Evolution

Forgive me....

I'm posting this for the one person in the entire world who hasn't seen it. (Or maybe it's two people. Anyway, you know who you are.)

I now present, the Evolution of Dance-

How many of these moves are you guilty of performing on the dance floor?

Absolut Citizen Kane

My July pick for book club is Citizen Kane. Savvy readers know that Citizen Kane is not a book but a movie. A really good movie. Or perhaps more accurately, a really great film and worthy of a book group caliber discussion.

I had a professor once that spent the better part of a semester explaining the difference between movie and film. For example... "Meatballs is a horrible movie." "Apocalypse Now is a fantastic film!"

You know a film is good one when you find traces of it in a fine vodka campaign....


I remember when this ad was published. I tore it from my magazine and posted it above my work desk. At the time I was not a vodka drinker. In fact, I had not yet graduated to wine consumption... I think I was still drinking wine coolers... but I digress. I loved the imagery used in the ad. I felt like I was one of the select few that knew what "Rosebud" meant. When people sat at my desk I challenged them to tell me what the ad referred to. "Ah... you're an alcoholic and you really love your vodka?" Silly Fools!


More Absolute images...

Flashback Friday

I can handle the heat, but not a perpetual haze of smoke and ash. Yuck!

How I would describe this summer...



And really, when was it ever cool to wear over-sized overalls?

Travel Planner

No trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a visit to the....

L. A. County Coroner's Office.

Souvenirs available here. If you're going, be sure to bring me back a Toe Tag Key chain.

Two Small Farms

What I received in this week's produce box....
An unusual variety of Cauliflower called Romanesco broccoli. It is is an edible flower of the species Brassica oleracea.


I have to admit... it was almost too pretty to cut up an eat, but I did. I broke off the florets, tossed them in some olive oil, and spread them out over a baking sheet. 25 minutes at 400 degrees and it was time to serve. Yum.

If you're still interested in getting on the CSA wait list, I've updated the link. It should take you to the correct CSA.

Just check under Favorite Shops in the side bar.

Sarah- Mind Reader Extradordinaire

I just peeled myself off the couch to post this clip when I saw your comment from yesterday.

Great minds think alike.

Where did the week go?

Oh my! Time does fly when you're .....

M E L T I N G!

I can't be sure, but I think the average temperature this week was about 1000 degrees.

Because we spent most of the week trying to beat-the-heat (the heat won), this week's Flashback Friday comes on a Saturday.

The PIXIES


Think happy thoughts...always.

Happy Father's Day!

Paul with his babies... way-back-when.

With Andrew in Kauai.

With Audrey at Grandma's house.

Tagged by Vivian

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? According to Paul we were having sex. After I accused him of being nasty... I made my mental trip back in time, looked through some scrapbooks to jog my memory... and sure enough.. Paul was right. We were trying for Andrew. And no I don't have photos in the scrapbooks of us "trying"- get your dirty mind out of the gutter.

In April of 1998, Paul had a business trip to Denver. I was sure I would be ovulating that week- so I told Paul I was coming with him. I'm 99% positive Andrew was conceived in Denver's Brown Palace Hotel. Are you sorry you asked yet?

In May of that year, we took a trip to Washington DC. We went with our friends Jeff and Nicole. (Here we are pictured in front of the Washington Monument...I'm the portly one on the far right.) When returned from that trip I discovered I was pregnant.

2. What are 5 things on my TO-DO list for today? For today? Not much. Yesterday was crazy busy.... that would have been a LONG list! My project list for today; tidy up the house, water the plants in the backyard, do some laundry, pack up the kids school uniforms, schedule some summer outings and arrange play dates for the kids.

