Modern Technology

I have not blogged since some time in 2011. I now finally figured out, thanks to being able to find anything on the internet, how to transfer my blog from my old email to my new one (the one I created in 2011 when I got married) and am now thinking I might try doing this again.... It might just turn in to blog after blog about the baby that will be arriving any day now, so, it may bore you all to tears, but, we will see. Thanks for sticking it out, all those who follow me. I still will always find the notion that I have "followers" funny.

Walks

Well, I have started to walk again. No, I am not doing the 3-day. I just have started to walk again, and am hoping to keep up the good habit. I have to admit it is easy to have the desire to walk since Ginger is in the picture. I like to take her for walks, and she needs them, so I have to do it. It is like taking a PE class at a community college, you are getting graded, you have to do it. My dog's health depends on it, I have to walk. (Note that I do not care about my health). Yesterday, it was up Laurel street from Columbia to 6th. Mama was done. Up the hill and back down was enough for me. I have to say, that I have actually not fallen out of shape too much from the 3-day, because I was not still or sore after it, I just DID NOT want to walk any more. Ginger took it like a champ. Even came home and played fetch for a while. Today, we went again. If you do something once it is a strain, if you do it every day, it is a routine. But, today, we went all the way up the hill, and to the dog park. The dog park is grand because, well, I can sit, but, Ginger played chase random doggies for a solid hour, and then we headed home. Again, I am not stiff or sore (yet), and Ginger is curled up in my lap totally pooped.
Can I do this everyday? No, unfortunately, I don't always have the time. Three times a week though, and I think I will be set.

Follow up

I never did figure out what Ginger was barking at, and after a once over through the house with a towel, and the hammer, with Ginger following behind me wagging her tail, I did notice that yes, I had in fact left the back door unlocked, but no one was in the house. I called Charles and he was on his way home, then I called Miss J, and talked with her, till Charles came home. Way to feel like a big girl, in my big girl house!

Silly Things that startle

Well, it took a while, but I finally had my first I am alone in the house freak out. I bring these things on my self, but, here is how it happened...
I watched the Criminal Minds marathon on A&E. I really like this show. Behavior analysis fascinates me. How awesome would it be to be a profiler? Seriously. Granted, I have loved the notions of profilers since Fox Mulder and Frank Black came in to my life and made the non-supernatural ability to read a person's behavior by what they leave behind, and then actually be able to pinpoint what kind of person they are became the thing to do on TV. Frank Black was the best, by the way.
The problem is, if a) it is on TV, and b) they are criminal profilers, c) the person they are chasing is very, very scary. So, as I watched five solid hours of people following people who were mutilating people because they HAD to, as their patterns and behavior suggested, I sort of got a little creeped out as it got dark outside, and I realized that Charles would not be home for a long time.
So, what do I decide to do? Lock all the doors, turn on the lights and hide? No. First I make a trip to the basement to get the laundry. The basement is creepy any way, but, after the added stimuli, I didn't really like it. THEN! Lock all the doors, turn on the lights and hide. NO! I decide I really need to take a shower. I was filthy, and, it is just TV, you are fine. So, I am in the shower. While in the shower, I have the thought, I can't remember if I locked the back door when I came in from the basement. No problem, you are fine... just finish your shower, silly.
Now, Ginger starts barking. Ginger who only has barked at Mark and Josh when they scared her (two big guys) and Grace, a dog who is deaf, and sadly couldn't tell that she was infringing on Ginger's territory. (I love Grace, by the way, I am just emphasizing the usual lack of bark).
So, now, I am not sure if I locked the doors, I am standing in the shower, and the dog is barking. Now, I have no choice but to believe that, yes, the axe murderer is in the house, and Ginger is now fighting to protect you.
Perhaps, the notion of Ginger being protective is enough to throw off the axe murderer. You know, disarm or distract them mentally.
But the big question was, when I come flying out of the bathroom, naked, dripping wet, with a hammer (the only thing I could find near by) swinging and screaming, will that be enough to scare them? I only need to make it to the door, and out, Ginger will follow me, and I can head to the neighbors. Someone will help a naked, screaming soaking wet girl with a hammer and their small dog at the door in middle of the night, right?

