Taking the Reins - Thursday 3/27/2008

Cool wall inside The Paddock.



Heaps of flowers over one of the rows of stables.




The exit drive. That's a separate covered arena at the end of the street.

Sadly, the progress I felt we made last week was pretty much knocked aside by the return of three girls who hadn't been involved in the guided mental walk that five of them took last week.

Today there were some cool comments made during our discussion of emotions, but it was so much about trying to keep them within reasonable limits of behavior...I don't enjoy that at all.

Ravens - Wednesday 3/26/2008

Hydra and I went for a hike yesterday afternoon and there were lots of ravens out playing in the breeze.



Got some shots of one coming in for a stick landing!





Cool Thing: Coupons for DTV converters - apply by March 31st, 2008!

You've heard that your analog TV will be obsolete as of January 17th, 2009?

Oh, you haven't?

Well, yeah, the whole television broadcast system is switching over to digital. The U.S. government is offering up to 2 coupons per household for $40 each toward a converter box (which I think I've seen at WalMart for about $47.)

You only need one if you're using your analog TV with an antennae (like the one in my office at work.) If you're hooked up to cable or satellite you don't need it.

If you're not...get on it by next Tuesday. Click on this link for the coupon site. It's quick and painless. Not even a pinch!

Jimmy Helps Make the Bed - Tuesday 3/25/2008

When I return from my morning ablutions, there's Braveheart's darling, giving me the Kitty Power Glare. "You will rub my belly. You will call in late and you will stay and you will ruuuuuuub my belly."



Momentarily distracted by the usual belly-rub suppliers rustling in their sleep.


Okay. Back to me and my belly.



Oof. That was good.

Why are you still here?



And now for a little more on meeting Los Angelista yesterday. I just wanted to offer her anonymity if she wanted it. Are those of you who have been dragged into my blog with nicknames you had no control over wondering why she gets this option? Braveheart? Tomasina? Hydra? Bells?

I dunno, it just felt like the thing to do at the time.

Anyway, she wrote about it on her blog quite cleverly and I thought I'd share a little more too. On my blog. Because she deals with really important things over there. I have to say that Los Angelista has spurred me to write things in response to her posts that are more challenging and make me think about the world and myself in it more than the stuff I tend to post here. She's already been a good influence on me.

It was great. I was more worried that I wouldn't measure up than that she wouldn't. Although there was that IM conversation with Toronto in which I joked that we were meeting on a trail in the middle of Griffith Park and she said next to a shallow grave in the Angeles National Forest might also be appropriate. Then she said she'd come to my funeral. Aren't my friends sweet!? I think I'd draw a nice crowd. Just watch out for the e-vile blog lurkers... ;)

I have met people from the Internet since the days of the BBS Boards when all we had were words made of green or amber light to connect us. (Got that campfire feeling yet, kiddies?)

I think the first person we met was from rec.pets.birds. She worked at Sea World and took us into the lab behind the penguin house where we met and petted penguin #154. A high-water mark in this bird-fan's life, let me tell you! That was the late 80s.

I met a woman from a Ralph Fiennes fan list a couple of times. We were the ones who told ourselves we were on the list because of the high quality of his films, rather than the high quality of his face. We talked about all kinds of movies, etc. when we met and then she transferred to England to work. Hmm, I never put that together before, but she didn't seem like the stalker type....



People from that same fan list got together to see the premiere of The Avengers in Westwood. I don't know whether it was that the film was so laughably awful or that one of the women at dinner afterward showed off a People or Us magazine article about her being Ralph Fiennes' Biggest Fan (complete with photographs of her in the middle of a room stuffed with memorabilia) but I dropped off the list shortly after. Perhaps it was the sense that this was the shape of things to come!

I've met a couple of other random folks, one of whom seemed a little odd online and turned out to be a little odd in person, but not dangerous.

Last May, a person I met on 43Things hosted Hydra, my mom and I overnight in her home in LaHavre! It was the most amazing thing for her to do for us. A terrific first night in France that will never be forgotten. Sitting up late at her kitchen table, drinking wine after dinner and talking politics with her and her husband.

I think we all have pretty good instincts about each other and that you can't hide long-term, even online, if you write about what is important to you. None of the meet-ups were with people who I'd only exchanged a few lines with.

Another good experience chalked up, thanks to Los Angelista. And an introduction to the Casbah Cafe, too!

The L.A. Experience - Monday 3/24/2008

Trust me, I wasn't endangering anyone's life by snapping this and the next couple of photos as I crawled through the 101 to 110 to 10 in downtown Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. (How does anyone from out of town keep those numbers and directions in their head when they go through here for the first time?)



There was plenty of time to sight see!



Including the (apparently) Leaning Tower of L.A.

I was going from meeting an amazing fellow blogger (who can identify herself if she's comfortable with that), who turned out to be even more interesting and beautiful in person. We've emailed privately some, and have read each other's blogs, and it was a pretty good bet that neither of us were going to cause the other harm.

