Pop Culture Revue

I forgot to get a Mega Millions ticket yesterday. I hear that two people won the $370 million. We bought one when it was $256 million. I think a dollar for a dream is a bargain. Greg and I talked a little bit about what we would do. We've played this game so often that we don't even need to talk about what we'd do for US -- we found ourselves talking about what we'd do for others. Getting our sisters established in their own homes. Making sure that our parents were retired in comfort. Setting up a foundation for public education for the schools in our community. Funding the pipe dream real estate project for a friend that we believe in and have helped with his project for 3 years. Heck, that would barely put a dent in it. Fun to dream about what we'd do if money truly were no object! (Which is not to say that I don't have deep, dark fears about what that sort of money would do to me and my offspring as well.)

I forgot to watch American Idol last night. AHHHHH! Greg is out of town and my whole schedule is out-of-whack. I don't sleep well when he's away. Both kids are sick anyway so I wouldn't have wanted them staying up late. I avoid the mainstream media for the most part so it was news to me that Antonella Barba has some trashy pictures circulating the internet. I have to say in all the hype that I read last night, I kept thinking about her parents and how sad they must be to see their daughter selling herself so cheaply by allowing pictures like that to exist. I don't think the girl can sing well enough and I don't think she should still be on the show but I feel really badly for her parents. Also, in the course of my late night surfing, I stumbled onto the existence of a website called Vote for the Worst. They pick the one or two singers they think are the worst on AI and encourage people to vote for them to up the drama on the show. Antonella is their pick right now. All that aside, I didn't care for her attitude. It seems very clear -- from the way she interacts with the judges -- that she thinks she's doing just great and doesn't need to do anything different. Now, maybe that's a brave front and I'm misjudging her (remember that I haven't seen last night's show -- yay for TiVO) but add all this together and she is not someone that I care to watch much more of this season.

Blogger vs. WordPress. In my avoidance of work, surfing the internet to avoid missing my husband, blur last night, I decided to play with WordPress and see what I thought of it. I kind of like it. There are a few features that I like a lot better than Blogger. The most important to me is the ability to see your recent comments -- I'm forever stumbling back through posts to see if I missed any comments -- but I didn't like getting emailed everytime I got a comment either. So, that's a big one for me that would be useful. I'm impressed with how easy it was to set up and import all my old blogger posts. I think I could even import my really old posts from back when I used TypePad with no difficulty which would include my really, really old Blogger posts and give a complete history back for several years. That would be nice -- just for me, not for anyone else, probably. Anyway, my question is this . . . what do you like about the platform you are using? What do you like or dislike about reading blogs on the other platform?

Oh, and you can see what I've done so far -- should you have nothing better to do:

Egret's Nest
Chickadee Chatter

Quick child update . . . Gage is responding well to the antibiotics -- yay! Ruthie's cough is getting worse -- boo! And, I woke up with one eye gummed shut this morning -- boo! I hope we can hang on to some semblance of health well enough to get through this week. Fingers crossed!

Meme: Book List

Look at the list of books below:

• Bold the ones you’ve read
• Italicize the ones you want to read
• If you are reading this (and haven't participated yet), tag, you’re it! (But only if you want to be it!)
  
• If there are any books on this list that I didn't italicize and you think I should read, let me know in comments.
  (FYI, I cleaned this list up a LOT -- alphabetized it and added the entire author's name for all the books)
  

1. 1984 (George Orwell)
   I hated and despised this book. I was forced to read it in high school and other than a great ad for a new computer and some great anti-government catch phrases, I see little good that came out of it.
   
2. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
3. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
4. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
   Reading Literature (capital L intended to connote a fancy upper crust snobby accent) is one of my "before I die" goals
   
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
6. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
   I'm fairly sure I read this one but I'm not positive
   
7. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
   I may have already read it -- I know I've heard McCourt interviewed on NPR so I have heard alot about the book.
   
8. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
9. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
   No, thank you. Depressing and too long. I'll pass.
   
10. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
11. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
    The Fountainhead was enough Rand for me.
    
12. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
13. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
14. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Helen Fielding)
    Read it and the sequels.
    
15. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
16. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
    Read it about 400,000 times. Still cry at the end.
    
17. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
18. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
    (See note above on Anna Karenina)
    
19. Dune (Frank Herbert)
    Read it, read the sequels, saw all the movies. Snore. I really didn't like these but read them because my husband did and loved them. I kept waiting for them to get better! :)
    
20. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
21. Emma (Jane Austen)
    Love all the Austen, Bronte Sisters stuff!
    
22. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
23. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
24. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
25. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
    Read it about 100,000 times. Great book. Loved it so much I tried to read the Mitchell Family approved sequel but quit in the middle (if I even made it that far) and decided that the Mitchell Family were greedy and needed a good slappping.
    
26. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
27. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling)
    Love Harry Potty and all the other books in the series. I'm a series fan. I love reading series books. But, why is this series here in all its glory and other series authors only have one book listed. Strange list to be sure!
    
28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling)
29. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling)
30. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)
31. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)
32. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
33. In The Skin Of A Lion (Michael Ondaatje)
34. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
    Read it because it was the thing to do. Anne Rice is interesting and quite honestly I prefer her erotica to her vampire/creepy things that go bump/ books.
    
35. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
36. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
37. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
38. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
39. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
    All time favorite book. I'm waiting anxiously for Ruthie to be old enough to read this book and share the glory and tissue box with me.
    
40. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
    See note on 1984 and multiply by 1,000 to come close to my hatred for this book.
    
41. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)
42. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
43. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
44. Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
45. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
    I would like to read some Marquez and this one seems a good one to start with.
    
46. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
    Now, see, this is what I'm talking about. All the Rowlings book but only one Gabaldon book. Her books are amazing -- everyone I've ever recommended them to loves them -- including my father-in-law who is notoriously difficult to please in terms of books and movies and couldn't be more different from my personal aesthetic in terms of reading material.
    
47. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
48. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
    I loved this book so much that I even read the ridiculous sequel that came out about 10 years ago.
    
49. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
50. Shogun (James Clavell)
    I may have read this one but I'm not sure.
    
51. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
52. The Bible
    Well, I've read parts of it.
    
53. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
    Pretty sure I read this one prior to seeing the movie.
    
54. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
    See early notes on The Lord of the Flies and reduce loathing by about 80%.
    
55. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
56. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
    Yes. Read it, loved it, read all the sequels. Own them in hard back.
    
57. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
    Haven't read it, don't intend to, but must say, I love the sandwich!
    
58. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
    Yes. Read it and loved it. Unashamed of my love for the ideas behind this book.
    
59. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
60. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
    Want to read it and see the movie.
    
61. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
    My husband is an architect and therefore this book is required reading. It's good and I'm glad I read it but I was so done with it that I've never read another Rand book and don't intend to -- some authors can only be taken in small doses!
    
63. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
64. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
    Another small doses author. We live near Steinbeck country but I'm not a fan.
    
65. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
    Loved Gatsby.
    
66. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
    Hated this book. Oh, don't get me wrong -- it was excellent but so dark and depressing that I found it hard to get through and it left a black cloud over me for a long time.
    
67. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
    Loved it and all the series. Totally fun.
    
68. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
    Fantastic book. Plan to read it to the kids this summer.
    
69. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
70. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
    Loved it and all the series. Have read most of the series to the kids.
    
71. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
    Great book. Loved it. Have read it multiple times. Totally don't get it.
    
72. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien)
    Loved it and the entire series.
    
73. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien)
    
74. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien)
75. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
76. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
77. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
    Haven't read this one but I did read Message in a Bottle. Thought it was predictable and boring and didn't bother to see the movie.
    
78. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
    Required high school reading (not by the teachers, by classmates)
    
79. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
    Loved this book. Read it because of Greg's career again but it was awesome.
    
80. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
81. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
82. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
83. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
    I've read everything I could by her. It's awesome. She's reputed to be an ancestress of mine. But, as my mother says, my grandmother (whose maiden name is Burnett) would like to think that every famous Burnett is a relative -- Hi Cousin Carol!
    
84. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
85. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
86. The Stand (Stephen King)
    Why is this the book for King on this list? Why not Carrie or The Shining? I think I read this book because my sister liked it and told me too. But, I'm pretty sure I didn't like it.
    
87. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
90. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
    It was good and I saw the entire mini-series but didn't like it enough to read anything else by McCullough.
    
91. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
    Loved this book. Will re-read at some point.
    
92. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
    Read it. Liked it. Saw the movie. Decided the whole thing was just too weird for me. :)
    
93. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
    Loved it. Awesome.
    
94. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
95. Ulysses (James Joyce)
    My stepfather's favorite book. I don't get Joyce and don't really want to. Probably a held-over teenage rebellion of some sort.
    
96. War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
97. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
    Read it. Liked it.
    
98. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
99. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
    Read it. Loved it. Read most of the series. But I was also reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and they had so many similarities that I decided I didn't need to read both of them. Wheel of Time required such an investment of time and energy that I decided to stick with that one. To be honest though, Jordan really ought to offer someone a degree of some sort for reading the entire series and sticking it out. :)
    
100. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
     See earlier note about Bronte sisters and my adoration for their works.

Now, books I think should be added to this list:

I think some genre books should be added to make the list more complete:

1. what about anything by Agatha Christie? Or some other great mystery writers?
2. what about some great romance works? Think that's an oxymoron well I disagree! I enjoy many romances -- some are truly drek but some are wonderful. If someone wants to read something that is well written as well as being romantic and sexy, then I'd start with Nora Roberts and LaVryle Spencer. The classic bodice ripper book that really took Romances to where they are now is Kathleen Woodiwiss' The Flame and the Flower. I also highly recommend J.D. Robb's crossover scifi/mystery/romance In Death series. (J.D. Robb is really Nora Roberts writing under a nom de plume).
   
3. We've got fantasy in there but what about Science Fiction? There are some amazing Sci Fi authors out there. Heinlein, McCaffrey's Ship Series or Planet Pirates series are some of my favs but there are hardcore SciFi authors that I don't enjoy who are critically acclaimed.
4. Heck, if you are going to do a comprehensive list of books, don't you think a western should be on the list? How about Louis L'Amour or Larry McMurtry?
   

It's been raining . . .

Boulder Creek . . . the creek
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

. . . for a few days now and it snowed on the mountains above us. Finally our creek looks like it should look in the winter. We're due for rain through the weekend. Not great but a normal winter . . . hurray!

Saw this at Hasty Brook . . .

Things You Don't Know About Me

1. My birthstone is aquamarine.
2. I was an Air Force brat.
3. I did not have braces on my teeth.
4. I married my high school sweetheart.
5. I have lost 32 lbs in the last 3 years.
6. I was 34 when I had my first child.
7. I started bird watching with my stepfather when I was in High School for a Science project. It didn't stick as a hobby but I was always interested.
8. I used to do theater in high school and college. I won a Best Actress award in my high school.
9. I used to be on a Ski Race Team when I was in 7th and 8th grades. I wasn't very good but I loved doing it.
10. I have a trophy for playing volleyball in 8th grade.
11. I have a tattoo -- I got it on my 40th birthday.
    
    
    
    
    

Anyone else want to play?

Ruby's Home!

Ruby
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Here's our petite darling.

On our way to pick her up, we went to two petshops getting supplies. We didn't need much. We all picked out a toy for her then I needed a type of dog food that our local store didn't carry. We'll start her on it and then transition to something they do carry slowly. I also got a new Flexi leash (these are long retractable leashes that are good for letting dogs run around in a park or other open area to have some freedom with no risk of getting away from you). My old one was just too big. :) Oh, and we got her a new tag with her name and our phone number on it.

She -- and the others -- were glad to see us. In fact, Gabby -- the litter's mom -- jumped in Greg's open window and onto his lap when we arrived. Too cute! Ruby was still nervous with the kids but they didn't care because the puppies were out and about and so much fun. There were puppy buyers there and we finished the business side of things quickly. Ruby and Nancy said sad goodbyes and we left.

Ruby rode on my lap all the way home. She was curious about the kids but didn't quite want to go back there and check them out. The way we drive home from San Jose is a very windy road called Bear Creek Road. Ruby got a little carsick on it and was drooling like crazy. I had brought a towel to rub all over her former packmates so I had that on my lap and we did fine. Thankfully, she's like Ruth and I in the carsickness department -- she get miserable but never to the throwing up stage!

Many dogs who haven't traveled a lot firmly believe that they should only pee, poop, and eat at home. Ruby is among that group. She didn't want to go potty although nervously explored our front and back yards. She wasn't interested in water or food either. Hmmmmm.

