Virtual Street Golf - Monday 2/5/2007

Stance lessons on the sidewalk in front of the cafe below my office. I've long suspected that a couple of the barristas are also part time golf pros.

I don't pretend to understand.

Sago, Sago, Any Way You May Go - Sunday 2/4/2007

We went to Costco Sunday morning. Sat at the little cafe where I had pizza and Hydra had polish sausage, and we watched the peculiar world of the big box store roll by.

There must have been a good deal on these sago palms. We saw cart after cart of these wheel by. They were kind of magestic, separating from the grove at the center of the store and heading toward the yards of the Antelope Valley.

Okay, does anyone recognize the song I'm referring to in the title? Who famously recorded it?

Deb in Fort Wayne

Hey, I wanted to post this here, not being sure whether you'd check for a response to your lovely comments! Thanks so much!

My sister leads a free writing group at the Peabody Public Library in Columbia City. Perhaps not too far to go, depending on what side of the city you live on. They meet at 7pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. It's listed under Adult Events on the library's page. She'd love to have you join in.

If you'd like to contact her to ask questions or just say hi, email me at sallykitt@gmail.com and I'll give you her email address. You're of course under no obligation, but if you'd let me know you've seen this, either through email or a comment, I'll send you the info and delete this post.

Phone Home? - Saturday 2/3/2007

Is it just me, or does this rock formation--the image has been rotated--look like E.T. with a little leafy lunch sticking out of the the side of his mouth? Did Steven Spielberg consult with Erich von Däniken before making his film?


Me and my shadow at Vasquez Rocks. Hydra's around here somewhere, too. We hiked for about 55 minutes, poking around the back part of the park. Most people stay around the big famous rocks so we pretty much had the trails to ourselves.



The view from inside one of the overhangs. This place always stimulates the imagination. It's like a stone city.

Ground Hog Day - Friday 2/2/2007

Celebrated by going to an outdoor taco stand with Hondista, and truly appreciating the fact that we and our local groundhogs could see our shadows. Scare that rodent back into his hole, we don’t mind.

She and I are both from northern Indiana, and agree that with winters like this, you don’t need to wish them away.

They were filming an episode of Desperate Housewives at the adjascent carwash, and I found all the stuff hanging off this crew member's belt interesting.

The End of an Era - Friday 2/2/2007

Buck's all grown up. This is as good as it gets.

I must say, the hat is less than impressive. It looks like a bowler.

His full height is a bit less than 6 inches.

Honestly, I imagine that the skin of drowning victims feels a lot like Buck's biceps do. [Shudder]

According to the packaging, he'll go back to his old size if left to his own devices. And I could start the process all over again!

But I think this is one of those life experiences that should remain precious and unique.

Who knows? It may eventually be the basis of another novel. There's been a lot more pathos involved in the past 72 hours than I have felt comfortable intimating.

Holy Cow! - Thursday 2/1/2007

Hour 53: Noon 2/1/2007

Is it just me? Or are my cowboy's pants disintegrating?

I didn't realize Tomasina sent me a stripper cowboy!

TUNE IN TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!

For the beginning of The Moon Topples Great Big Awesome (Short) Fiction Contest.

In which this wonderful blogger takes the initiative and gets his very own contest rolling. Find out what the topic is and write! Check out full rules by clicking on the link above!

Let's support this guy's initiative! He's saying YES!

Hour 24: 7am 1/30/2007 - Looking a bit saucy, no?

Hour 29 - Noon 1/31/2007

Hmm. A bit larger.

The difference is more obvious in this side view.
And the water’s getting murky. I think I’ll have to change it before the day’s done.

Cowboy Update

Hour 5 : He's getting puffy. I hope this is just a phase.

Hour 8.5 - He doesn't seem obviously bigger from above, but seems to be experiencing a height spurt.

I have to leave him at work overnight. Wonder what I'll find in the morning!

Gonna Grow Me a Cowboy - Tuesday 1/32/2007

What can I say? I work with a bunch of smart women.

But the reason we're all good at this job is because we are all pretty seriously verbally oriented.

So it's really no surprise that no one here can tell me what size jar I need to grow my cowboy. He started out about an inch tall and it says he'll get 600% bigger.

