Butterflies

 

"A Day without Starbucks is like... forget it, just kidding, I have no idea."

~Unknown

I haven't done a food review in a while, so...

This is the new drink at Starbucks. Think butterflies! First let me say, the photo I took doesn't do it's beauty justice! It's really pretty. Three layers of orange, pink and purple, which make the cup look like a missile bar, you know, that cool tropical frozen treat from when we were kids! The same bar had three different names, Missiles, Big Stick and Monster bars. I guess it was a regional thing. Anyway, the bars were cherry and pineapple flavored, but the Butterfly drink is made up of guava and passionfruit, poured over mango-pineapple pearls. There are three versions of the drink. I ordered the Tropical Butterfly Lemonade Refresher, which was quite tangy and sweet, but you might opt for the, Tropical Butterfly Energy Refresher, or the, The Butterfly drink, which comes with coconut milk or the milk of your choice. It was a little too sweet for my liking, I mean I have a sweet tooth, but this drink was a little too much. I think I will be sticking with my favorite drink, the Iced Tea Chai Latte. I love the spices, mixed with the milk. As I am not a coffee drinker, my chai latte is very pleasant any time of day.

Go try the Butterfly drinks, just know, it's a lot sweeter than most Starbucks drinks!

Parking Lot Pickles

 

"Don't forget to relish the moment."

~Unknown

As you know, I live in Stockton, California. Well, from time to time, on any given day, even the casual passerby, may see a random object sitting in a random parking lot, and the object spotted will have NOTHING to do with anything in particular. In other words, it will all be deliciously, random! Like this Costco sized jar of Mt. Olive Kosher Dills. The day I spotted it, it was just there, in a stall, at Starbucks. Hmmm... pickles and coffee? Now I ask you, who orders a Starbuck's beverage, and chases it down with a pickled condiment?

Oh Barista...

 VT

 Pike's Place

 Decaf

 Caramel Macchiato

 with

Coconut milk

 Extra whip

 Caramel ribbon

 and

 Cinnamon Dolce Sprinkles

With 6 Stevia packets

And a Mt. Olive Kosher Dill Pickle, warmed.

And can you put it in a bag? Umm, the pickle, not the coffee.

Imagine the possibilities.

Just A Couple Of Cats On An Autumn Day

"Autumn paints in colors, fall has never seen."

~Unknown

Nothing to see here folk, just two cats in a tree, discussing the stupid orders people request at a drive-thru. Like my order, A Venti 7 pump iced Chai, a Bacon Egg, and Bacon sandwich, hold the bacon, a Sugar Plum Cheese Danish. I was hungry. I can't prove it photos, but I swear these cats were laughing at me, and all the cars in line behind me. Sigh. I'm being mocked by cats.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Nasty Smoke On A Pretty Autumn Day

 

“There was a young lady named Mae
Who smoked without stopping all day;
As pack followed pack,
Her lungs first turned black,
And eventually rotted away.”

 
~Edward Gorey,

  Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey & Peter F. Neumeyer

 

First I want to say, if you are a regular visitor to my blog, I mean no disrespect, however, I can't for the life of me understand the act of selfishness you see in the photo. I was, having a wonderful autumn day, thoroughly enjoying the autumn air, it was crisp and cool and just about perfect! I had just ordered myself a lovely Chai Latte from Starbucks, waiting patiently, when the nasty smell of someone's cancer stick wafted into my Mini Cooper.  It was coming from the car in front of mine, and the smell was particularly bad. Look, I just don't get it. You are in line, nowhere near the pickup window, and you're smoking with the car window down. You're obviously not into enjoying fresh air, which is fine, but why are you fucking it up for me?

Is it so hard to keep your window up? Really? You have a nice car, more than likely you have air conditioning, why do you force your stinky cancer sticks on me? Can't you just keep it to yourself? 

 

No really... can't you? Is it that you don't want the smell in your car? Is it that you don't someone in your car to breathe it in? Is it that your left handed, and can't hold the damn thing with any confidence in your right hand? Is it that you just can't wait until you get home? Or any other appropriate place? Can you not think of anyone other than yourself? Well, let me share the following... My mother was a serious smoker. She was a 3 pack a day smoker, and as you might expect, she ended up having a heart attack when I was 17. Bleeding ulcers followed. She had a stroke when I was 22, and a second when I was 23. She had open heart surgery when I was 25, and was diagnosed with emphysema a few years later. How she didn't get lung cancer, from her selfishness, is beyond me. How I wasn't born with birth defects is beyond me. I was born at 4lbs/9oz and 17 inches long. I only managed to reach the very tall 4'11, so maybe I didn't get away from the defects.

