The Last Sunset Of Autumn 2012

"Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with it's last beauty, as nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."

~Lauren DeStefano, Wither

I couldn't resist! While the last autumn sunset is not as spectatular a sunset as I have seen lately, it is a gentle beauty, and I am glad I decided to photograph it. Autumn has come and gone for yet another year, and I already miss the amazing gift that it is. I feel better about everything during autumn. The lighting opportunities, the shadows, the earth tones, and the bursts of color. Oh my, it seems like forever until it comes back, but I am not sad because as of today, I begin planning for my photography jaunts for autumn 2013. :)

The Last Sunset Of 2012







Autumn is one of the great loves of my life. And I thank God for every last minute of it, and for the invention of the camera which freezes time for me. During the next 3 seasons, I know that if I get sad or down in the dumps, I can always take a walk through my archives, and revisit the moments I love most.

~Happiness

:) And look, my ghostly orbs came to watch it with me. :)

~Me

Don't Worry It's Not The End Of The World... It's Christmas

"On 12/ 21/12 People will be making End Of The World like there's no tomorrow."

~Unknown

 

Is it raining frogs yet? Horns... have you heard any SUPER LOUD horns? Have you heard about any wars or rumors of wars? Ooops... lets skip that last one. How about one world currency? Nah, not unless you consider that all money world wide is pretty much useless. I know, I know... how about a man with the number 666 walking around with glowing eyes? Hmmm... Ronald Wilson Reagan. Hmmm...! Oh wait, that's so 1985. Well, how about 1/2 the earth's population disappearing? Wait... let me check... sigh. No such luck, all the Palins are still here. No apocolaypse for me! 

Still, I think I am digging sitting here, waiting for the precise moment autumn transcends into winter, and the world ends or  it doesn't. If you believe your bible, we won't know the exact day or time, it's gonna be the best darn surprise apocalypse ever! I just hope I won't be doing anything embarrassing, like... oh... say... showering or picking my nose. Not that I pick my nose, but you know, something like that. I jest, but truth is, I think stuff will end one day. And to that end, I plan to live my life, try to be a smart person, and party like it's 1999. 

And keep the faith.

It's Christmas. My 50th. That is a minor miracle in and of itself. 

~Happiness

Yesterday's Joke...

Q. How does Al Gore's household keep Christmas politically correct?

A. On Christmas morning, they give the presents to the tree.

 Today's Joke...

Q. What goes Ho, Ho, Ho, Swoosh, Ho, Ho, Swoosh?

~Me :)

 

It's Christmas Time In The City

"I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas, with a note on it saying, toys not included."

~Bernard Manning

 

If the world ends on Friday, I hope the last thing I see is San Francisco as I rise up into the clouds. I love it here. It's beautiful. And fun. And inspiring. And a little odd. And friendly. And anytime I am down in the dumps, a simple trip across any of the bridges that lead to the city, usually awakens the happiness in me. It heals me. It dries my tears. Unless it is making me laugh till I cry. God I love that feeling. Laughing till I cry, with my sides in spasms... oh how I love that feeling.

 

Tuesday, Alan and I decided to fill up our life with fun. It doesn't take a lot to improve our moods, for us it mostly consists of going out and letting life show us the big picture. Our first destination was a visit to the Tilden Park Christmas Carousel. There is a lot of joy to be had there. The whole place is decorated with different themed Christmas trees, with beautiful ornaments which can be purchased off any of the trees. It's a long standing tradition to purchase each other a new ornament each year, and we always grab ones for the cats as well. I love hanging those ornaments on the trees year after year, and remembering all the joy we got from finding just the right one.

After the park, we left for Union Square, in San Francisco. Where it was COLD! :) I smile because I bought myself an early Christmas present a couple weeks ago. I new, incredibly warm, gorgeous leopard print coat from Old Navy. GOD I LOVE OLD NAVY! :) I call my new coat my "Jersey Housewife" coat in honor of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, and their love of... ahem... all things leopard. LOL. It's a fun coat, and it makes me happy. And warm. Although for some odd reason whenever I wear it I seem to pronounce stuff weird. Like if I want Alan to buy me a hot dog from the hot dog vendor on the corner, rather than say... Alan, please get me a hot dog... I tend to say something like... Hey Guido, I could really use a Dwag. LOL. Just kidding, but you knew that... right?

Anyway, we had an amazing time, sitting in Starbucks, upstairs at Macy's in Union Square. It's a lot of fun watching the shoppers, and the ice skaters, and the happiness everyone gets from a little shopping therapy, and holiday fun. Sometimes I wish I could go ice skating, but alas I never learned how. Sigh. That's one of my minor regrets, because it looks like amazing fun. About the only way I could even consider it at this point in life is if there is such a thing as training blades, which I am pretty sure doesn't exist. Nope, I might just have to face the fact that I am now too old to learn to ice skate. Woe is me. Although my knees applaud my maturity. LOL. It's not easy to know that I was able to conquer my fear of flying, but learning to ice skate is simply off the table.