Okay, would that mean 600 inches tall? That can't be right.

Can it?

He's in a vase that's about 5 inches wide at it's widest about about 8 inches high. Hope it's not too constricting.

It's supposed to take him three days to grow to his full size. I put him in at 7am today.

I will keep you posted.

El Taco Llama and More - Monday 1/30/2007

Perhaps the best (formely) kept secret in North Hollywood: El Taco Llama on Magnolia, 1 block east of Cahuenga. It's a cafe attached to a car wash. Tammy discovered it a few weeks ago, and now we're hooked. Great carne asada taco. I'm not the only one who thinks so!

After we indulged in tacos at an outdoor table, we took a walk around the neighborhood.


I got a special kick out of seeing the way this recycling bin is decorated because Gia gave me Hand Book by Jean Benoit Levy for my birthday. Synchronicity.

Tammy and I both liked this palm tree a lot. It is large and robust and just about perfectly shaped.


Cool old panel van.

Home to Roost - Sunday 1/28/2007

We realized a few days ago that because we took down the Christmas tree early, we didn't put away all the other Christmas decorations. So on Sunday most of the rest went into boxes (found another thing since then!) and the chickens were returned to their place atop the toaster oven.

They are a sugar and creamer set. Yeah, I have a thing about tea things, and creamer sets.

If anyone knows anyone with one of those nice white porcelain Starbucks creamer sets that came out a couple of years ago that they aren't using, let me know. I'll buy it. I broke the lid to mine a few weeks ago, and it's the one that fits on my tray with the teapot and a cup and saucer.

Rainy Evening - Saturday 1/27/2007

Rainy and cold. Stayed home. Curled up in my favorite chair. Scribbled in my notebook.

Stuck my nose out the front door to breathe in the amazing clear cool air around 7pm.

Stuck my camera out the front door to get the shot of the day.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - Friday 1/26/2007

It's so gorgeous around here these days.

The thing about living in the mountains that we never realized before, is that at different times of the year you see different features. Because as the sun travels along the horizon, the light comes pouring through a different canyon around sunset illuminating vistas that aren't so set apart in the summer light.

And for some reason, when there are clouds, the mountains look taller. From hour to hour some days, it looks like we are living in different parts of the world.

My Familiars - Thursday 1/25/2007

Some employ crows or black cats. My familiars are the mouse, the pen and the RAZR.

I liked the way the chandelier at Bob's was reflected in the mouse. The pen and the RAZR just nosed their way into the shot.

Cheeky devils.

Ride 'Em, Cowgirl! - Wednesday 1/24/2007

This seems to be the message my friend Tomasina is trying to get across to me.

Last night, my writing group celebrated my birthday. What an amazing evening. It pays to have friends who can so eloquently express their affection in the form of wonderfully worded cards and thoughtful gifts. Clothing, jewelry, lotions, CD, book, etc. etc. Amazing, good stuff!

We ordered in Indian food and Braveheart whipped up a terrific coconut cake with vanilla and chocolate sauces to alternate between. I love not having to choose. I'll have it all!

So back to Tomasina's message via the lunchbox and the toy. We frequently do freewriting exercises during our meetings. Apparently cowboys often show up when I tap into my unedited psyche. They might be in a country bar, or helping a newbie with her recently purchased old farmhouse, or what have you.

Where and when I grew up, you might have cows, but dairy cows, not cattle. The boys often wore flannel and hats without claiming to actually ride a horse. It was okay. It was the way of our world.

But it is quite possible that I have been left with something of a flannel fetish, truth be told.

When I figure out how big a container I need I will, indeed, grow my own cowboy.

Still here!

I was really going to be better about posting every day or two. But then Blogger wouldn't let me load photos, and work became very busy, and now our Internet service at home is not working. So I'm at a Panera in Palmdale just to do some online banking and pay my cell phone bill, and I'll get caught up as soon as I can!

Kickin' Back in my Agent 99 Boots - Tuesday 1/23/2007

Finding myself with another few hours to hang out, I sat outside and read the first chapter of a novel that an e-friend sent me. I liked it!

