San Diego: Day 1

B and C moved to California right after Liam was born in January but we hadn't gotten the opportunity to visit them yet. Fourth of July seemed like a fitting time, as C and Hubby both had time off. So we headed off to San Diego over the holiday weekend for an outrageously good time and amazing weather!

Coronado Beach

Introducing The Adventures of Yoda

When Hubby and I went to Disneyland I had to buy a Yoda backpack. He was both awesome and convenient! You probably remember seeing him in some of my vacation pictures. Well, it got Hubs and I to thinking. What if we took pictures of Yoda at all of the places we visit and than post them? It would not only commemorate all of the places we have been but would also be incredibly funny! So I introduce to you: The Adventures of Yoda

http://adventuresofyoda.blogspot.com

Most of the photos will be from our vacation trips but some will be from jaunts around town. I hope you find it as entertaining and silly as we do!

Star Trek Podium

It took me a little while to decide if we were going to bring the podium we purchased at the Las Vegas auction into the house or do the repairs first. I decided to bring it in, figuring the repairs can always be done later. For now, we can enjoy our little piece of Trek history.

Father's Day Cake

My sister and I baked a cake for our dad for Father's Day. The white cake was dyed using gels that can purchased at any craft store (the gel ensures a deeper, more vibrant color than regular food color). We chose to experiment with red and blue and eventually will expand out to make a rainbow cake. Tree made the icing from scratch and it tasted amazing!!

Lily: Update

After completing the first round of antibiotics a few weeks ago, the vet requested that I collect an urine sample from Lily to confirm that she was on the mend. Sadly, the analysis showed that Lily has made a slight improvement but her infection is still evident and will require another course of antibiotics. So, we begin the process again tonight.

Interfaith Community Services

I decided that rather than rot away at home watching soap operas and judge shows all summer vacation that I would get out and volunteer. I found a group called Interfaith Community Services, they are a conglomeration of churches and faith-based organizations from across Tucson that pool their resources and their volunteers to help others. They have a huge variety of opportunities but I chose to assist the elderly. My "job" starting next week will be to pick-up and drive elderly folks to their doctor appointments, grocery store trips, hair appointments, etc. I will be using my own car but will be reimburse for mileage.

A lot of people have asked me why I decided to volunteer but more, why work with the elderly? Well, I was at Target about a week after school let out and an old lady called me over to ask me where the toilet paper was. She made a funny remark about how old people need to plan their trips around the store a lot more efficiently than us young folk because of energy etc. I was overwhelmed with sadness that she was shopping alone when she really should have a family member with her to help her out. So, I went home and found ICS. Now, I hope, I will be able to help people like her stay independent awhile longer!

I have already received my first two assignments for next week:
Hannah and Margaret need to go to the grocery store and Bette needs a ride to a doctor's appointment.

Letter to NBC

The Today Show has been a part of my morning routine for as long as I can remember, but as of this day I am no longer a viewer. Here is the letter that I sent to them:

Dear Today Show Executives,

I am writing to inform you that I am done with the Today Show as of this day. As a faithful viewer for many years, I simply cannot take it anymore! The last straw was a segment (which aired today 6/25/10) regarding “fun summer drinks” where the host ran through the segment so fast (under one minute) that it was pointless to even have the segment at all. I cannot tell you how tired I am to be directed to your website to “get more information”. Your website shouldn’t be a replacement for an informative segment. Viewers barely have time to sit down and watch portions of your show let along hit your website to fill in the missing information. If you deem it important enough to talk about, than give the viewers enough time to enjoy it.

I might have been able to get past Meredith Vieira’s condescending attitude and ridiculous guest questions, I might have been able to get past Al Roker’s stupid jokes, and I might even have been able to get past Natalie Morales’ constant interruptions of the guests, but I cannot get over the shear and utter waste of time your program has turned into.

I, frankly, am looking for some hard hitting questions and informative interviews. I don’t need to see the mother of an abducted child who can only weep through the interview as one of your hosts asks ridiculous questions like “do you think he/she is still alive?” or “what do you want your child to know”. We already know the answers and all you are serving to do is upset the mother further and bring heartache to the viewers. In addition, the-cousin-to-the-brother-of-a-neighbor-to-the-suspect is not an “exclusive” interview; it is your show’s desperate attempt to be relevant.

The transitions between stories are also a source of great irritation and disgust. If you insist on doing a story about a bludgeoned-to-death college student, do not immediately follow it with a story of a lost turtle, or worse yet transition straight to the "funny" weather guy. Your executives might be able to adjust their emotions at the drop of a hat, but as a general rule the at-home audience needs a little more than 2 seconds to digest and reflect on the horrible story you just showed.

I recognize that the Today Show is geared towards “soft news”, stories about puppies and kittens and tropical vacation spots with a touch of the real world mixed in for good measure, but this show is so ridiculous and so out of touch with what real Americans are worried about and, in my opinion, vacant of any real substance, I cannot for one more minute waste my life watching a single segment of it.

Proof that I am not completely off my rocker: the Today Show's top stories for today include a year dead child molesting celebrity, a lost turtle, and tips to beat the summer heat. I don't know about you, but I couldn't live without this information.

Difficulty Adjusting

I was so excited to go to Disneyland that it was my one singular focus for weeks. Now that I am home I am having a very hard time adjusting, not due to churro detox or coming down from ride-induced adrenaline but because of the weather. The weather in Southern California is amazing!

