bore me to tears

Taking a breather

2008-07-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

...from blogging.

Back in a week, or so...

God Bless the 4th of July

2008-07-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

Today, Daughter and Husband went to a 4th of July parade hosted by an area city. Wow! I can't believe all the free loot Daughter came home with! Friendly strangers came right up to her and just gave her stuff! I can't believe I stayed home this year!

Yum!

The friendly people gave her other stuff, too! Look at it all!

An adorable mini-frisbee! And, an invitation to hang out with some really awesome people when she gets older! (I can tell they're awesome 'cuz of the awesome urban font used on the invitation!)

Somebody even gave her this American Flag! And a CD to listen to! Part 1!

"They were all over the place," said Husband.

Well, off to fireworks now!

For those celebrating, have a great 4th!

Must-SEE TV

2008-07-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

POPE Benedict to read the Bible on TV

...beginning with an hour-long section of Genesis, as part of a six-day Bible-reading marathon by 1,200 people on an Italian TV channel in October...

link to story ->

btw, ...must-see / must-See.. get it????...

Just in case...

2008-07-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

Another reason to cover math!

How it works:

Unassuming people enter the "Cash Cab" as simple passengers taking a normal taxi ride, only to be shocked when they discover that they’re instant contestants on Discovery Channel's innovative game show!

Ben Bailey, the host and driver of Cash Cab, then offers them the following proposition:

The Cash Cab will drive you all the way to your destination and ask you general knowledge questions along the way. The questions start out on the easy side, then get harder along the way – the harder the question, the more money it’s worth. The first four questions are worth $25 for each correct answer. The next four are worth $50 and then every question after that is worth $100.

A correct answer is awarded the cash, an incorrect answer means the contestant gets a strike. The contestants can earn cash all the way to their destination. But the second they miss their third question (i.e., earn their third strike), Ben pulls the Cash Cab over and ejects them onto the sidewalk, no matter where they are!

You could be next!

To test or not to test?

2008-06-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

I've been reading an interesting new blog, Homeschooling Research Notes: Reflections upon research about homeschooling history, policy, and practice. Normally talk of homeschooling history and politics bores me to tears - nor do I have a lot of patience for the "debates" (you don't have credentials,... and we even have our own proms, in case you haven't heard) - but I've found this site to offer great food for thought.

In this post, for instance, blog author, Milton Gaither, addresses arguments made by others (including Robert Reich, by the way) on homeschooling topics, including testing. While Gaither suspects that "homeschoolers would tend to perform well on whatever normed test they were required by law to take" he also proposes:

Government curricular or testing mandates impose external requirements on children, forcing them to channel their education in certain directions. For an unschooler, if a child wishes to spend an entire year learning to decipher Myan inscriptions or developing a bee colony and selling beeswax candles or whatever, he or she can do so. But if the government imposes content requirements and mandates tests, this self-directed learning is shunted.

I've always wondered about this myself. As there is, presently, no standardized testing requirement in California, the only time my daughter has tested has been while enrolled in private ISP's (Independent Study Programs, like the one named in the Rachel L. case) or in public school homeschool programs that require them. In each case, our emphasis at home changed from a more relaxed, interest-led approach (though I don't really identify myself as an "unschooler") to one where I quickly found myself "teaching the test," skipping over more interesting pursuits in order to concentrate on "what's on the test." The best of what we do was sacrificed, in no time at all, as I began to think in terms of whether my daughter was "ahead" or "behind." If her same-grade peers were spending their many hours at school mastering the Test, how well would she do - ranked in comparison to them - if we didn't master it also..... (scream!)

But, the proud proposal made by some homeschoolers that children only need enough math to be able to "balance their checkbooks," for example, also causes me to scream - and sympathize with the "standards and testing" arguments. What if that child graduates homeschool and decides they want to become a doctor or scientist of some kind....? Can you imagine the years and years of catch-up, remedial work required to do that? On top of the many years of training already necessary? (groan) I don't know about you, but I'd be really mad at my parents for putting me in that position.

Which makes it yet another gray issue for me.

Though I do love this video :)

HT: Silvia for posting it.

California Homeschool Law Updates

2008-06-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Tammy Takahashi at Just Enough, and Nothing More has an update on "California Homeschooling History in the Making." While a ruling has not been issued, hs advocates seem to be cautiously optimistic.

Will this topic haunt me forever??