We had some quiet bonding time with the kids on the couch. She's very nervous around them so we did some work on getting her used to them. We are devotees of The Dog Whisperer and used his advice that patience pays off in these situations. Both kids were sitting next to her and quietly petting her before we got ready to go to my inlaws.

It was just us and my inlaws last night (my sister-in-law's family was at their cabin in the mountains for the weekend) and Ruby loved it. She really gained confidence as the evening wore on.

Gage beating Gramma at checkers

Ruthie getting to know Ruby

Ruby and I took a long walk. She's a great companion and when she learns a few commands, will be a fantastic bird watching companion -- no really. She's very quiet and well-behaved. She needs to learn to walk on the leash without pulling but I know we'll get there. We saw a lot of lovely birds. Two of them were life birds!

Double-crested Cormorant

Green Heron

You can see my other pictures in my Flickr photostream {click}.

It was a delightful evening although Greg's parents beat us soundly at Canasta -- they even let us think we were winning for two hands before teaching us our lesson! :) We came home and the kids went to bed. Ruby was feeling confident enough to jump up on Ruthie's bed to say good night. Ruthie is hoping that Ruby will sleep with her eventually!

After a quiet evening, Greg and I went to bed. Ruby slept in a crate (oversized Labrador crate!) with a pillow, the smelly towel, and a big soft sheet. She wasn't feeling super secure yet but did great.

This morning, she greeted me with her normal happy demeanor, went potty in the backyard, ate a little bit of breakfast, and even greeted the kids politely. Hurrah! We have a dog again!

Mish-mash!

My friend, Betsy, did this on a snow day . . . I just did mine on a blah day. I did not go into much detail and, frankly, was a little bummed -- I've lived in Europe and according to Google Maps, you can't get there from here. Oh well!

To add in my European Adventures . . . after Glasgow, MT, add in Hargrave, England and after Austin Tx, add Weisbaden, West Germany then back to Austin, TX.

Still, it's fun! Click {here} and consider yourself tagged!

And, to follow up on yesterday's post . . . PMS? Pre-Menopause? Who knows but I do know that my chocolate/sugar/fat cravings are serious!

Last night, I made cashew brittle. It's super easy and super tasty!

AJ's Nut Brittle
Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup (light)
• 1 cup nuts (any nut will do -- I used cashews!)
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Steps:

1. Mix sugar and corn syrup in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook in microwave oven on high for 5 minutes
2. Stir in nuts. Cook 2-3 minutes on high.
3. Add other ingredients. Be aware that this will cause the mixture to froth in am amazing science experiment manner.
   
4. Spread mixture on a greased jelly roll pan. Cool for at least 10 minutes until it breaks apart in the expected manner.
5. Store in an airtight container or bag.

Notes:

• Make sure you use a large enough bowl to contain the froth in step 3.
• If you have a lower power microwave, the cooking times will have to be adjusted but I have no idea what that adjustment would be!
• Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage to your weight or dental work! You have been warned!
• I owe this recipe to my online friend, AJ, who amazes us all with all she does for her 4 kids (including new twins) and her family and friends. All that and she shares her recipes too!
  

Last but not least, this is a day for me to be grateful to my friends! My wonderful friend, BEG, at What's That You Said, sent me a prezzie in the mail. An addition to my collection of bird ornaments (that I blame LaurainNJ for starting me on!). Isn't it wonderful? Before you ask, I don't know where you can find one but I found this source through Google -- no clue if it's a legit business though! {click}

Quiet Thoughts

The creek behind my house: Boulder Creek.

We bought our house in 2001. This view from our back deck -- which hangs over said creek -- is one of the main reasons we bought this house. This changeable creek runs year round but its character changes dramatically over the course of that year. In fall, it is a tiny trickle. In spring and summer, it is a beautiful flowing creek with deep pools for swimming, ducks, fish, and crayfish. In the winter though, it changes and takes on a new life. When storms rage here, our sleepy, quiet stream turns into a violent force of nature. The water levels swell, it flows downhill at breakneck speed. When we step into our backyard, the roar of it is deafening.

Same view, during a winter storm.

