You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August, 2008.
Power outages that is.
I look at the Saipan newspaper’s website a once a week or so, just to have an idea of what is going on. Today I was stunned to see what the current power situation is.
The utility released a new power outage schedule and my heart aches for my friends still there (especially Deece & Jill). Instead of having 2 hours with out power a couple of times a day, it has been increased to 3 hours at a time, 3 times a day. That’s 9 hours per day without power! How can the food stay fresh in the refrigerator? How can businesses stay in business? How can employees be productive? The situation is absolutely ridiculous.
If we were still there, our power would be out: 8am-11am, then from 2pm-5pm, then from 2am-5am. And those are just scheduled times. No telling how many hours for “emergencies”. I would be one cranky Mama, that is for sure.
Peace.
I have seen this movie meme going around, most recently on Kendra’s blog and I finally decided to do it myself. Here are the rules:
1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.
5. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
****Hint*** I like lots of different movies, but no horror movies.
1. “I’s married now! I’s married now!” Great job, Bertha! It is from “The Color Purple“
2. “I am the pharaoh’s daughter, and this is my son. He shall be reared in my house, as the prince of the two lands.” ***HINT*** Not Ben Hur. Yay, Dianne! It is from “The Ten Commandments“. I have great memories of watching this every Lent at my Grandparent’s house. I still watch it every year.
3. “Shampoo is better. I go on first and clean the hair. Conditioner is better. I leave the hair silky and smooth. Oh, really, fool? Really. Stop looking at me, swan.” Woo hoo, Bertha! One of my all time faves, “Billy Madison“
4. “Did you and Dad have fun getting stoned?”
5. “Everybody seems to kerbabbled. Isn’t this just a little superfluous?”
6. “Okay guys, one more thing, this summer when you’re being inundated with all this American bicentennial Fourth Of July brouhaha, don’t forget what you’re celebrating, and that’s the fact that a bunch of slave-owning, aristocratic, white males didn’t want to pay their taxes.” Great job, Kendra! I figured that you would know a bunch of these…our tastes are so similar. This one is from “Dazed and Confused“. What I imagine my parent’s life was like Senior year.
7. “I’m pleasant. Damn it! I saw Drum Eatenton at the Piggly Wiggly this morning, and I smiled at the son of a bitch ‘fore I could help myself.” Great job, Susan! “Steel Magnolias” still makes me cry every time I see it. And laugh until I almost pee. I adore Ouiser Boudreaux.
8. “If you can’t be in athlete, be an athetic supporter.” Yay, Kendra! I was hoping that this quote would be a bit more obscure. It is from “Grease”. I remember my Aunts had the Grease album and I used to just stare at the cover. My BFF has a strong affinity for Grease as well and can most likely quote the movie word for word.
9. “And I promise you I’ll never desert you again because after ‘Salome’ we’ll make another picture and another picture. You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!… All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
10. “We must not expect happiness, Sayuri. It is not something we deserve. When life goes well, it is a sudden gift; it cannot last forever…” WooHoo, Little Cat! This is from “Memoirs of A Geisha“, a movie that I think is absolutely fabulous. The book captivated me when it came out about 8 or so years ago and I was happy that the movie follows the book pretty well.
11. “Beeeeeee. Gooood.” Way to go, Jill! It is “E.T.“, the first movie I ever saw in a theater.
12. “Oh, he’s very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads – they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.” Yay, Kristin. This one is from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off“. I adore this mindless movie and watch it multiple times a year.
13. “And I said, I don’t care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I’m, I’m quitting, I’m going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they’ve moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn’t bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it’s not okay because if they take my stapler then I’ll set the building on fire…” Yay, another one for Bertha! “Office Space” is a cult classic. Either you love it or hate it. I love it.
14. “Looks like Chuck’s taking old one-eye to the optometrist.” Great job, Jill! “Grumpy Old Men” has so many good one-liners that it was hard to pick one.