3. Snacks I enjoy: Sourdough bread with cheese (sounds more like lunch than a snack.) Vegetables dipped in hummus. Fresh fruit. Peanuts, chocolate covered raisins, and dried fruits. Quesadillas... mmmmmm.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Travel! Shop and travel. Travel and shop. Travel all around the world. Cruise, fly, travel by rail... And when I was done with that, or at least ready to take a break, I guess I'd settle down somewhere near the beach. I'd buy some incredible, tropical paradise retreat, and I'd spend my days alternatively lounging by the beach or the pool. And when I was sufficiently rested, calm, and mentally free, I'd call Bono up and say, "Hey man.... I'm ready to help you save the world."

5. Places I have lived: San Francisco, San Jose (Berryessa), San Jose (Downtown), San Jose (here) Not a very exciting list is it.

6. Jobs I have had: At 14 I worked with my mom at an electronics company. Just for a few weeks to earn money for a summer trip.

When I was 16 I worked at Great America. I started as a cashier, then a lead, supervisor, eventually working my way up to Section Manager before I got canned for having a fight with a co-worker.

There were various temporary Christmas cashier jobs at Miller's Outpost and some fruit & nut place whose name escapes me. (I just figured it out... House of Almonds.)

I worked at Conroy's and Navlet's -- flower shops where I took phone orders and handled walk-ins.

I worked for Macy's as a Department Manager and later as an Employment Specialist.

I've worked as a Sub (and an Aid) for the East Side Union High School District.

Flashback Friday

J.J. Fad.... just to show my musical taste is varied.



I recently heard some re-worked version of this on the radio... very funny! (Funny ha ha to me... like "Golly! This brings back memories." Not funny ha ha like "this is the stupidest thing ever!")

Now if I could just find it on itunes.... the updated version.

Have a Supersonic Summer!

3 days left

Or maybe it's more like 2 1/2 days? Whatever the number... school is almost out.

I've looked over my schedule for this week and it's pretty tight. As near as I can tell, today is my last day of personal freedom... better known as... my last day of shopping without the kids.

Gotta go!

Southern Summer

Sarah's upcoming vacation reminds me of this article I read in Smithsonian.
If you have a little time, read it, totally funny.

Time

First the first time, in a long time.... we have no where we have to be today.
No appointments, commitments, parties, scout functions, meetings or gatherings.

"Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours." - Mark Twain.

Flashback Friday

Remember when...



...Michael Stipe had hair?

Good times... good times...

Family Yearbook almost complete...

... for 2007.

Every year I do a family yearbook. I use the Pioneer 8 1/2 x 11 size memory book in hunter green. For each year, and in each book, I use no more than 20 top loading sheet protected pages. That comes to 40 individual pages of scrapbooking fun!

As I've only recently pulled out my supplies (because of construction) I was a little worried about catching up on my many scrapping projects.

Memory books I'm always working on or adding to:
All 12 x 12 books, with the exception of the Birthday Books which are 7x11 spiral bound books.

-Andrew's School Days
-Audrey's School Days
-Andrew's First 10 years. (1 more year to go!)
-Audrey's First 10 years.
-Girl Scouts
-Cub Scouts
-Andrew's Birthday Books
-Audrey's Birthday Books
-Andrew's ART Book
-Audrey's ART Book
-Christmas Book
-Halloween Book

But wait... there's more!

Usually, vacation photos require an entire scrapbook of their own. I have entirely too many of these to list... I'll only mention that I still need to do an entire 12x12 book from our last Disney trip in October.

As I said, the 2007 book is almost complete. Yesterday I spent 2 hours on the computer uploading photos to Ritz Pix. I wasn't sure I'd find enough photos to fill the year. I usually try to find photos from each month. Miraculously I did!

Next week... I'll start collecting photos for the beginning of 2008 before the year gets away from me.

Wish me luck!

Oh... and I'm tattooed on my right, back shoulder.

Famous Girl Scouts

Recently, I posted some information about famous Boy Scouts. Since we are a two-scout family...or is it bi-scout family? Dual scout family? Anyway... what I'm trying to say is that we do both. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and what follows is some information about famous Girl Scouts.