I love the beauty that surrounds us. I honestly think we live in the most beautiful place in the world but I never take it lightly. We haven't had a huge storm like this yet this winter which is a becoming more unusual as January is generally when winter really starts going here. Still, this view never ceases to amaze and delight me. At times, it brings me peace and then other times, it can fill me with energy and awe.

Now, a birding question. With this amazing creek nearby, should I provide water in my yard in the summer for the birds? Or assume that they can get water from the creek. In winter, during storms, it isn't an issue. Water is everywhere -- a pool of it would be quite redundant. But in the summer, are there birds who won't go down to the creek for a drink.

PS. Oops! I got caught (as evidenced by the comments) in an editing trap. I originally wrote a post about American Idol. Then I decided that it wasn't saying what I wanted it to say and I dumped it and wrote this post. But, people saw it, commented, and now their comments make NO sense whatsoever! Sorry! So, to recap . . . we watched AI last night as a family. Good: love the show. thought Jewel did a great job. Simon was actually quite decent to people. Bad: I hate it when these delusional people think they are going to win the contest and they are so untalented as a singer that they shouldn't have made it past the screeners. There is a meanness in letting them through that I can barely stand. I'd rather skip the auditions altogether and watch just the contest after they are chosen. And, I really worry about the poeple that they televise who are clearly mentally ill. Didn't see any last night but the previews look as if we'll be seeing some tonight. :( I do, however, get an evil, mean glee out of watching people who claim to be fanatics of the show and think they are going to get on -- that woman at the end who has all the episodes on tape. Isn't she paying attention? You can't just be an okay singer. You can't even be a good singer. To make it, you have to be an amazing singer and have showmanship -- you have to have or be able to develop the package. It's your favorite show and you can't see that? Wow. The funniest one though was the Lion girl. Seeing her sing the Cowardly Lion song was amazing enough but hearing her sing OTHER songs that way . . . {jaw falls open}. And, words I never thought I'd hear myself utter . . . Poor Prince. That medley of his songs. Wow. There was one woman singing one of his songs (the one with the tie who may have been in that mentally ill category) who she was nearly done before I recognized the song. Amazing!

An amazing evening

Last night, we went out with friends. They arranged the evening and we went along with their plans knowing that it would be a delightful evening. Malcolm is the lead guitar player and organizer behind Metaphor -- one of the band's that Greg is in. We have dined at their house a couple of times -- they love food and love fine food so it's always a fantastic treat.


We met at Chez TJ in Mountain View -- about an hour from here. This is a very, very nice restaurant that just got a Michelin Star. That is rather an amazing accomplishment given how far off the bright lights of San Francisco it is. We knew it would be a wonderful (and crazy-expensive) dining experience but we threw ourselves into the experience and simply enjoyed it. I mean we enjoyed it. The company was wonderful. Malcolm and his wife, Eileen, are delightful, funny, kind. They have two daughters a few years older than our kids (their youngest is a year older than Ruth). We always enjoy their company. But the food. . .

I've spent the last half-hour looking for images because I thought it would be tacky to take my camera in and photograph all the food but I really wish I had (or at least taken pictures with Greg's camera phone camera). I found a few images to give you an idea of the type of food {here}. The food was truly the most amazing flavors I've ever had. You read food descriptions of subtle blends of flavors, elegantly presented dishes, wines that combine beautifully with the food. I had no idea what any of that meant before. Each bite was sublime. This was not food presented for it's snootiness factor . . . it was meant to be savored. And, we did.

The other thing that was so amazing was the service. The staff was wonderful. The food was brought out and explained as it was given to us. The staff was friendly and thoughtful and we never felt stupid or awkward. One funny moment came when the waiters cleared the table of the palate cleansing sorbet between one of the courses (it wasn't always sorbet though). The sorbet was served on oversized child spoons -- the kind with the handles that curve around in a loop. It was fun and elegant and we picked them up and used them as spoons. We missed that they had also brought us little small spoons. Everything was cleared without comment and we got a good laugh when I pointed out that we'd all missed that one. Although we all agreed we'd have felt pretty silly eating from a spoon with a spoon.

After dinner, we hurried to the Flint Center in Cupertino and got into our seats just moments before the show started -- phew! It was something completely different from the dinner. We saw An Evening with Colin and Brad. These former stars of Whose Line Is It Anyway did the most amazing evening of comedy improve. Some of the games were from Whose Line and some were not. It was delightful. We were glad to be well back from the front where there was no risk of being called up on stage. We laughed until our cheeks ached. Delightful.