15. “Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?” Another one for Kendra. This is from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation“. I love Chevy Chase and used to have a crush on him even though he is at least 20 years older than I am.
Seems that I have forgotten about the blog. Well, I haven’t exactly forgotten, I have just been busy. Being all kinds of domestic. I made a beef stew yesterday that was delish. Perfect for Juneau weather. It has been sunny about 6 days total since we have been here. The rest of the days are overcast and rainy/drizzly with highs in the low 60’s. Great opportunities to cook.
Especially since we are now at the vacation house that we rented for a month. It is so nice to be able to stretch out and spread out. And it has a full kitchen! Yay.
So, what have we been up to?
We’ve been visiting the libraries. There is a great library downtown and one in the Valley.
BTH enjoys looking out the massive windows at the people milling around the cruise ships below and the traffic going by. He is fascinated by buses and points them out at every opportunity, “BUS!”.
We have been taking in the fabulous scenery. Mountains galore.
We walked up to an old goldmine site and where tourists can pan for gold in one of the original places where gold was found. That was a massive haul and a half. I kept thinking to myself, “Are we there yet?”. But it was worth it.
We have been visiting the parks in the area. So far, our favorite is this newer one.
And I love the fact that they don’t use woodchips or pebbles at the parks in the area. They use shredded tires! In true treehugger spirit, I think that this is awesome on so many levels. I really love that BTH gets the most enjoyment out of flopping down and rolling around on the springy rubber chips. They paint them, but I can look past that.
This is one of the views from the park. Notice the bit of sand at the bottom of the picture? Yeah, on the weekends, you can usually find a brave couple of kids hanging out in swimming suits, dashing frantically in and out of the water. I shudder to think of how cold it is.
There has been quite a bit of knitting going on as well. An update on the baby cardigan:
Necessity is the mother of invention they say. It has been so chilly that DH & BTH have needed slippers. I thought ahead and brought mine, but they didn’t. So, I tried to remember how Mom made crocheted slippers. I wish that I could just call her up and ask her, but I can’t. And she was never one to write a pattern down. I remember that she told me one time that she just basically crochets a dishcloth (using acrylic), seams them up, cinches the toe shut and adds a pom-pom for girls and plain for boys. These slippers were a staple in our house while growing up. We all had multiple pairs. And she was always giving them as gifts. Well, DH’s were the first ones I did and they are really big and floppy, but they work. BTH’s are so close to Mom’s I can’t hardly believe it.
DH went fishing last weekend with our realtor and didn’t have a hat, so I knit one for him:
*Pattern: Boyfriend Hat
*Yarn: Manos Del Uruguay 100% wool
*Needles: size 8 circ’s & DPN’s
Great pattern, plan on using this again. I don’t do gauge swatches, so it ended up being big in circumference and too short, so I ripped back and increased the length. Next time, I will try to use a yarn that is closer to what the pattern calls for. This was all that I had on hand.
I have some other things to show, but I will save those for later…
Peace.
Good: Both Mar and Heather gave me the Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks so much, ladies! You both made me smile. I am honored to think that others see me as creative.
The rules:
1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.
2. Put a link to the person you got the award from.
3. Nominate 5 blogs
4. Put links to the blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.
I haven’t had much of a chance to read blogs lately, I have tons of unread posts in my reader. Our internet connection is iffy at times…we were without internet all weekend and I hate going to the lobby to use the computer there.
So, that said, I nominate these bloggers…
Deece, Jill, Jackie, Tamie, Phoe
Some knit, some stamp, they are all immensely creative in their own their own ways.
Bad: Is it wrong that the way the award is spelled really annoys me?
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Good: Our realtor has a boat and took us out whale watching one day last week. He’s nice like that.
Good: We got to see lots of whales. You can only go so close to them, they are protected. One snuck up on us on the side and came up and made us all jump, he was pretty close. We got out of there shortly after that. We also got to see lots of bald eagles…one even swooped down near the boat to grab something out of the water. Magnificent creatures. We also saw sea lions lounging on a buoy.