Weird That.

Except for our holiday ornaments, we haven't bought a single thing for each other yet. Yikes! I think I will be doing some shopping later today, and he is planning on shopping this weekend. So, we will be back in the city over the weekend for some fun, so I will have plenty of time to enjoy the holiday sights, sounds, and shopping. Ahhh... bliss. :) Sometimes, when the world really gets to me I think the world can't end soon enough, but then I see a cute little snowman ice skating, or the most adorable elderly couple ice skating, holding hands, and looking at each other like they fell in love just a few moments ago, or I catch a glimpse of San Francisco at holiday time, and I want to grab onto life, even with it's sorrows, and embrace every bit of it.

It's Christmas Time In The City...







"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags! Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a lot more."

~Dr. Suess, How The Grinch Stole Christmas

~Happiness

~Me :)

Last Night's Christmas Joke...

Q. Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?

A. You do all the work, and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.

Tonight's Joke...

Q. How does Al Gore's household keep Christmas politically correct?

*Comeback tomorrow for the punchline. But feel free to take a guess, or leave a FAMILY FRIENDLY holiday joke in the comment thread.

Peace On Earth

Christmas gift suggestions...

To your enemy... FORGIVENESS
To and opponent... TOLERANCE
To a friend... YOU'RE HEART
To a customer... SERVICE
To all... CHARITY
To every child... A GOOD EXAMPLE
To yourself... RESPECT

~Oren Arnold

I am struggling this Christmas, like no other one that I remember. Alan and I have a wonderful time together, but this year... well... you know. But I am trying to not let the sadness in, but it's not all that easy or practice, or realistic. And like when you try not to laugh at an inappropriate time, trying not to cry at an inappropriate time can be just as difficult, if not more so. I know, this to shall pass, of course it will, but right now the sadness seems to have a mind of it's own. But I try.

So, in the spirit of trying, lets share a grin... shall we?

I love Mondegreens, you know... misheard lyrics, any time of the year, but at Christmas time, it's amusing on a whole different level. Let's share a laugh, or even just a grin, it's all good.

:) Here are some of my favorites...

Real Lyrics: Jingle Bells

Bells on Bobtails ring.
Making Spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.

Not So Real Lyrics

Bells on Bob's tail
Making spareribs bright
What fun it is to write and sing
A slaying song to knives

Real Lyrics: Good King Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even

Good King Wences' car backed out
On the feet of heathens
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even

Real Lyrics: The First Noel

The first Noel
The angels did say
Was to certain poor shepards in fields
As they lay

 Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.

Not So Real Lyrics...

The first Noel
The angels did say
Was to frighten poor shepards in fields
As they lay

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Barney's the King of Israel.

And now, here is the punchline to last night's joke...

Q. Why did the elf push his bed into the fireplace?

A. Because he wanted to sleep like a log. :)

Tonight's Joke...

Q. Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?


Comeback tomorrow for the answer. But feel free to take a guess! Also, if you have a favorite Mondegreen, please share in the comment thread!

Okay, see ya tomorrow with more bad jokes, and depressing Christmas observations. LOL. Nah... not really!

:)

"Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today's Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday."

~Gladys Tabor

 ~Me :)

Happy Holidays Bill O'Reilly

"Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living."

~Amanda Bradley

It's War... WAR I TELL YOU!

Sorry, but I have a bit of the devil in me, and I just had to wish Bill O' Reilly a Happy Holiday! Bill insists that there is some big conspiracy being perpetrated on Christmas. His facts consist of people who wish others a Happy Holiday, rather than a Merry Christmas. (Insert rolling eyes here.) Wouldn't it be nice if Bill O'Reilly would relax and allow himself to simply enjoy the season? I would be lying if I said I like Bill O'Reilly... I don't. But I think like Ebenezer Scrooge's nephew, who wished his uncle some holiday spirit and peace of mind, I wish that same thing for Bill. I really do. There's no war on Christmas, except on his mind. Maybe one day he will take all that passion, and channel it toward a cause that will bring folks together, rather than give already disheartened folks yet one more reason and means to feel anything but utter disdain for their fellow man, just because they had the gall to wish someone a Happy Holiday.

Relax Bill. And Happy Holidays. :)

~Me :)

Last Night's Joke...

Q.Why was Santa's little depressed?

A. Because he had a low elf-esteem.

Now Tonight's Joke...

Q. Why Did The Elf Push His Bed Into The Fireplace?

*Come back tomorrow night to learn the answer. But feel free to leave a guess if you like. :)

Finding The Christmas Spirit Hiding Near The End Of The World

"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?