We came home to an empty house as the children spent the night with my inlaws (bless them!). It was very nice to wake up this morning and feel that I had no responsibilities. A true vacation day . . . tomorrow will be soon enough to finish all the gawdawful chores that I've let pile up around here.

Meme

('cause I'm a joiner! )

Hey, if all the cool kids -- Laura, Susan, Julie, Lynne (and anyone else that I haven't gotten to yet) are doing it . . . I gotta join in . . .

two names you go by: Liza and Mom
two parts of your heritage: Scots, Irish
two things that scare you: bridges and the idea of someone hurting my children
two everyday essentials: mocha and computers
two things you are wearing right now: jammies and slippers
two of your favorite current bands/artists: Indigo Girls and Sarah McLachlan
two things you want in a relationship (other than love): trust and stability
two favorite hobbies: birding and reading
two things you have to do this week: finish de-Christmasing the house and setup new computers
two stores you shop at: Safeway and Ben Lomond Market (I don't get out much!)
two favorite sports: my kids playing soccer and . . .
two shows you like to watch: (Only two???) ER and Lost (but the list is quite a bit longer than that!)
two things you’d buy if money were no object: land and a new car
two wishes for 2007: health and a full-time teaching job

SpongeBob enjoys MacWorld

SpongeBob enjoys MacWorld
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

And so did I. Did not take many pictures but MacWorld was a blast! Exhausting but in a good way. It was nostalgic to me as well which was really nice too. I used to go to this show SERIOUSLY looking for the latest greatest thing to bring back to Stanford to share. I'd go and see tons of people I knew and register for conferences and all that jazz.

I have to say that going and just walking around and looking at stuff was fun too! And, the best part of it was getting to spend most of the day and evening with Greg! That was was cool.

Brag Alert! Greg occasionally writes reviews for MacWorld magazine on products related to architecture. He wrote a review for this product and got quoted on the box:

Yes, I made the guy in the booth hold up the box so I could take the picture. I said to him, "Greg's mom will be so proud!" (Ha -- she is but so am I!)

We tried to buy Greg's Christmas gift from me at the show but they were out of the 80G iPods so we stopped at the Apple store in Palo Alto on our way home. That was a fun way to do it because Greg has often wandered in there and looked at all the cool things he couldn't buy. Last night, we bought! We went out to a blissful kidfree dinner on the way home too which was very nice.

Today, I have a CPR class and then we are going out tonight to dinner and a play with friends. This is a big deal for us -- we don't go out to fancy, fun evenings very often! The kids are staying at my inlaws and I get to sleep in tomorrow!

Woooo-hooo!

ps. The new PC is working well although it is "quirky" which is why it got to be my "new" computer instead of the one that Greg swears at all the time. The new Mac will probably be set up tomorrow. That one will take longer, I'd imagine!

Peculiar Aristocratic Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Grace Duchess Liza Lee the Scattered of Much Bottom Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

And, in other news, Her Grace is most distressed. While cleaning my house today, I discovered that the diamond had fallen out of my engagement ring at somepoint during the day. Much searching did not turn it up. You can imagine how dismayed and sad I am feeling.

Year in Review Meme & bird report

As suggested by The Hawk Owl's Nest, I am continuing this meme. The idea is simple. Post the first line of the first post of each month of the year.

Well, I started this particular iteration of this blog in July so only a half a year's worth but here it is . . .

July -- I think I am mastering the art of procrastination. {more}
August -- Okay, so after a day of being super sad, I'm feeling better now. {more}
September -- So, yesterday I was helping out in kindergarten again -- what fun it is, really. {more}
October -- Took a few minutes at the end of a day long seminar on reading instruction to relax out at Elkhorn Slough yesterday afternoon. {more}
November -- November 1. Start of Project Feederwatch. {more}
December -- I just turned in my last assignment for my teaching credential program. {more}

That was fun. Thanks for the review! I love that the first post of December was the most important event of my year. Coolness! I got a FEW bird posts in there too. :)

Yesterday the birds at school were taunting me. When I had my camera with me . . . none around. When I didn't, they'd come out of the woodwork, pose enticingly, and then stick their little tongues out at me and say, "Neener, neener!" Sigh. I did get a couple of shots of some ravens getting cozy with each other (bird porn???) and of a California Towhee butt. But, the Hermit Thrush was only seen when I had no camera as was the mystery bird that a good picture of would help me identify. We have Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni here year round but in the winter we get a HUGE influx of Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula. I saw ONE of these two little darlings yesterday. It was adorable and posed beautifully for me but . . . no camera and so I don't know which one it was. Here's an article on the difficulty of id-ing these two tiny, cute birds.