Bad: This is the only shot I got of what was a whale…my digital camera battery died almost instantly. DH brought along his big film camera, but only brought one lens. We are smart like that.
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Good: We went to the DMV to find out what we need to do to get an Alaskan license (and so I can register to vote in November!). We got lots of information and all of the forms that we need to fill out once we get a home address.
Bad: Alaskan law states that if you don’t have a current, valid Alaskan license, then you have to take and pass the written test. Regardless if you were licensed in another state or are in the military. I am already nervous even though I know I will do fine. I will be reading up to make sure of that though.
Good: At least it will make me a better driver and more aware of the tiny details that I may have forgotten.
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Good: I started a new baby sweater for a couple that we know that are expecting a baby boy soon. I love knitting baby sweaters and think that all babies should have at least one hand knit baby sweater. I am using Knit Picks Comfy in Planetarium and this fabulous free pattern. I love this pattern.
Bad: While perusing the Knit Picks website to get the above link for the yarn, I see that they now have Harmony Straights. Oh my! So pretty. They will go on the holiday wishlist this year for sure.
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Good: I am finally on the decrease section of my Clapotis. It has been put on the back burner this week to work on the baby cardi, but I plan on finishing it up this weekend. I am using Noro Kureyon #150 and I adore this yarn and this colorway. My picture isn’t impressive, but rest assured that it is impressive in person.
Bad: While I love this design and the look, following the pattern freaks me out. Especially now in the decrease section where I am dropping 2 sets of stitches. I get nervous that I will screw it up again and end up with a hideous mess. Even more so considering this is intended as a holiday present for someone.
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Good: We have rented out a vacation house for the next month until we get our house. I will be glad to get out of hotel living and be able to stretch our legs. My new cyclamen will be happy to have more windows to try to catch a few rays in. I adore cyclamen and african violets for indoor flowering plants.
Bad: Our household goods from Saipan aren’t here yet, and the vacation house doesn’t have a crib. We have been going over the pros and cons of moving BTH into a toddler bed when we go there later this month. I think that we are going to do it. He has gone quite a while without “his” crib now, sleeping in borrowed cribs and portable cribs/playpens so I don’t think that there will be an attachment issue.
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Drumroll, please………..
Good: We put in an offer on a house and it was accepted! Yay! I am hesitant to put all of the details on here just in case…if you want to see it and the virtual tour, just leave me a comment and I will happily send the link to you. We are already thinking of ideas for new flooring, paint and window coverings.
Bad: I am a bit stressed about it because it is a huge mortgage and responsibility. This house costs double what a very nice house back home costs. And it is our first home purchase. We can totally afford it (thanks, USCG) and still have me stay home full time with the kids, but still…I am a worrier by nature.
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And on a final totally positive note:
Good: There is a birth center here in Juneau! I am so happy! And they do water births! We had a consultation and a tour last week and we had our first appointment with our midwife this week. I love it and am so looking forward to an awesome birth experience at the birth center. They even offer free classes, prenatal yoga and belly dancing for pregnant women(!). I am all over the prenatal yoga but the belly dancing will take some convincing me thinks.
Peace.
We are here in Juneau finally. And I finally realized that I could try to see if there was an unsecured wireless connection around here since the hotel doesn’t offer one…only took me about 5 days to have that lightbulb go on over my head. Obviously, there is a connection. Thanks, Sandpiper Cafe.
I will catch up in the next couple of days, but I wanted to get my entry into my friend Phoe’s kick-ass contest since it ends tomorrow. Or today depending on your time zone me thinks.
Phoe wants to see what inspires her readers. With pictures. Even better. Sorry to my friends that have slower connections. I like to take pictures. I have the attention span of a gnat in regards to most things, so trying to narrow down my list of inspirations and keep it current was tough. I thought of this contest on the drive all the way through Canada on the way to Alaska. Shoot, I even started making lists with categories and subcategories. At the risk of getting too deep (one subject on the original list was religion), I am going to keep it pretty light-hearted. Because something new and shiny might come along and I will be drawn to it like the magpie that I am and totally forget where I was at or where I was going with that thought.