This Is Misleading - Monday 1/22/2007

Okay, I could have titled this post "This Billboard is a Big Fat Lying Lie."

Fair Oaks? I think not. I've seen the place. They not only scoured the land of the live oaks and junipers, but they cut down the very mountains that once sustained them.

This place was built on peaks that were once so steep that I thought they were safe from development. But unlike the older Los Angeles hillside neighborhoods like Echo Park and Silverlake, etc. the developers don't have to work with the landscape at all. They simply destroy geologic structures that took eons to build.

And then they build the houses so close together that there's no chance for an oak to find a home there again.

It hurts me, you know?

Some days, it's all I can do to stop myself from imagining all the beautiful mountains in my life in their possibly diminished futures. Amputated.

This is the main reason I personally seek the zen of the now. To see those mountains as they are today.

Paris Calling... Sunday 1/21/2007

I love this book. I just finished it. I asked for it for Christmas because I thought it was going to be a guidebook. (And I’m going to be in Paris in May!)

Well. It is in a way, but it’s also a kind of magical book about writing. The very sort of thing that appeals to me. It asks for upping my commitment to writing. That’s the best thing I took away from The Artists’ Way, the challenge to challenge myself. (Which led me to join a writing group, go to a writer’s conference, get a story published, apply for and receive a fellowship, help create writing retreats for my group, take personal time off to write, etc.)

Maisel encourages us to dream, and to dream big. He asks us to challenge ourselves and treat ourselves and go be a writer in Paris. Boy oh boy do I want this.

But he also talks about doing it in other places and in other ways. I found it perfectly inspiring and uplifting, and I doled it out to myself in short bursts.

I may just reread it right away. I may just have a writerly crush on Eric Maisel, whose The Art of the Book Proposal is also helping me quite a lot right now.

Mama Didn't Raise No Princesses - Saturday 1/20/2007

Well, I probably shouldn't speak for my sister, or for my brothers for that matter. But I, for one, am no princess.

I got up in the dark of the morning to get a glass of water--humidity has been so low here for so long--and when I came back to bed, I discovered I'd been sleeping on this eraser.

It was undeniable. It was right on top of the feather bed, which is on top of the foam, which is on top of the mattress. And it was still warm.

Ahem.

I would like to thank the kernal of corn for stepping in for the pea on such short notice. I couldn't find a pea anywhere around the house.

Not that that apparently means much.

For all I know, there could be dozens under the mattress.

Sebastian - Friday 1/19/2007

Big name. Little dog.

Sebastian hangs out downstairs with Jay. His name has not been changed, because although he's innocent, he doesn't need any protection.

Sebastian is an excellent poser, but never a poseur.

My Teddy Book - Thursday 1/18/2007

I almost always read in bed before going to sleep at night. Sometimes in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, I get my book off the nightstand, hold it open with one hand and turn the light out, and it helps me fall back to sleep.

So, yes. I cuddle books, not bears.

Don't worry. I know.

I'm tagging this TMI, aren't I?

Reflective Sky - Wednesday 1/17/2007

There was a lot of weather in the L.A. area. Snow in Valencia, where Hydra works, for the first time in 19 years! It was overcast most of the day in Burbank and one of my coworkers actually experience hail, but by the time I headed home it was clearing up.

Here's another cool little website: How Many of Me? You plug in your name and it tells you how many people in the U.S. have your first name, your last name, and both of your names.

Aw. No one has my maiden name. I gave it up, and that's that. My birth surname is fairly rare, only 660 in the U.S. according to this site.

How to Flatter Your Local Blogger - Tuesday 1/16/2007

I was exercising in the living room when Hydra got home from work last night. There were two trips in from the garage. There was rustling in the kitchen. Something was definitely up.

Oh my god! Do you get it?

It's all the food-holiday foods I was bemoaning weren't mine, plus flowers and my very own fig Newtons! (I actually like fig Newtons, but where's the drama in that? You writers will understand the creative license. And, truly, they are decidedly un-sexy.)

I laughed, I cried. It's everything I wanted and more. Finally, concrete proof that my writing has an impact in the world. (sigh)

Where's the grilled cheese, you may ask? I was happy to opt for sharing a caprese appetizer for my birthday dinner.