~Bob Hope



It's Monday. And as I was sharing on Twitter, I am thankful for this day, and a new start. I won't dwell on last week except to say, it was a soul wrenching time, Friday will be a day I will never forget, even if it were possible to do so. It's an incredibly frustrating event, and my heart is broken, but I have to believe that not only will the pain be eased, but the future will bring about the positive change we all yearn for. So, I am going to spend the next week or so leading up to Christmas with as much holiday spirit as I can find, and if it's okay, I would like to share it with you!

I forgot to mention it back in October, but Alan and I are on a new adventure. We are learning French through Rosetta Stone. So far we are both doing really well with the lessons, and its so much fun I actually look forward to each lesson! When we are finished with French, I would love to try German next, and then perhaps Italian. We'll see... one day at a time. ONE DAY AT A TIME. There is no hurry, well, unless the world really does in later in the week. LOL. Somehow I don't think it will. I don't have that kind of luck!  LOL.

I am getting the spirit of the season back, and I am holding on with BOTH HANDS.

:)

Now, how about a fun little holiday joke?

Q. Why was Santa's Little Helper depressed?

A. (Comeback tomorrow for the punchline, but feel free to leave your own in the comment thread.)

~Me :)

With The Permission Of The Ignorant

"It was the meanest moment of eternity."

~Zora Fuller Ross, Independence!


It's Sunday. I am sure of that. I have been talking to God quite a bit in the last couple days, barely able to put my feelings into understandable thoughts. Thank God, God knows me and understands me before I even begin. Horrible things happen every single day. Awful obscene things. They happen to the elderly, and the babies. They happen to the rich and the poor. Awful moments know nothing of race or religion. The hour and day makes no difference to the turning of the world. No one who wakes up in the morning, knows if they will have the distinct joy of seeing an amazing sunset as the day slips into night. And just as I was sharing with my friend Paul the other day, life is pretty darned random, but yet when you least expect it, a pattern will occur to once again remind you that sometimes things happen specifically in some scheduled universe we mortals are not necessarily privy to, and sometimes we do know it's coming and we ignorantly choose to ignore it.

In my life I have been guilty of relying on the random to explain away responsibility. It wasn't my fault that I got a flat, who could have known that if I hit that pot hole, it would leave my tire damaged. The pothole was perfectly random, but the knowledge that there was at least a small chance of hitting one, rather than paying attention to traffic hazards, was somehow pushed to the back of my mind as just one more of God's little jests in a random universe. God had nothing to do with it. If God does indeed have a sense of humor, he wouldn't have used it to flatten my tire. He would have used it to help me find a random banana skin to slip on. Which let's face it... is not only hilarious, but makes a good use of all parts of a delicious fruit.

The shooting that happened on Friday... :::weep::: seems in some ways to be a random act of a sick mind, when in fact, I think we all know, it was as far from random as anything gets. The Aurora Colorado shooting last summer could be explained as a random act of a dangerous mind, as could the mall shooting a week ago in Washington, as could the shooting at Virginia Tech, and Columbine, and the Luby's massacre, and the shooting of Gabby Giffords, 1 California Street, and just Saturday evening a man was arrested in Southern California for shooting more than 50 rounds into a parking lot near Macy's at the Fashion Island Mall in Newport Beach, and the murder/suicide in Las Vegas yesterday, the football player who killed the mother of his infant daughter and then himself. All random acts of the deranged. The psychotic. The evil. The mentally disturbed. The sick.

Actually, each and every time someone is murdered with a gun, either as part of a mass shooting, or suicide by one's own hand, the responsibility lies not just with the one holding the gun, as they couldn't have done it without the permission of the ignorant.

As our president wept yesterday on live TV, I felt nothing but disgust at his inaction on gun control. That is one of the reasons I can very close to not voting last November. As he spoke of the shooting in Connecticut, I couldn't feel sorry for him, I was too busy grieving for the children and teachers who did nothing wrong. They were innocent. But they paid for the selfishness of those too worried about their own self-serving agenda. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." "If you take all the guns off the street than only the criminals will have guns." "It's my right under the 2nd Amendment." BLAH... BLAH... BLAH. The ridiculous justifications make me sick. Physically sick. Twice yesterday. Once today.

How many more children?

I don't know. I hope I don't find out. But I am fairly sure... someday... it will happen again. Especially if we Americans continue to live in the fantasy that we are the best country on the planet. That we can do no wrong as a society. That the world wants to be just like us.

No They Don't.

Want a wake-up call?

Yesterday, some Pakistani school children held a prayer vigil for the victims of the shooting in Connecticut.

I am proud to say that I live in the state with the toughest gun laws in the country, but it didn't come about without the tragic loss of life. Too many lives.

Will anything change?

Not without the permission of the ignorant. Sleep well tonight, knowing your life is, for now, in their hands.

Please visit the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence to leave a message of condolence and learn the facts.

~Me