*************************

from Wikipedia

"The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA. The Eagle Scout rank of the Boy Scouts of America is considered comparable to it. "

*************************

from http://www.gsvsc.org/gsalumnae.htm

"Girl Scouts of the USA has impacted the lives of more than 43 million women since its inception in 1912. As the world's preeminent organization for girls, GSUSA has long contributed to success among girls and women by offering opportunities for personal and leadership development, exposure to role models, and community involvement.

Girl Scout alumnae have "strong positive memories" of a number of important experiences offered through Girl Scouting - such as trying new things, working with a group to accomplish a common goal, setting and achieving goals, and doing good things for the community. Most Girl Scout alumnae believe that experiences in Girl Scouting had a positive effect on their adult lives."

**********************

I was hoping to find a list of "Famous Gold Award" recipients... but I could find no such listing.
I did however find a general list of famous former girl scouts.

This is an excerpt from the original listing:

BUSINESS

Bellamy, Carol - Executive Director, UNICEF
Dole, Elizabeth - Former President, American Red Cross
Falk, Susan - President, Express (clothing retailer)

EDUCATION
Jones, Elaine - Head of NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund
Murphy MacGregor, Molly - ED, National Women's History Project

GOVERNMENT

Albright, Madeleine - former US Secretary of State
Reno, Janet - former US Attorney General
Shalala, Donna - former US Secretary of Health and Human Service
Day O'Connor, Sandra - Associate Justice, US Supreme Court

Rodham Clinton, Hillary - D-NY; Senate

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Brothers, Joyce, Dr. - Psychologist; Radio & TV Personality
Collins, Lt Col Eileen - 1^st Woman Space Shuttle Commander Astronaut
Davis, Jan - Astronaut
Hughes Fulford, Millie, Dr. - Former Astronaut; Head of Research Lab
Jemison, Mae - Astronaut
Jernigan, Tamara, Dr. - Astronaut
Rosenweig, Cynthia - NASA Research Scientist
Seddon, Rhea, Dr. - Astronaut
Sullivan, Kathryn, Dr. - Astronaut
Thornton, Kathryn, Dr. – Astronaut

MEDIA

Couric, Kathleen - Anchorwoman, "Today Show"
Moriarty, Erin - TV Reporter, CBS "48Hours"
Norville, Deborah - Host of "Inside Edition"
Pauley, Jane - TV reporter, "Dateline"
Shipman, Claire - White House Correspondent, NBC News
Sweeney, Anne - President, Disney/ABC Cable Network
Walters, Barbara - Anchorwoman of ABC "20/20"

PERFORMING ARTS

Anderson, Melissa Sue - Actress
Bergen, Candace - Actress
Carter, Lynda - Actress
Crow, Sheryl - Singer/Songwriter
Danner, Blythe - Actress
Fisher, Carrie - Actress, Author
Merchant, Natalie - Singer, Songwriter
Norman, Jessye - Opera Singer
Reynolds, Debbie - Actress
Stewart, Martha - TV Personality; Martha Stewart Living
Thomas, Marlo - Actress
Tiegs, Cheryl - Model
Turner, Kathleen - Actress
Tyler Moore, Mary - Actress
Warwick, Dionne - Singer

Scrapbooking

I finally unpacked my scrap booking supplies. (Not for teacher projects--- for me!)

Last week I completed two birthday books. Andrew's 9th & Audrey's 7th... For every birthday, I do a small 7 x 10 spiral bound scrap book to hold photos, cards, and other memorabilia from their birthday celebrations.

Last night, I bought supplies to start our Disney Vacation scrapbook. From the trip we took in October... I found an easy 12 x 12 page kit... now I just need to print photos.

But before I start that, I need to finish our Family Yearbook scrapbook for 2007. Photos are going to be hard to come by! From October to February - I think I only took construction pix. Yikes!