 

Let's revisit my questions...

 

Can't you keep it to yourself? 

Well, apparently not! 

 

Is it that you don't want that smell in your car?

No shit. Neither do I! And by the way, if it bothers you, please realize that fully!

 

Is it that you don't want someone in your car to breathe it in?

See my previous answer! 

 

You just couldn't wait until you get home?

BULLSHIT! 

 

Folks, please think about others around you! 

 

Care enough about yourself to not give yourself cancer. You will leave someone missing you. And believe me, they will carry it the rest of their lives. 

 

Believe me. 

 

One day, a well dressed lady took her cigarette out of her mouth, and set it down in front of Starbucks on a dirty edge of a window. A couple minutes later she came out, with her handcrafted drink, put the cancer stick back in her mouth, and walk away, like what she did was okay on any level.

 

 

It is not okay!

 

Please stop doing that. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Eat, Pray, Bird

 

“I am a better person when I have less on my plate.”

 
~Elizabeth Gilbert,

  Eat, Pray, Love

 

This is one of my favorite go-to lunches when I am out birding, although most times I share the boiled eggs with dear hubby. Two seem a little much. I am careful about my salt so I eat them plain, and I love fruit as a pallet cleanser, so the meal is just about perfect. I don't always grab Starbuck's, I bring my own lunches as well. Later today, for example, I will be packing a half ham sandwich, two mandarin oranges, a thermos of soup, two cookies, and a Baby-Bel Gouda. It sounds like a lot, but most of the time I skip breakfast. As you might expect, Bodega Bay gets COLD in winter, so as I said my soup is a must, so its soup of tomato or chicken noodle for me. Yum!

 

I love going on long drives with hubby, and Bodega Bay has become a favorite since we decided to become birders. I have seen some truly wonderful birds. The Bald Eagle. The Eared Grebe and one of my absolute favorites, the Common Loon. Right now, there is an impressive list of birds reported in, and around, Mitch Brenner's house. I love that particular spot for birding. The Bonaparte's Gull took my breath away, it's a stunner, and one was reported this week. And of course, both species of pelican will be present. Can you tell I am excited? It's worth the 119 mile drive! As I mentioned in a previous post, I am hoping for 10 birds. 15 would make me smile all the way home, and 20 will make me sleep happily for a week! 

 

Here's to traveling lightly and with hope! 

 

Birds I've spotted in the past in Bodega Bay

 

 

Dance Of The Starbucks Sugar Plum Cheese Danish

 

“Dessert without cheese is like a beauty with only one eye”

 
~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 

 

 “Spring is the name of the interval between two autumns, and autumn is the name of the interval between two springs.” 

 
~Wasif Ali Wasif,

   Segue of Spiritual Whispers: Baat Se Baat

 

Yum. That right there is a picture of just one more part of Autumn I look forward to with great passion, the return of Starbucks Sugar Plum Cheese Danish. It's a simple pastry, sweet and creamy, and it's paired with a buttery flaky crust. There is just nothing not to like about it. My former Autumn craving was the, Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar, but once I tried this bit of loveliness, there was no going back. I discovered the Cranberry Bliss Bar, years ago, and every year it was my tradition, and delight, to pair it with a peppermint hot chocolate, when we went to either Union Square, in San Francisco, or the Holiday Merry-Go-Round in Tilden Park, in Berkeley. It just helped to make everything even more festive. Alas everything changes, right? We moved, fairly suddenly, to Stockton, and we no longer went to the city, or to Tilden Park. A 79 mile trip requires a lot of planning, so visiting could be dicey in the late Autumn and early Winter.

With our new hometown, came new tradition, Christmas eve colds, flu and most recently... Covid-19. But in-between sneezing disasters, came opportunities for holiday shopping, and errands. And what goes great with those things? Starbucks and pastry. So, one rainy autumn day, just past Halloween, and just prior to Thanksgiving, off I went to Trinity Parkway to shop, but one my way I stopped at my nearest bucks, salivating for a Cranberry Bliss Bar. To my disappointment they had none of those, but they did have the Sugar Plum Cheese danish. Huh? Shrug. I agreed to that, because what the hell? Why not? I love cheese danish, and this one has sugar plum whatever on it to make it even more sweeter than it already is! Why not?