We went to the new Wences restaurant in Acton. I like a new experience, but I didn't have high hopes for this place. They serve Chinese, Italian and Mexican food in a very small space. I've been watching Gordon Ramsay for years and I didn't think any small place good do so many things well. Figured it would all come right out of the freezer. Dunno about the rest of it, but I chanced the special and had an amazing grilled trout with fresh tomatoes and capers. Beautifully cooked veggies and unremarkable spaghettini alfredo on the side. And the caprese was subtle and delicious.

What a great day! We're planning to go pick up the big gift next weekend. A digital Nikon single lense reflex. (Drumroll?)

[Note for people into photography: this image was "cartoonized" with Kodak's EasyShare software. I love this effect. It makes a dull photo kinda pop.]

Pleeeeeeeze Don't Make Me Wear the Hat - Tuesday 1/16/2006

>

Luna and I share a birthday! I totally agree with her. I'm more than willing to accept the treats and well-wishes, but I am not so much into the hat this year.

Luna got to go to the park at lunch time today. Hydra and I are going to try out the new restaurant in Acton. Maybe he'll take me to the new Acton Park, too! Toss me a Frisbee! No, really toss it!

I Would Let You Hold This - Monday 1/15/2007

I found this in a rock shop in Lone Pine. Of course it's not a rock, it's a piece of glass. When you turn it, the light moves in bands inside it. At one point, a circle of mottled white is reflected against the inner surface.

I think this is the thing that prompted my mother to comment, laughing, "You are almost decadent."

I guess because I buy small beautiful things that please me. I think it's good for us to spend a little money on something like this, especially if we are able to honor it by letting it bring us joy when we handle it.

It's like cupping the moon in the palm of your hand.

Yin and Yang - Sunday 1/14/2006

Double espresso and vanilla-bean cupcake. Sunday morning at the Barnes and Noble Cafe.

I Forgot My Camera! - Saturday 1/13/2007

And I don't know how to get the pictures off my cell phone. So you'll have to settle for this image from my hike in Franklin Canyon.

Gia and I spent most of the day together. Went for a hike. She made lunch back at her place. Then we brainstormed about the project we are working on together. Great way to spend a day. We expanded on her already brilliant idea.

Your Birthday is a Holiday - Friday 1/12/2007

This website has a listing of the food holidays that have been designated for each and every day of the year. I could easily become obsessed.

My birthday is Fig Newton Day.

I want a recount!

My brother got bittersweet chocolate. My sister got potato chips. My other brother got both grilled cheese and licorice. Mom got peach ice cream. My dear departed father got clam chowder and chocolate covered nuts.

I ask you… Is that right? Fig Newtons!?

Okay, while IMing with the level-headed American about this, she pointed out that it is also International Hot & Spicy Food day. Oh. I didn't read that far. I saw fig newtons and I just naturally flew off the handle and went to see how my siblings stacked up.

I am appeased. I like the hot and the spicy, and especially the international.

Jay Saves the Day - Thursday 1/11/2007

My writing group is meeting tonight instead of our usual night, which means I have the hours between 3:30 and 7:00 to fill. Usually this isn’t a problem. It’s a delight. I hang out in a coffee house, run an errand, read a book, hit the library, and every so wonderful often meet with the inspiring Megs for a writing date.

But tonight. Woeful tonight. I sat at my desk, staring at the computer, unable to pull myself away from the XM 70s radio that’s available for free on AOL. I did a little research for my novel, put a fraud alert on my credit report (remember that story on NPR about UCLA student and staff records being hacked—yeah), goofed around on 43Things, and developed an ache in the small of my back. And also developed an ache in the pithy part of my soul. Just too many hours at the desk.

I finally packed up my gear and headed down the stairs when my office-mate left. It’s just too weird getting there two hours before her and staying after she leaves. Out on the sidewalk…I just stood there looking around. Undecided. What to do? I didn’t feel like doing anything. Still two hours to go.

I perched on the edge of an outdoor chair with my head in my hands, considering my options, feeling drained, when Jay said hello. Jay’s the guy who sits outside of Priscilla’s with his Pomeranian on his lap most afternoons. Sometimes alone. Often with people who are probably like me, that he’s been friendly with over the years.