2008-06-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

So, today was "Creek Day" at Sweet Pea's nature camp. The kids were told to wear swimsuits and bring extra clothes as they'd be spending the day in the creek catching / observing critters - and getting wet. Unfortunately, when I and the other moms read the instructions last night, we thought it said to send our children dressed like harlots and streetwalkers. Whoops.

Here's the little number that my petite 10-year-old wore:

Of course, one of the little girls at camp was aghast! "Two-piece bathing suits should be illegal!"

To make matters even worse, the tank tee that my daughter wore later in the day was also scandalous. (Her shoulders were showing!)

(Actually, Daughter's is more plum, less red. Not that I didn't try to find it in scarlet. Of course.)

Scary Modest Girl (as she's now called) wore one of those modest swimsuits that I ~~made fun of~~ promoted over a year ago here on this very blog -- though Scary Girl's has long sleeves, from what I'm told. "Not that there's anything wrong with that," as Mrs. G. would say. If you want to wear long-sleeved clothing, in a region of the Southwest where summer temps often spike well into the 90's, who am I...?

Just count us out, if that's okay.

Sleeping with the lights on

2008-06-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

I hate it when people say John was "high" when he wrote the book of Revelation. Clearly, he was of sound mind, intending only to describe the Beast, so we'll know him when we see him.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Revelation 13:1-2

Here's an artistic rendition of what he will look like... so you don't get him mixed up with other animals...

...or, the Pope.

(Okay, evilutionists. Try to explain this one!)

Anyway, these folks can help you out with more details.

Oh, goodness

2008-06-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Lydia,

I take back everything I ever said about modest apparel. After thumbing through my Kohl's weekly ad this evening, I now see what you're talking about.
Appreciatively Yours,
Lynn

40% ?

The Girl wants to go to school: 3

2008-06-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

S O C I A L I Z AT I O N

And, just to be contrary...

This is part 3 of my summer series:
The Girl wants to go to school.

Crusading in your name

2008-06-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Remember when George W. Bush, in discussing America's War on Terror (following the 9/11 terrorist attacks), used the word "crusade"? I remember thinking, "What a dope. Doesn't he realize the historical significance of the term 'crusade'? To Muslims in particular?"

Guess I was the dope.

Apparently folks mean it when they use the word.

Meet Mikey Weinstein, founder of Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

In news:

June 17, 2008

Mikey Weinstein and his family found a swastika and a cross tagged on their home in what Weinstein calls the latest retaliation against his crusade for separation of church and state in the military.

(story continued here in news videos)

A humorous look at assumptions about homeschoolers

2008-06-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Just a link to a great post, Alcohol and Monkeys (about homeschooling stereotypes), by "Mrs. G." at Derfwad Manor, a very clever and funny blog that I discovered recently.

Monday night Mrs. G. was watching was watching ~~Project Runway~~ something educational on PBS when she bumped the remote and accidentally switched the channel to Wife Swap. One of the wives being swapped was a homeschooler who, once again, confirmed most Americans' misconceptions about those of us who choose to ~~ejukate~~ educate our kids outside of a traditional school setting: that we are banjo strumming, scripture quoting, manifesto writing misfits who sit our thirteen children at the kitchen table and teach them that dinosaurs didn't exist... not that there's anything wrong with that. Wife Swap's homeschooling mom lives with her ~~first cousin~~ husband and two children on a farm in Iowa. They make every effort to run a self sustaining farm not because they choose a life of volunteer simplicity or wish to leave a softer carbon footprint, but because, like so many of us, they are preparing for the Apocalypse...

Enjoy :)

The Girl wants to go to school: 2

2008-06-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

I guess I'll make this a series of posts, as it's a question that I'll be discussing and thinking about a lot this summer.

I'll have to cut this post (#2) short, however, as I have to go pick up my daughter at nature camp. Yesterday was her first day and it's a great camp... except for the "one bad part." Apparently, there are a bunch of "really obnoxious" kids in the class. In fact, yesterday, the teacher had to say "Quiet!" "In a loud voice." "Seven times!" The Girl's small group of four tried to help the teacher by starting a "Shhh. Pass it on..." message from the back of the group, in the bushes. (They were in the back, in the bushes, because the other group had pushed their way to the front.) I asked if the message stopped once it made its way to the other group. No, they just added the words "fart" and "poop" to the message and kept it going.

What does she think school is going to be like??

Gotta run....