Here's the shot of the California Towhee (pipilo crissalis) butt. How often do you get to post an orange butt?

Allergen Report

Well, I'm taking twice my daily dose of Claritin-D and putting the little allergen factory out on the porch to "enjoy the fresh air" everyday. I only needed my rescue inhaler once yesterday -- and it was more preventative than anything. Ruth thinks its all going great but we'll have to have a painful talk about how Mom can't live this way. She'll be sad but perhaps we'll find a different piggie that works for us.

The other side of things is that Checkers is a perfect pet for Ruthie. This piggie is tolerant to the nth degree. Ruthie carries her around, talks to her, cuddles her, sings to her, and curled up in a chair and read her 6 books yesterday afternoon. The piggie is unflappable.

She did escape while playing with Ruthie though. They were on the rug in the family room and Checkers looked at the dark opening under the TV hutch and ran. Hilarious. We finally got her out with no one traumatized. Of course, Ruthie is trying to "train" her not to go under there again. We watch a lot of Dog Whisperer in the house and Ruthie was using his techniques on the guinea pig. :)

So that's the news here from Allergy Central!

Sing!

Today was an unusual day for me. My husband is a musician. He's in two bands -- Mind Furniture and Metaphor. Metaphor is currently recording a CD. For one of their songs, they needed a choir to sing. So, Greg asked me to come join them as they needed more women.

I love to sing. That said, I don't have a fantastic voice and I have very, very little training. So, my confidence isn't real high. I'm sure I can sing well in a choir with some strong singers around me and Greg assured me that would be the case. No solos for me, thank you!

So, we had a rehearsal on Wednesday night and the other women singers are strong and confident so that was nice. I felt okay after the rehearsal but still quite worried about the whole thing. The other two women were quite good singers -- trained and experienced. I felt out of place, for sure!

Today was the actual recording. The process was fascinating. We did not have enough voices for the large choir effect that they wanted so we did multiple takes of the voices we had and then they are played together and . . . voila! . . . instant choir. It's amazing how well it works. I sang the Alto/Tenor line which was interesting and well in my range. There was also a soprano line -- I was intended to sing on it but that wasn't an option. When they were singing it, we joked that dolphins were calling back to them -- it was SO high! I'm a true alto and can't sing high soprano at all! There was also a bass line and Greg sang that one.

We listened to a rough mix tonight. It sounds great. Very full and choir-y. In retrospect, the day was great. But, I found it very nerve-wracking. Greg was more relaxed . . . "they can always do another take, don't worry about it!" I kept worrying that someone would say, "Oh my God, we can't fake it anymore -- that woman can't sing and we can't fix that noise with the technology!" Needless to say, that didn't happen. I felt way more confident once we were done. I'm really glad Greg talked me into doing it.

Magical Night on a local farm

Went to a CD Release party at a nearby farm tonight. The band is Absinthe Glow [click] and I can't really recommend their music because we had to go when it started. Gage was tired and he gets really sensitive to loud noises when he's tired. Soooo, we left when the music started. But what a magical place -- I know these people because their daughter was in my class. They live on a beautiful old farm in the hills. They play their music in the old barn. It was lit up with candles and strings of lights. They had a theme of a 1930's carnivale. It was amazing. Two girls were telling fortunes. They had sangria and lemonade. Snacks and caramel apples (which Ruthie loved). It was simply magical. I wish we could have stayed.

We are having a bbq here tomorrow and Ruthie wants to dress as a fortune teller -- like the girls did at this party -- I tried telling her that our party won't be that kind of party. But, she's going to do the decorating. She's disappointed though. I guess we need to do a BIG deal party sometime where her creative spirit can be set loose!

I'm a benevolent dreamer!