I’m not sure about Jay’s story. I need to get it straight one of these days. What I’ve heard is that he was injured in an accident on a film set, and he spent a lot of time trying to get someone to help pay the bills. He’s got some sort of brain damage. He’s told me that himself.

“I won’t remember your name,” he said when I finally introduced myself, “But I’ll remember you. I know people by their essences, and I’ll remember that you’re one of the good ones.”

Tonight he said, “You look like you’ve had it.”

I said I had, and explained a little about how my brain seemed to have flattened out.

“Remember, we’re human beings, not human doings,” he told me. “Try to stay in the now. This moment. Get yourself a coffee. Hold it in your hands and feel the warmth. That’s happening right now. People forget to just coast. You need to just stay still for a while.”

Now, I know that that first line has been bandied about a lot. And it may be foolish to take advice like this from a guy who seems to do little else than stay still. But I managed to step back from my skepticism and let the universe deliver what it was trying to offer me.

After all, I think I have seen him journey from being very resentful about his current diminished situation to being fairly okay with it on a daily basis. Being in the now, rather than resenting the past or fearing the future.

“I think you just turned my evening around,” I told him as he held the door open so I could go inside and get that double espresso he was talking about.

He was gone when I got back to this table on the sidewalk. I sat here for a full seventeen minutes before getting out my laptop and starting to write. That’s kickin’ back for Sundry, let me tell you.
But it’s okay, because this has been fun, and it has to be fun sometimes. It has to be that when you’re writing you occasionally allow yourself to follow your nose like a little kid playing on a summer afternoon.

Shaggy Pays a Visit - Wednesday 1/10/2007

Lookit! Luna's brother, Shaggy, spent the afternoon in the office.

Luna showed him the ropes. The best places to hide rawhide bones (one of which is under my desk), how to get workers to turn around and coo at you, etc.


Here, they work on their synchronized sitting. This stuff takes practice.

It's not as easy as it sounds.

Kirk Never Had to Deal with This - Tuesday 1/9/2007

The Starship Enterprise always looked brand spanking new.

I suspect that the good Captain didn't spend as much time in his command chair as I do. Or apparently have such a wicked tendency to press down on the left arm rest. The right one's fine.

I have never denied that I lean to the left. I just hadn't realized it manifested itself so physically.

House Near the Library - Monday 1/8/2007

I usually turn around on this side street after visiting the library. I like the interesting mix of plants and lions (there's another one out of this frame) and, yes, even the old shadeless lamps!

Too Much Time on My Hands - Sunday 1/7/2007

When I saw this in the Trader Joe's parking lot in Palmdale this morning, the Styx song "Too Much Time On My Hands" came to mind.

You'll see what I mean if you click on the lyrics. Ah, life in the high desert berg.

Traffic School - Saturday 1/6/2007

Online traffic school is definitely the way to go. You can stop and start it multiple times (my sentence was 6 hours and 40 minutes.) You can do it anywhere you have an Internet connection. You can do it in your pajamas with a cup of tea.

You take the test and they send the results to your traffic court for you. On this site, all for $14.50!

I was bad. I was singing and there was no one in front of me to hold me back. I sped.

Now, I am absolved. I have paid my debt to society.

As an added bonus, I now understand what all the different colors of curb paint mean.

You may envy me.

You may touch the hem of my garment.

Water Again - Friday 1/5/2007

My water glass at Bob's Big Boy. Again, with the water. I don't know what that's about.

Except it's one of those common things that is actually kind of pretty if you really look at it.

And it's sort of comforting to be back at Bob's, where they know my regular order--hot tea, oatmeal and a big glass of water--and I am now one of the regulars. One old guy (since he's over 80 I don't think I need to beat around the bush) stops and chats with me a little bit every morning. I nod and smile, say hello, to others.

And I write. Rewriting is sooooo much slower than NaNoWriMo writing, but I am discovering cool stuff about my characters and figuring out what you will need to know about them at the beginning, and what they know about themselves, and what they have to learn.

"How's the book coming?" the twenty-something hostess asks me.

"Doing okay," I say. It takes a long time, but I'm up for it.