The Girl wants to go to school: 1

2008-06-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pea has decided that she'd like to go to school. She doesn't seem to be able to give specific reasons, but her best friends are schooled and while these (5th grade) girls are quick to tell all about how much they hate school, they're also revealing a camaraderie from which SP feel excluded.

A latest example:

Chicken nuggets. Apparently, the ones served in the cafeteria bounce when dropped. Yes, yes, very cool, I know. But, to give up homeschooling for bouncing chicken nuggets? Isn't that a bit frivolous? I even offered to find a recipe or a warehouse store or a vendor on eBay and start preparing them myself. Hey, maybe we could even do science experiments on them! Or, we could.... No, Mom, it's not the same thing...

So, I decided to investigate this matter further. To get to the bottom of my daughter's malaise.

My findings:

After googling "bouncing chicken nuggets," I found some Cafeteria Chat (over at Beacon Street Girls) among girls (ages 9 - 13) who attend school. The thread topic: "What's the grossest (or yummiest) thing your school cafeteria has ever served?" So far, there are 594! comments, but I'll just post the most recent.

(Individual comments are separated by text color changes; spelling and grammar errors, not corrected.)

Our school sells they call it "Yummy cheese pizza" but really, the crust is cardboard, the sauce is barf, and the cheese is melted plastic ... I hate my cafiteria food. All the food is not cooked . The veggies they don't even clean off. The worse of all is their discusting pizza ... Someone will get mad cow disease from our school beef! ... The hotdogs. they are green and pink and they are cold ... I dont relly eat in my cafeterea. But sometimes, my friends give me a pice and, I think is not enough hot and it needs more condiments ... My school food is pretty expensive-$2.00, for nasty food. I pack my lunch in a Vera Bradley quilted lunch bag!... Its all totely grosse ... I hate cafe food it makes me sick.even my fave food pizza tates like garbage too.can u belive it ... Who whants to eat breackfast for lunch and lunch fo breckfast]= that is so nasty and tho im no breckfast person but thos omelets when they hit the cafe germs and the syrup whont to run away ... All we talk about is boys... But they try to make food lokk and taste appealing. Although the salad lettece is always brown. And that is a helth code violation. ( i'm a vegetarian so most meals are disgusting. But, hey, who wants to eat a precious cow. COWS RULE!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!) ...i hate cafatiria food ... I really want the chicken nuggets because they are so good i just love them so much. That reminds me i had chicken nuggets for lunch at school today. the other choic was BBQ sandwich.All of my friends and me talk about the BMX show we saw befor we ate lunch today.We cracked jokes on each other and made fun of some of the insturmpts we herd like the trumbone.J*** was the main one who made fun of the insturmpts,mostly the trumbone all i know was it was so funny.Some times i think he is just so funny.His girl-friend can be mean sometimse and she can be nice sometimes but mostly funny and mean...

So, what do you think? Are bouncing chicken nuggets and the valuable lessons learned while participating in school cafeteria chat worth the switch to public school? Should I give in to the siren song of a school-centered socialization?

Submission

2008-06-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

This story was in the news a few years back, but it wasn't until tonight that I had ever seen a clip of the movie. While watching it I recognized a verse which I quoted in my recent post, Sometimes Funny.... Here's that verse again, the movie clip, a small amount of background, and a few related links.

Qur'an An-Nur, 30-31: Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments...

This 10-minute film, directed by Theo van Gogh (nephew of Vincent van Gogh) and written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali , examines the link between Islamic law and the suffering of women under Islam; the film's title, "Submission," is a direct translation of the word "Islam."

Correction: Theo was a descendant (not the "nephew") of Vincent. Uh, I meant to write that to see if you're, uh, paying attention. Congratulations Annonymous ;)

From Wikipedia: The film tells the story of four fictional characters played by a single actress wearing a veil, but clad in a see-through chador, her naked body painted with verses from the Koran. The characters are Muslim women who have been abused in various ways. The film contains monologues of these women and dramatically highlights three verses of the Quran, that authorize mistreatment of women, by showing them painted on women’s bodies.

Shortly after its release in 2004, Theo van Gogh was murdered in public by a Muslim man. Shot twice, Van Gogh's throat was then slit. Attributing the murder to the film was a letter that was pinned to the body by a dagger. The letter was addressed to Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Written in Dutch, the bloody letter called Hirsi Ali an "infidel fundamentalist" who "terrorizes Islam" and "marches with the soldiers of evil." With her "hostilities," she "unleashed a boomerang and it's just a matter of time before this boomerang will seal your destiny."