While in California:
I didn't sneeze one single time.
I didn't suffer from a single bloody nose.
I applied chapstick to protect my lips from the sun, not from the air.
My hair was soft and silky, not dry and brittle (and it curled).
I didn't have to apply lotion to my arms and legs 15 times a day.
I could breathe easy without the assistance of medication.

My one singular focus now is figuring out a way to get back to California as soon as possible. I cannot stand being in Tucson for one more excruciatingly hot, summer day.

As my sister quoted from the movie "Away We Go" about Tucson: "Yeah, its pretty hot. No, no, I mean literally like an oven. It's almost like God is trying to melt us all down and make something better."

Lily: Post Vacation

Approximately 5 days before we left for Disneyland Lily began vomiting. We didn't panic since she is prone to eating lizards and regretting it later. Days went by feeding her a bland diet of chicken and rice but she continued to vomit off and on, without any real pattern or apparent reason. We left our little girl in the very capable hands of my mother-in-law and shoved off to California. When we returned we came home to a very sick little girl. Apparently my mother-in-law spent a majority of her time cleaning up vomit and urine from our carpets and trying to console a very sick puppy. I called the vet first thing Wednesday morning and they got her in right away.

Lily has a UTI which spread to her bladder, which than spread to her kidneys and has affected her liver function. She is on antibiotics, anti-nausea medication and a special food to help her feel better. They also ran her bloodwork and her triglyceride level is through the roof (schnauzers are genetically predisposed to high triglycerides). Normal for her would be around 300, her number came in at 2700. She is and will continue to be on a very specific diet and if her levels have not come down to normal in 3 months she will have to be put on daily medication, kind of like Lipitor for dogs. She already is making vast improvements and getting back to her playful puppy-like self but she is one very ill little baby!

Disneyland 2010

Hubby, myself, and my sister traveled to Anaheim, CA on Sunday, went to Disneyland on Monday, and traveled back to Tucson on Tuesday. The trip was in honor of my Uncle's 60th birthday and 17 other family members met us there. The occasion was fun, crazy, confusing, and a downright whirlwind of a time but it was great to see everyone and we had in blast in Disneyland. We are sunburned, blistered, crippled and exhausted...exactly how a good vacation is supposed to end. Now it is time to take a vacation from our vacation!

We stayed at the Grand Californian, the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in.

No trip is complete without a Jedi Master

Star Wars: in Concert

I watched a PBS special earlier this year called The Making of Star Wars: in Concert. The gist of it is that a live symphony plays the original John Williams compositions from Star Wars while clips from the movies are shown on a gigantic screen. It is a traveling show which moves from city to city every couple of days. Hubby and I were excited to see that it was coming to Tucson, so I ordered tickets and last night was finally concert night!

First and foremost, our seats were awesome! We were four rows away from the symphony! The PBS documentary honestly couldn't give this event justice! Nothing can prepare you for the vibrations in your chest as the live symphony plays the opening theme to Star Wars (they even included the THX sound effect and the 20th Century Fox theme). They included music from all 6 movies and the video scenes were all mixed up but with a central theme, for instance, there was an entire video/musical section dedicated to the droids. They played almost all of the more famous compositions, including the Imperial March. I have seen Star Wars hundreds of times but this was as close to seeing it for the first time you can get! I cannot exclaim enough how awesome it is to hear in person and live!! The very best moment, however, was when Anthony Daniels (C3PO) came out for the first time to narrate the event!

Now, I wouldn't be me unless I pointed out some of the more disappointing moments of the night: first, the symphony did not include the music from Return of the Jedi when Luke and Vader are fighting and the Ewok celebration music from the end, both of which are Hubby and I's favorites, respectively. Secondly, the children, oh god, the children! It never ceases to amaze me how many children are allowed (by their parents) to run rampant in public with no concern for other people. I also had a small child sitting to my left who was very sick and coughed throughout the entire evening. I beg all you parents (or potential parents) out there, leave your sick and unruly kids at home, it is the healthy and courteous thing to do.

Road Rage

I met a friend for lunch today. The parking lot was fairly empty and parking spaces abounded. That didn't stop some crazy woman from screaming at me, however, when I apparently stole "her" parking space. She rolled down her window and began screaming at me but I cannot, for verbatim, reiterate what she said as I was listening to my iPod and didn't much care to role my window down to converse with her. I simply mimed to her that this was my parking space now and that she should move on. She sat and starred at me for a long time which for some reason was supposed to bother me or make me move, which it didn't. I met up with my friend and we had a delightful lunch. The crazy woman later entered the same restaurant after having to park just two parking spaces down from me. I fully expected an embarrassing confrontation where I called her fat and lazy but instead I found Starbucks trash on my car, not smeared on or on fire, just sitting on my car.

Well done crazy woman, you sure showed me by gently setting your trash on my car, I hope you feel better! Also, for the record, if you own a super large,extended diesel truck that takes up two parking spaces, you should always anticipate parking further than everyone else. I have a tiny car, therefore I get the best parking spaces, that is the rule...it may even be in the Bible.

2010 Census

There are certain aspects of the census I don't agree with but overall I support the necessity to count the number of people in our country. When the census form showed up over a month ago I immediately sat down and filled it out. Strangely, a couple weeks ago a census-taker knocked on our door claiming that we did not fill out our form. I graciously invited him in (while Hubby was home, of course) and gave him the needed information, informing him that I DID return our form. He returned the following day to get information on the house next door which is an empty rental and I have gotten 3 phone calls from the census bureau since than seeking to confirm the information that I have already mailed and verbally given them.

How hard is it to count two white people in one house who have lived here for a couple years?

Folks out there think the government can run health care when it takes them 5 trys to get one family's census information right??!! God help us!