Hello loyal fans! Loyal fans of which I know there is one, but I have a secret internal fantasy that many many people are reading this, like all the people who were secretly listening to the radio show in Pump Up the Volume, and I am teaching a generation of kids to talk hard! OK, no, not really. And did any one read that out loud when they wrote that? Talk Hard! What the hell does that mean?
I take long breaks between my blogs, don't I?
Today while leaving Target, a guy with a clip board wearing a beanie walked up to me and said "You're a winner". Being deaf as I am, I said "What?" and again he said, "You're a winner." "Oh" say I, then "Thank you" and then he asks 'Are you a voter in San Diego" and I say "Sorry, I'm not" and he says "OK, but you are still a winner". Normally I don't like to be approached by people under any circumstance, unless I know them. I really don't like it outside of grocery stores, or I suppose Target would be a general store, since now you can get groceries there as well as clothes and home things. But, while I was in the store I had a moment where I forgot why I was there and what I was looking for. It really bothered me. It is a bad feeling to really not know what you were doing when you are out in public. I mean, in your house if you forgot why you went in to the kitchen, you can go to your room to figure it out. Or your favorite comfy chair. At work, you can go back to your desk and fiddle with you favorite cubicle toy till you remember. When you are out in public, in a store that is arranged like all other stores of that ilk, so you start to forget what store you are actually in, and then you don't remember what you are doing, there is a risk of not remembering where your car is, and then what. You could be trapped in Target forever! No, not really, because I have a cell phone, and even though Charles was in rehearsal and had his phone off, I could call any number of people to tell me, you are at Target stupid, your car is outside in the parking lot. But, I made it through the fog, remembered everything I was supposed to buy, and as I was leaving, had a total stranger verbally confirm how I was feeling. I am a winner.

The Proposal

So, I was told that the weekend would be this: Sunday after the Matinee of Social Security at Scripps Ranch Theater, we would drive to LA, and spend the night at Charles' brother Chris' house. Monday we would knock around in LA and or Hollywood, spend Monday night at Chris' again, perhaps go see Piranha 3-D with Chris if he had the night off, then go to Disneyland on Tuesday for our 5th Anniversary. The only stop we would have to make on the way was to the Grand Californian Hotel, to visit Charles' friend who worked there, who had special tickets for us, to go see Fantasmic with dessert, and that is usually super expensive, but he was hooking us up, but he would not be there Tuesday, so we needed to get them on the way up.

As we pulled up to the hotel, Charles told me that if any one asked we were to say we were checking in, because that was what his friend told us to do. At the gate, the very cheery lady asked "Checking in?" and Charles told her yes, and she promptly asked under what name. I blurted out, "that isn't good" and Charles looked at me and said, "Don't worry, my friend took care of it", "Charles Peters" he told the lady, and she said, "very good" and placed a green permit with his name on it under the windshield wiper and we drove ahead to the self-park line at the front door of the hotel. A man bounded up to Charles' door, opened it and said, "Good evening, Mr. Peters, would you like me to help you with you luggage?" and Charles said, "yes". Now, I was totally confused, and to all of those who know my very well, confusion leads to frustration, and well, frustration leads to me getting feisty. In a harsh whisper I asked "What are you doing? We are supposed to just be getting the thing!" and he said, "don't worry" and got out of the car and came around to my door. He opened my door, and helped me out of the car, and I said again, "honey, I thought you were just going to run in!" and he turned to me and said, "no, we are staying here for three days, Happy Anniversary."

That was the first surprise. Apparently my face was priceless, though I didn't see it. Upon checking in to the hotel, I was given balloons, and a autographed picture of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, buttons that said Happy Anniversary, and was led to a fantastic room, complete with rose petals and a single rose on the bed. There was a fantastic view of Bear Rock and the Hollywood Tower of Terror off in the distance, and as soon as the shock of all of this started to settle in, we were off to the Magic Kingdom to get our photos taken for our annual passports.