Today, Hirsi Ali continues to require round-the-clock security. (A Security Trust has been set up for those wishing to contribute to this on-going expense.)

We get to choose?

2008-06-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

So, I was watching my favorite news program last night and got to thinking about the current topic for the Evolved Homeschoolers Thinking Parents project. The assignment (due June 15th) is to write "a 30-second elevator pitch for the candidate of your choice." While it appears that EH'ers are leaning toward Obama, shouldn't "knee-jerk reactionary libertarian homeschoolers" be required to march in unison and vote for this guy, the Libertarian candidate?

I do like his new look ;)

Sometimes funny, sometimes not

2008-06-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last year, when I first started this blog, I wrote a post about the curious, parallel worlds in which some homeschoolers reside, as reflected in the website of Lydia of Purple, a fundamentalist Christian seamstress and homeschooling mom who makes dresses for "modest christian homeschooling ladies that homeschool their young ladies and girls in modest dress."

Maybe I shouldn't have, but I made fun. I can't remember if I tried to resist the temptation to do so; maybe I did and it was just too overpowering. It could have been the whole idea of special clothes for homeschoolers that got me going.

Or, it could have been the idea of "matching" outfits for the "whole family." Am I alone in finding the mental image of a family wearing matching clothes funny? Or, could it be that I'm just too childish to see the charm of it all? Maybe it all stems back to when my mother used to do this to me

... and, deep down, I'm still bitter.

And then, there's the thought of "a special wedding dress for a young lady who has kept herself pure in modest apparel." (Damn. I coulda got a special dress? For waiting? Nobody ever told me.)

And, what exactly does Lydia mean by "a young lady who has kept herself pure in modest attire"? Of course, my mind is flashing to "Mormon underwear." (Note to Lydia: If I'm supposed to be picturing something else, please let me know. ASAP. Collect calls accepted.)

As for, "If you place an order, (we) can even sew a cape on your dress for extra modesty"?...Ok. A cape?? [smile] Now, go ahead and try to convince me that modesty capes aren't funny. Go ahead. I'll wait.

(finger tap, tap, tap)

That's what I thought.

Don't get me wrong. It's not like I've never seen women in capes before; I'm not being close-minded.

And, I know that women in Islamic countries have been wearing cape-like garments for many years. Admittedly, I know very little about burkha capes,... other than they seem to come in two colors, black and blue. I wonder if these women think their capes are funny.

But, capes are worn for different purposes; while Superwoman's cape helps her fly, modesty capes (and other modest attire) protect a woman's sexual integrity. We know this from reading the Holy Books (peace be upon Them) written by men, from whom modest dress requirements protect women.

1 Timothy 2:9 (KJV): In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array...

Qur'an An-Nur, 30-31: Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof, that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers...

From what I can tell, these are the primary verses used by those advocating modest dress. What is interesting to me is that each verse links "modest apparel" to the ideal manner in which women should appear before others: guarded, shamefaced, invisible.

So, modest dress can be both funny (capes, bonnets, and bloomers) and not funny (shamefacedness and guilt by gender).

When "modest dress" is taught in the context of patricentric religious doctrine and used to reinforce messages to and about women (regarding sexuality, marriage, motherhood, and a woman's proper role), and when those teachings are passed unquestioningly from generation to generation, harm is done.

Some of what I mean is illustrated at Lydia's site in the introductions to her six daughters; two, married and the remaining four, "living at home waiting for God to supply a Godly young man as a life-mate." The site even seems to advertise the availability of the marriageable girls (daughters #3, #4, #5, and #6), accompanied by photographs of each in her best pose - and the following descriptions:

Third daughter is 24, a farm girl at heart. Doesn't want to get too far from her milk cow or the other animals for that matter. Would like several children of her own, just has to find the right man first. Mature, spiritual, obedient, kind, and a real blessing to all.

The proclaimed Daddy's girl? That's what they all say. Daughter four is 22 and enjoys the piano, one day hoping for a baby grand. Kind and loving to all, very out-going personality.

Fifth daughter is 21 and loves her horses.

Sixth daughter is 19 and always ready.

Note: Two daughters (it wasn't clear which two) "have each about completely finished copying the Bible, O.T. and N.T., by typing it or hand written."

Twenty-four and mature, spiritual, obedient; 22 and kind, loving; 21 and loves horses; 19 and "always ready"?