Travel
I love to travel. Have passport and map and I am ready to go. I am constantly amazed by people that go back to the same vacation spot year after year. It is such a big world out there and if it is possible, I highly recommend that you get your butt out there and experience it. I have been fortunate that DH also loves to travel and we are stable enough to be able to do so. In the past 5 years we have crossed the US & Canada by car, visited St. Lucia, Thailand, Australia, Japan, Philippines, islands in the Pacific including: Guam, Saipan, Rota and Tinian. Granted, we lived on Guam and Saipan, but I still count them. We have an even longer list of places that we would like to go.
While zipping through Minnesota/N. Dakota and Canada, we captured these views.
Creativity
I love the internets. I have found so much inspiration through blogs, groups and message boards. I have tried crafts that I never thought I would. I am constantly blown away by what people think of. Take my friend, Deece for example. She had an idea to make a soft book for babies & toddlers. She made this book for BTH and stitched it by hand…what a labor of love! BTH loves it and looked at it at least once a day while on our trip to Alaska. Oh yeah, it is in 3 different languages. Even more awesome!
New Stuff
I try to be thrify and a great tree hugger convert. I really do. I love to recycle things for crafts and find new uses for things, but there is a little part of me that really loves new stuff. Like new pretty smelly stuff and new tasty stuff. I get inspired by new things, especially smells and tastes. While we were at Banff, we stopped at the Lush store so I could stock up. Bath bombs, solid shampoos and bubble bar slices hopped into my basket eagerly (Karma is the new favorite scent). Lush products are great because they don’t test on animals, use natural ingredients and offer many vegan-friendly products. Plus the packaging is minimal. While in Galena, I found Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. How in the world did I ever miss this stuff before? The lavender scent is fabulous. And it lasts forever. Certified Fair Trade and Organic? Yes, please.
While we were at home, I found a french press for coffee at a discounted price. I had been reading rave reviews about these presses and was hoping that I would receive one as a present. Lucky me, I didn’t have to wait. I never want to have regular drip coffee again. There is such a huge difference in taste for sure. Plus, no filters to buy or get rid of, so it kinda fits into the tree hugger idea. And while we were home, I saw Tiramisu ice cream by Haagen Dazs. I never got a chance to buy any, so today while at the store here in Juneau, I searched the ice cream cooler for some. No luck. But I did come up with Sticky Toffee Pudding and DH found Carmelized Pear and Toasted Pecan. Holy moley. Sticky Toffee Pudding has made me forget that Tiramisu is even out there. I can see how a person can eat the whole container in one sitting. But I don’t need 1,000 extra calories even if I am eating for two (oh how I hate hate hate that old saying…you are never eating for two, just an excuse to over eat and not feel guilty).
Barack Obama
Yeah, he inspires me. He inspires me to hope that things will be better, that change is worth believing in, that it is possible to engage young, disenfranchised voters and get them excited and hopeful, that there are politicians that believe that we can make big changes to an old idea. I am bummed that I can’t put my Obama ‘08 sticker on my new van or a sign in the yard because of DH’s job, but I can still exercise my right to vote in November and hope to inspire others to learn more about both candidates and the issues.
Family
I am so blessed to have a wonderful family. Even though they are flung all over the country, I still feel connected. Gosh, I do so love the internets. I am extraordinarily blessed to have a wonderful DH and an awesome BTH. Did I ever imagine that I would be this lucky? Not in a million. My family inspires me to do good things, set good examples, learn more and pass on the knowledge that I have. My family inspires me to be the best person that I can. I am human and fail miserably from time to time, but I think that I would get a passing grade in general.
The tree hugger family
Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
July 2008
So, there you have it. Things that inspire me at the moment. Told in my rambling, sometimes nonsensical narrative that is totally discombobulated since it is beyond my bedtime. And because I am part magpie.
Until next time.
Peace.