Passports taken care of, we went to eat at the Mexican Restaurant next to Big Thunder Rail Road, our favourite place to eat in the park. I told Charles that this was the best anniversary present ever, and he smiled and said there was more. Already overwhelmed at this point, I told him this was making me nervous, as I still had butterflies in my stomach.

Next, we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean, and walked right on the ride. No wait at all. Next stop, the Haunted Mansion, but alas it was closed, it is that time of year, when they change it over to Nightmare Before Christmas. Then Charles pointed out that while every year on our anniversary we get our picture taken on Splash Mountain, we had never done a night time photo, and why not check it out. So, we did, and again, we walked right on to the ride, AND got our own log. Just the two of us in the log. We held out our hands with all five fingers for five years, and smiled for the camera, and came crashing down, and managed to not get a drop of water on us. It was perfect. When we got back to the ride operator, he smiled and asked if we would like to go again. Not wanting to tempt fate and get soaked this time, we thanked him, but declined, and ran to the booth to buy our anniversary photo. Next we rode Whinney the Pooh. We got our own Honey Pot Car, and this time when we came around and the operator asked us if we wanted to go again we said YES! And around we went, laughing and signing along about the insincere hephalumps and woozels.

At the end of this ride, we could hear Fantasmic coming to an end, and Charles said, lets get across to Main Street and get some coffee before that lets out, and I agreed, we didn't want to get stuck in that crowd. So around the people we went, through Adventure Land and over to cross Main Street, where another crowd was forming to watch the fireworks. We got our coffee just as the fireworks started, and Julie Andrews was singing, and Charles turned and said, "follow me". So we hustled to a bench, at the top of Main Street, a bench where five years ago, he had told me that he loved me for the very first time. I sat to watch the fireworks, totally enjoying this completely perfect anniversary. Charles said "I have something I have to tell you." I looked at him and he leaned in and kissed me, and put his hand on my leg. I realized that he hadn't just put his hand there when he started to push on my leg. I looked down, and there was a small box. I looked at him, and then back at the box, and then just as disembodied voices began to sing "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and more fireworks exploded he opened the box and asked "Will you marry me?"

I said yes, and kissed him and hugged him and cried, and kissed him some more, and he put the ring on my finger, and I kissed him again, and then he told me that he had not heard what I said. I told him "Yes, yes, yes, YES!!" and he said, "that was what I thought, but I wanted to make sure", and we laughed and smiled, and I did get fainty and woozy and was unable to walk when we tried to stand up. When I could manage it, we went over to the train, and road the train all the way around the park.

It was the best day of my life.

SWIFT Trip 2

I am not really sure what I wrote last time, and it has been a while since I have been able to pull out the computer again. Being in charge of six kids is not easy. Especially six that are all the same age, and on a trip that is supposed to teach them about independence. Not all of them are quite used to not being cleaned up after, or having to carry their own things.

Acoma is an amazing place. Acoma pueblo, or the Sky city has been continuously inhabited now for roughly 1000 years. People do live on top of the mesa year round still, even without modern conveniences like electricity and running water. There is a paved road that you can drive up now, but that did not get built until the 50's when a John Wayne movie was filmed at the mesa. I am not sure of the name of the film, but apparently it was one that took place in North Africa, and the top of a mesa in New Mexico was the spot they wanted to film. Our guide, who was named Kevin, who is one of the Acoma people said that a few films had been made there, and several of them actually were Safari in Africa type films. Before the road was put in the only way to get to the top of the mesa was on foot, through hidden trails and pathways cut in to the rock, that only the native people knew about, in order to keep their enemies away.
When the Spanish arrived, they did force the people to conform to Catholicism, and a mission was built on the top of the mesa, on top of the holy Kivas. Any Native religion practices were done in secret. More to come.