But, as disturbing as I found this, the part that troubled me most had to do with the two married daughters. It's not clear how old these girls are (or were, when they were first married), but when I look at the photographs (which I've obscurred, by the way), they look quite young.

With a total of six children between them.

You know what came to mind when I first saw these pictures?

They never had a chance.

Taught as they were - and schooled at home - were these girls ever exposed to different ideas, or ways of living? Or, was time mostly spent grooming them to become cheerful helpmeets to future husbands, self-denying caretakers to future children, and obedient servants to the One True Living God? In lieu of rigorous or even adequate educations? I wasn't there, obviously... but, I can't help but wonder.

It's one thing for an adult woman to choose this way of life - and all that it entails - for herself; to sentence and cement one's daughters into a lifetime of it, is a grave abuse of influence.

Tracking devices on school children

2008-06-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this story?

Apparently, students at a California elementary school have been ordered to wear RFIDs (radio frequency identification devices) to track their movements. The badge includes each child's "picture, name, grade and a wireless transmitter that beams their ID number to a teacher's handheld computer when the child passes under an antenna posted above a classroom door."
...

"The system was imposed, without parental input, by the school as a way to simplify attendance-taking and potentially reduce vandalism and improve student safety. Principal Earnie Graham hopes to eventually add bar codes to the existing ID's so that students can use them to pay for cafeteria meals and check out library books."

Surreal.

HT to Rational Jenn

You don't speak for me

2008-06-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

I really don't like it when others presume to "give me a voice." I can "represent" myself, thank you very much. HSLDA (Christian homeschooling legal defenders), Subway (sandwich) protesters -- and sicko computer game creators: Stop claiming to speak for me.

So, have you heard about this new game?

The object of the game is to stop the spread of Christianity and Islam by murdering Abraham and the authors of the Bible, before beheading Muhammad.

Lovely.

"The new game... is giving a voice to the atheist community," according to the game’s creator.

Thanks, but no thanks. I have my own voice.

How to dress an anarchist

2008-06-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not really following the Rachel L. homeschooling case in California (as I should be), but I do occasionally hear bits and pieces. Most recently, for instance, the California Teachers Association filed a brief in opposition to homeschooling, according to a Pacific Justice Institute press release. In that press release, PJU reports that the CTA brief claimed that homeschooling done by noncredentialed parents leads to "educational anarchy."

I looked, but I can't find any more details than what I've just reported to you. Now, I'm up late tonight thinking. Remember how a couple weeks back, I was telling you about our secret agents? The ones we hire to make bizarre arguments against homeschooling in order to make us look smarter by comparison? See where I'm going? Do you think?? Could the person who made the "educational anarchy" comment be one of.. ours??

Now, here's what I propose: Rather than waiting for confirmation from Homeschool Headquarters, I think that we should spring into action - immediately - and consider the baton "passed." It's time to do our part.

That's why I made us t-shirts and stuff.

*

*

All proceeds (10%) received by me from will be donated to CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation.

CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation is dedicated to raising private funds for childhood cancer research for the Children's Oncology Group, the world's largest cooperative cancer research organization. Together, we are committed to conquering childhood cancer through scientific discovery and compassionate care.

A review of CureSearch is available for viewing. The evaluation was performed by Charity Navigator which gave this charity its highest 4-star rating.

A few item close-ups ;)

Visit the educational anarchist gallery.

More Food for Thought

2008-06-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

I've added another entry to the "food for thought" column on my sidebar. It is a wonderful and thought-provoking post written by JJ about what she might have "known" and "not known" had she not had children.

Enjoy.

Homeschooling math got you down?

2008-05-31T01:54:00.000-07:00

Need a little something different to spice up your homeschool math program? Well, you've come to the right place! Popular math academician / author/ pundit, boremetotears, is back with her latest offering.

You loved YEC Math! You couldn't get enough of You could probably do this at parties! You'd never even heard of Purpose Driven Math!

Now, for a limited time, the following lesson guide, The Pope is the Anti-Christ: A Study in Numbers Adding Up, will be provided free of charge to busy homeschooling moms and dads. This multidisciplinary alternative to the teaching of rote calculation will equip your kids for these (end) times. Roman numerals, Latin language translation , gemology, post-rapture studies. It's all here.