We were right! We win!

Oh, and she introduced me to the amazing Casbah Cafe, where they had stacks of tomatoes on the counter, and big bowls of dates and apricots you could order along with the usual coffee house fare. Wow, I could go back again and again!




I was thrilled that Braveheart's local gang of parrots flew overhead as I parked my car in front of her house. Luckily, there were engaged enough with the yummy stuff in this tree that I could get close enough to snap a shot with my little Canon point-and-shoot.


Here's what they were eating. It does look tempting!

Inside, we critiqued and celebrated Tomasina's amazing rewrite of her current novel-in-progress, which I predict will be published soon (by publishing industry standards!) So fun to read!

Wildflowers - Sunday 3/23/2008

I've been meaning to climb up the hill behind our house and see just what all the hubbub is about. There are more poppies this year than I've seen since we moved here 7 years ago. Mostly in the burned area...interesting, huh?




Yes, I did lie down to take this shot.



Yes, I did get some stickers right through my jeans into my hip. The cacti burnt, but apparently left a few reminders behind!


From a distance, I'd assumed these were lupine. When I neared them, I thought they might be thistles, but the shape's not right and they don't seem to have spines.

Not sure what they are. I think that wildflower book is in the backseat of my car....



Don't know how well you can make this out, but there are drifts of those purple flowers in the wind-wakes of the burnt out junipers.



Just to prove that my shoe and I were there.



I am going to make this my desktop image for a while!

Casa Ortega - Saturday 3/22/2008

I've noticed this restaurant before on our drive across the desert on the 138 between Palmdale and the 15, and this morning we stopped for a little photo shoot.

Easter Saturday - Saturday 3/22/2008

I'm really looking forward to seeing the family today and sharing a meal. We're not religious, but we look for opportunities to get together. I'm going to suggest we name a random weekend to do this again before Thanksgiving... our own midsummer holiday. Otherwise, we don't see each other quite enough.

I'm really glad that we get to head off through the desert rather than hitting a major freeway the whole way down. We'll pass Mormon Rocks and go through the Cajon Pass on our way. Maybe I'll get some more photos to share.

It's 100 miles each way. Thank goodness Hydra and I both like driving.

Good Friday - Friday 3/21/2008

I worked a half day from home today, and then I went to sit out in the back yard.

It just doesn't pay to drive 45 minutes to work and 45 back on a day the boss is going to let people go early.

Also doesn't pay for me to start at my usual 6:30 and be let off at 1:00, which is about the halfway point for everyone else, but by which time I've put in 6 1/2 hours. (That pesky math rears its ugly head again.)



I swear, the last time I looked at this tree it was still bare!


Ice plant and gazanias under that tree. The first time someone told me the name of the orange flowers, I thought she was pulling my leg. Right, I'll repeat that!

As I sat there just out of the direct sunlight, with Dodger in his travel cage on the table next to me, reading Tomasina's truly wonderful novel, I began to hear...something. Was that dry leaves skittering across the sidewalk between the house and garage?

No. That was running water! Running water under the house, and nothing was even using water inside. Phooey.

I turned off the main water supply to the house and it eventually stopped. Called a plumber, who is generally local but also happened to be nearby. I was thinking that this is a holiday and it's an emergency, and it could cost between $200-300, especially if he had to go under our house.

Boy, did this go smoothly. The plumber came over right after Hydra came home and fixed it pretty quickly and only charged $100.

I love Acton.

I've Got Class - Thursday 3/20/2008

I had a great time with my girls! We went to the park. M, above, is holding a puppy that was there with it's little girl master.)

It’s really great to have some space to stretch out in. The guided mental walk went really well. Afterward, I let them play on the playground equipment while I made sure I could make out their writing and then read it aloud to them. They could opt whether to claim their writing or not, and all of them ended up being proud of it. I think they liked hearing me read it. (This was from my sister’s notes about the guided walk.)

We decided that next time we’ll write about Easter a little and that we’ll write love stories. They were all really excited about that. I told them to bring a picture from a magazine or whatever of a boy, if they want to. What kind? Something that will inspire you to write a love story. General excitement.



S hanging upside down. What a great smile.

At the end they hung around with me instead of scattering and M, who I thought would be trouble, but who really brings a lot of creativity and energy along with her slight mouthiness, asked me what inspires me. I thought about it and said that finding beauty in places that don’t seem very beautiful inspires me, and pointed out a stack of scuffed buckets. They pointed out flowers, and the wood of the table, and we enjoyed the way the sunlight shone through the drips of sap on the canvas over the outside table, and the pine needles poking through the netting.

“What inspires you about this place? Other than Me?” (M again, too funny.)

“Honestly, you girls.”

I told them I want to come back because I love what they’re writing and I’m interested in hearing more and getting to know them better. They really heard me, which was a neat moment. They all were saying “Bye, Miss!” at the end instead of just running from me. Yay.