Benevolent Dreamer

ToonTown Blog

I finally started a blog just for my adventures on ToonTown [click]. Silly, I know but a passion is a passion. Our house loves ToonTown -- it's safe, fun, and vastly entertaining. Good, clean fun!

Conversation in my house this morning

As I sat quietly at my computer, sipping my first mocha, my darling (ha!) husband says to me, "Gonna take your walk this morning?"

I replied, as any intelligent woman would, "Garble, gurgle, gargle."

"Nice and cool out," says he.

"You are mean!" says me.

"I think Taura took her walk this morning."

"Are you trying to get my competitive streak going?"

"Whatever works."

Minutes of silence pass. I have clearly won this round and can continue to pretend that exercise is just a dirty word that needn't apply to me.

"Ooooo, look. There goes Mrs. Jackson taking her walk."

"I might walk in there and hurt you."

Peals of laughter from the peanut gallery who are currently watching SpongeBob. I choose to believe the laughter was due to my wit and in solidarity with my decision to start walking NEXT week. I'm sure they weren't laughing at a SpongeBob episode that they have seen 300 times prior.

Hmmm, Cheerios for breakfast. On it.

An amazingly fun day!

First things first, the interview went as well as can be expected. Any interview that starts with a hug can't be all bad, right? They had a set of questions that they were asking everyone. I got the feeling that they were interviewing more than the 3 candidates I thought. Not great but what are you going to do? I answered all the questions and I think I answered them well. We'll see. It's out of my hands now and they said it would be about a week for an answer. I'm remarkably calm tonight now that my part in it is over.

So, the rest of the day. I headed over to Great America to meet my family. Greg and the kids had left around 10am to get to our spot at Boomerang Bay. We rented a Cabana for the day and it was AWESOME. Closed on three sides, with a ceiling fan above (and a ceiling! :), two lounge chairs, a table with four other chairs. They had a bucket with 3 bottles of water and two Dasani (sponsor) towels. We could order food and they'd bring it to us. So nice! I went and changed into my suit and we kicked back all day. We did the water slides, wading pool, rafted on the creek, ate, drank, and even napped! Just what we needed. It was 105 again today but we were totally comfortable.

The kids were exhausted when we left at 6pm. We stopped at El Torrito's and had dinner. They could barely eat. I was really tired too and missed the turnoff from 101 to 880. I was MILES out of our way before I realized it. doi. Greg stayed to pay the bill at the restaurant and still beat us home.

It's hot here but doable. We're happy and feeling hopeful about life. A good day. Just wish I'd remembered the camera!

Stress and heat . . . a beautiful combo

Yesterday, it was 108 degrees at my house. Absolutely miserable. Our house was 92 degrees. Utterly horrific.

This morning, when Greg got up, it was 72 in the house and 69 outside. He got every fan going and put them in front of doors and cooled us down to 70 degrees inside. So, thankfully, we're more comfortable NOW. But, I watched the weather last night and it said that we'd have heat until like Wednesday and then it would cool down to about 97 degrees. Isn't that delightful?

So, tomorrow is my job interview and we're going to Great America to hang out at Boomerang Bay and relax. That part will be totally fun and I'm thrilled about the heat for that thing. But, the job interview.

I'm just so stressed about it. Keep the positive thoughts coming, please.

I'm FREE!

YIPPEE! Summer school is OVER! Pardon my extreme use of ! and CAPITAL LETTERS but, yes, I am just that excited!

Last night, as if to celebrate my freedom, we went to a baseball game. This is a weird thing for us as we are NOT baseball fans. In fact, we find the sport to be dull in the extreme. But ATT Park (Formerly SBC Park, formerly PacBell Park) in San Francisco is a blast. A company that Greg does a lot of work for arranges this event every year. They do a big bbq at the project and then we all head up to the city and watch the ballgame. It's fun. Kids everywhere. Good times. And, the Giants did great last night with 3 homeruns during the game. Greg got the kids Giant caps and it was all wonderful. Our poor children know NOTHING about baseball. They'd keep looking at the batter and saying, "Oh, he's in black so we're not cheering for him, right?" :) Too cute! Of course, I forgot the camera though so no pics. And, no, never even occurred to me that I had Greg's phone with a CAMERA built-in to it. Sigh.

So, anyway, I'm free.

Free to totally obsess about Monday's job interview.


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!