The Pope is the Anti-Christ: A Study in Numbers Adding Up

As you know, the Pope is the Beast spoken of in Revelation 13. Verse 1 says that he wears crowns and has "blasphemous names" written on his head. Verse 18 says that the numerical value of his name adds up to 666.

Journey with me as we explore... the Pope's hat.

Image credit: http://www.666mark-of-the-beast.org/

Sure enough, if we look closely, we see that the inscription on his bejeweled tiara is Vicarius Filii Dei, Latin for Vicar of the Son of God; but, because the Pope is actually the Son of Satan, the name is blasphemous.

Now, as for the "numerical value of his name," here's how it works.

Like many ancient languages, some Latin letters are also used for numbers:
I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500 and M = 1000.

Further, because the letter "u" is rendered as V and the letter "w," which doesn't exist in the Latin alphabet, would be rendered as VV, when you add up the numbers representing the characters in his name, you get... 666.

Here's a chart that is both easy to read and typed in purple, the color of kings.

Again, Vicarius Filii Dei = 666.

On the bright side: Catholic parochial schoolchildren are allowed to enter the Subway story contest.

Beach Retreat

2008-05-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

The girl and I decided we needed some fresh air and salt spray to breathe new life into us after a couple days of fighting off a stomach virus of some kind. It was a perfect day for visiting our favorite local beach. Sunny and warm, but not too hot; kids still in school, beach to ourselves :)

Eager to get going, I let the goofball pack for us.

What she brought:

1 bag corn chips
1 acai-blueberry-pomegranate vitamin water
1 digital camera
1 large red funnel (?)
1 wilderness survival guide(??)
1 bottle water
3 bungee cords (not visible, ???)

I'm happy to report that we didn't need to refer to our survival guide - even once!

We drank the waters, used the camera for taking pics and the funnel for playing with sand. The bungee cords (which were apparently included to build a make-shift shelter with the beach towel, if need arose) went unused -- and this bird ate our corn chips when we weren't looking.

Most of our time was spent looking for ocean critters (hermit crabs, sea anemone, mussels, sea urchins).

Here's the goofball exploring.

Shortly after arriving, we met an older man, a colorful character, who talked to us for a long time. Having spent most of his adult life getting to know the area, he knew quite a bit that he shared with us. He started coming as early as 1967 (when he was a 'redneck hippie' and partied on the beach every night with friends while the coyotes and cougars watched from the cliffs); now, he lives simply (a stick of 50+ sunblock in one pocket, chapstick in the other) in order to spend the majority of his time walking the coast. It's only when he needs money that he works (making earrings from shells). He met John Wayne twice. And, he has been in the mansion owned by Joan Irvine which sits on a cliff and has a panoramic view of the ocean from the bathroom. His name was Dan.

On the way back, I was compelled to take this picture for no particular reason. I wasn't looking for an excuse to stop and catch my breath after already climbing at least a thousand of these things prior to this point. I thought it was a captivating shot.

And, finally...

Here's a picture that I call, Why I'll never leave California.

Back by Popular Demand!

2008-05-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

"The Horse Smegma Post"

A Bargain at Twice the Price

Have I mentioned that we have a horse? Sunny has been part of our family for about a year now and he and dear daughter are best pals. They ride together, they take garden-hose showers together, they eat oats and glazed doughnuts together. They even jump over fences together - sometimes without even breaking any bones. But, horse ownership has its responsibilites, let me tell you.

One day, not too long ago, I looked over at our dear gelding and noticed a lot of flaky skin on his... manhood. Two thoughts at this point: 1. Ewww and 2. I wonder if I'm supposed to do something about that. I look around hoping to find someone to help me, but everybody's busy; when I get home, I get on the internet. Yes, the sheath needs to be cleaned to prevent smegma buildup, which can lead to infections. A thorough cleansing needs to be performed every six months. The process includes latex gloves and K-Y jelly and some horses really hate it. Oh goody.

Inconveniently, our horse lacks opposable thumbs to perform the task himself and I? Well, I lack proper enthusiasm for doing the job myself. You can, therefore, imagine my delight to discover, days later, that the barn vet had done the deed for me. (A special shout-out to Dr Wan, at this point. You da man!) I can't remember the last time I was so happy to pay a bill. Just $65 and worth every penny. Yep, a bargain at twice the price!

Update: A lesson learned about blogging :\

Eating Chinese Food at the Beach

2008-05-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

She calls this one...

Eating Chinese Food at the Beach

minus a chopstick... which can be tricky

(smile)