The only thing I regret is that some of them weren’t there…only six today. But they want to be sure to go back to the park with the others.

Amazing. Before the class I was SO TIRED from staying up late working on the class prep, from working 3 9 hour days in a row, coming in at 5:30 this morning so I could finish work before the class. I think that being worn out made me less inclined to make them toe the line (though I don’t think I’ve been brutal), and we had a better time.

Making an Example of My Breakfast - Wednesday 3/19/2008

Okay, now that I see the photo of this innocent multi-grain scone, I feel a little sad about making an example of it.

But it's the only photo I took on this hectic Wednesday, and I do have a point to make.

Good grief, food prices are jumping! The last time I bought one of these--granted, it's been a few months--it was $1.75. Today it was $2.25. Someone can probably tell me what percentage that is.

It's easier for me to figure out on the individual boiled eggs they offer at Priscilla's, which went from 50 cents each to 75 cents each. Dang! That's a 50% increase!

Right? (I'm so math-phobic.)

I mentioned it to coworkers and we all agreed that a bag or two of groceries seems to have gone up about the same amount. Lots of sad headshaking and further agreement that it's because of gas prices.

Even people who don't drive are paying the price.

The New Hearth - Tuesday 3/18/2008

Almost everyone stops by on their way out of the coffee house. Niceties are exchanged.

I like seeing people straggle in before light. They have more time to talk to the baristas at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at this hour.

They have really excellent loose leaf teas here. I'm particularly enamored of the Chai.

I mix 2 teaspoons of CB&TL Chai with 1 teaspoon of English Breakfast in my three-cup pot on weekends.

If you like green tea, try the Gen Mai Cha...green tea with puffed toasted rice. It's a great afternoon pick-me-up instead of a snack.

Pacific Airmotive Corp. - Monday 3/17/2008

When I see these old industrial sites, I always think about all the lives lived inside. So far I haven't found a whole lot on the web about Pacific Airmotive. What a great business name though, huh?

They were apparently a vibrant part of Burbank's now-dwindling aerospace industry.

How Green Was My Valley - Sunday 3/16/2008

All good things must come to an end. We packed up our stuff, had coffee with our friends, said our good-byes several times, and headed home.

I do the site reservations for our group, working with the camp manager, who is wonderful. I've been doing it for a couple of years and it's gotten easier and easier. A couple of guys from the club take care of other duties while we're at the campground, so it's not all on me.

Although it's always fun, for some reason this weekend was absolutely fabulous and relaxing. One of the best.

I always take too many books and notebooks and plan to get some reading, writing or critiquing done. I knew enough to leave my laptop at home this time. As usual, my brain just melted into the pleasure of walking back and forth across the live oak shaded campground, catching up with friends and joining in on harmonies, and I didn't accomplish much other than remembering how to be a content little human.

This valley on either side of the 126 stretches from Ventura to Valencia. The ordered rows in this shot are orange groves.



Flowers! These yellow ones remind me of mustard from back home. There are purple lupines in between at some points.

Today was Dodger's 15th hatchday! I forgot to do a birthday portrait.

He had a pretty great weekend, I think.

Here he is on Friday afternoon, enjoying the morning light from under the awning on our trailer.

And the Beat Goes On - Saturday 3/15/2008

More hanging out with friends making music. These are some real gems, both musically and as people.

A Campy Weekend - Friday 3/14/2008

It was a foggy morning where we woke up outside of Fillmore, CA. I missed a really great shot of a handful of guys starting work in one of these fields. They grow recognizable vegetables up here between the orange groves.



That's my cowboy! Yeah, we rode the horses into town for supplies.... Erm, drove the Tahoe in to Starbucks. What a great morning.



Our flock had a great time outside on the picnic table. Dodger's also out here, tooting and laughing and saying "Hello" to passersby.



I wandered around the campground looking for the music. Where was everyone? I had a great conversation with a couple of other Songmakers, but I was...

Hey! They're all at our place! And most of them are playing Hydra's guitars!



My friend, HammerGrrl's hammer dulcimer. I wish I could let you hear her play. It's like being transported to another century. It soothes the soul.

Pre-Apology Bagels - Thursday 3/13/2008

In an effort to pre-reward the generosity of my coworkers who are about to cover my researcher-eating shows for a day, I brought in gigantic fresh bagels and cream cheese.



From inside "my" classroom at Taking the Reins.

Believe me, if you had told me when I was twelve years old that I would one day teach creative writing in a converted stall, it would have made complete sense to me. More sense than my living in California.

I made sure I had enough material to get through the whole two hours. One girl didn't come back, but there were two new girls in her place. I think I worked them a little hard, and they might have felt a bit like this gecko.

Drumroll, Please - Wednesday 3/12/2008

These are the bowls I heat my soup in at work.

Did I mention, it's been really busy since we've been back at work and all the shows are trying to produce 6 episodes in the time they'd usually do four?