the house won every time.

Visitors are such a good excuse to go exploring. When Judith visited, we took the ferry over to Catalina Island and went hiking.

We also saw the very local sights like the Long Beach Aquarium--about 1/2 mile from where we live.

Pat and I occasionally take the free shuttle over to the Queen Mary and have coffee out on the deck. It is nice to watch the fog burn off the city from the deck.

Other Items We Have Crossed off The List:

• Joshua Tree
• Mount Whitney
• Big Bear
• Dodgers and Angels Games

Still on The List:

• Hollywood Stars/Sign/Citywalk
• Yosemite
• Rose Parade
• Los Angeles Galaxy game (to see my man Becks)
• Ronald Reagan Library
• Point Vicente lighthouse
• San Francisco
• And others TBA
  

Visiting with Carolyn and Dayton

After Pat and I attended Hilary's wedding, we met up with my college roommate Carolyn and her husband Dayton. Pat had to fly home Sunday so he just had breakfast and a bloody Mary with us, and then headed for the airport. I took this picture of them in the Ithaca Commons, a nice pedestrian area.

Then we drove way, way out into the country to Dayton and Carolyn's house in Northern PA. Their house is beautiful but yet very comfortable. They had the house built several years ago, and they have added lots of thoughtful personal touches. And, what a place to be a guest! I had the entire upstairs to myself--a space that is probably bigger than our Long Beach apartment. I told them that if things ever go badly for Pat and I, we might just move in!

Here is a view of the back of the house.

And this is a view from the backyard. They have something like 25 acres of land (this might be a little off), and Dayton's uncle owns the 125 next door so they have lots of space.

One morning Carolyn and I took a walk down to the woods on their property. It was very beautiful, and I had a hankering to take some "artsy" pictures.

"What is this?" asked the Californian. "Why, it is the changing of the seasons," replied the Pennsylvanian.

They also have three really cute puppies: Bennie, Bacchus, and Barkley. They were really sweet and loved to cuddle up with me on the sofa. Carolyn and Dayton warned me that Barkley might eat me alive but he only barred his teeth once because I made the mistake of eye contact too early.

Carolyn and I went up to explore Watkins Glen one day. The Glen is beautiful--a one-mile canyon with a series of waterfalls along the way.

Pretty views.

Had it been summer, this would have made a great swimming hole. Forbidden, of course.

The trail was comprised of over 800 steps, and we felt every one of them by the end.

Here is Carolyn by one of the falls.

And here is another artsy picture--from behind the waterfall.

After our hike, we went up to one of the many wineries located on the Finger Lakes. We just looked at the scenery. We didn't even sample any wines. Who are we?

At the airport, I had to take one of my "close up" pictures of Carolyn and I. We haven't aged a bit in the last 16 years, have we?

Hil Gets Hitched

Last weekend, Pat and I traveled to Ithaca, NY to see our old friend Hilary get married. We met Hilary in 1994 when we spent the winter in Portland, OR. It was so long ago that Pat and I weren't even a couple yet. Hilary and I worked together waiting tables at a local restaurant. At that time, Hilary was a recreational rower who would often get up at the break of dawn to row on the Willamette River which runs through Portland. I, of course, spent a good portion of my time keeping Hilary out very, very late which often resulted in her missing those a.m. rowing sessions. So, I am in no way responsible for what happened next: Hilary got serious about rowing, made the U.S. rowing team and eventually rowed for the U.S. in two Olympics. At this point, you may be wondering why I am blathering on about all this. Here is why: I think it is fascinating the way life goes: unpredictable! Had you told me back in 1994 that I would be married to Pat and living in Long Beach, CA fourteen years out, I certainly would have thought it absurd. Likewise, had you told me that Hilary would be the rowing coach at Cornell with two Olympics under her belt, I would have laughed even harder. Ain't life grand?

We got into Ithaca late Friday night but still managed to meet up with Hil and her future husband Matt. Even though we only had one drink, it was well after 2 a.m. when we got back to our hotel room.

The next morning we came upon one of our favorite East Coast features: Dunkin' Donuts! We are almost obsessed with their coffee and donuts and get very excited when we have the opportunity to indulge.

Then we walked around the Cornell campus. It was very interesting: many of the buildings were traditional but then there were a few very modern buildings as well

We were wondering where this pile of snow came from until we realized it was right in front of the hockey rink!

We also stopped to watch a field hockey game. I had almost forgotten about field hockey--it is a regional sport played only in the northeast.


Then we headed over to the wedding site at a local inn. The setting was spectacular.

When I saw this little pot-bellied pig wandering around, I had to take a picture. I didn't yet know that he and a friend would later crash the wedding.

And there were chickens, too!

Doesn't Pat look handsome under the apple tree?

The reception was lively although Matt and Hilary hardly had a chance to dance.

And, this pig and his little buddy (pictured above) wandered freely through the tent begging for leftovers. Nobody seemed to mind at all. In fact, we all took pictures.