OMG... oh my... something very, very evil began on that day, because I began to sing, JOY TO THE WORLD, A DANISH IS BORN... . I kid you not. A new Autumn tradition was born that day, and with it, visiting the absolutely gorgeous Sandhill Crane of Woodbridge road, later in the day, as they return home to their resting place, and taking this delectable snack with me. My hot cocoa has evolved to Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce, and the two together is nothing short of life affirming! Who doesn't need something like that once in a while? I have always had a sweet tooth, which is probably really bad at my age, but they holidays only come around once a year, and Autumn is sacred, so what's a girl to do?

Everything about the two pastries is perfect, however they are both a bit expensive. Shrug. What isn't expensive anymore? if $4 for a cheese danish seems pricey, I found a recipe hack that could make indulging more often reasonable, and of course, it can be customized as you like. You can find the recipe here. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope to soon. I have a few other treats ahead of it, waiting to be made. Hubby wants some chocolate cinnamon biscotti, and I want to make some Cinnamon pecans. Not to mention baked apples and perhaps even a holiday pavlova. I love this time of year! Autumn is the sweetest time of life.

Score! Dine And Dash? Or Luck?

 

“And then, as if written by the hand of a bad novelist,

 an incredible thing happened.” 

 
~Jonathan Stroud,

   The Amulet of Samarkand

 

 

That 70's Show

Season: 3 Episode:13

Dine & Dash 

Disclosure... This is a long winded post.

 

SCORE!

Or perhaps...

 

Death By Good Luck!

Or maybe...

 

This year's, September 21st, The First Day Of Autumn. was happy, and weird! It was also a day of incredible luck. Umm, I am no "dine-and-dasher" but sometimes life puts stuff in your Micky D bag, and you have nothing to do with it. It just does. Is that a bad thing? Well, in this case it might be bad for your cholesterol levels, but is luck... luck? Or is it something else? Like is it stealing when stuff you don't order ends up in your bag? All I know is that this autumn has been putting free food in my Micky D bag, Starbucks's cups and Firehouse subs cartons. Shrug. It all started on that first glorious day of autumn, with a morning trip to McDonald's.

Hubby and I were on our way to Ione, to leaf peep, but we were getting out of the house a lot later than we had planned, so we decided to stop and grab some fast food, and eat on the way! Two things I usually frown on. High sodium contents and I are not friends, now that I am the oldest woman alive, and even if I could eat it without my feet bloating to the size of cannon balls, eating while driving is never a good idea, at any age, so two the two evils were working against the whole plan from the start. Not to mention, fast food prices have increased since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. But McDonald's does have a rewards program, and we earn points from time to time. There is Free French Fries Friday, and sue me, I am a sucker for a Big Mac from time to time. Ugh. Cannon balls.

So, we ran out the door, and used our points. It was 10:15 am, and we had to get there by 10:30. I put the order in, and we drove 8 minutes to the restaurant, and parked in space #4. After a long wait, maybe 10 minutes a very pleasant young man named Jim, came out to the waiting cars... 4 of them... and handed the bags of death to each driver of the cars. When he arrived at our car, he smiled politely, said my name, and handed us our bag. Hubby checked the ticket, it seemed to be right and then it was my turn to hold the bag, which I promptly put at my feet. Our order had been...

2 Sausage McMuffin with Egg

1 Egg McMuffin

1 Apple pie

What we recieved was...

6 Sausage McMuffin with Egg

1 Egg McMuffin

1 Hashbrown

And I swear, I didn't notice how heavy the bag was! We drove to one of our favorite parks, opened the bag for the first time, and inside was a huge feast! And enough sodium and cholesterol to, well, you know! Let's just say, my doctor, and my stylish slouchy Autumn/Winter boots would frown on what was in the bag! So much sodium, so much cholesterol, so many calories. Here is the nutrition break down...

 

Sausage McMuffin with Egg $4.39

 

 

Egg McMuffin $4.14

 

Apple Pie $2.29

 As you can see, it's very naughty to partake, but sometimes, mmmmmmmmm. It's a love hate thing at this point. Anyway in all ways, this is what was in the bag.When we got to the park, I turned to Hubby and said, SCORE! He looked in his bag and rolled his eyes. Hubby is a very moral guy. He has a love/hate relationship with the "score" in general. I, however, see it differently. I mean, isn't it the restaurant's ultimate responsibility to check to see the order is correct? I have driven off many times with my order incomplete. But I suppose, really, there is a shared responsibility involved. I hand money to these restaurants. I should check to be sure it's correct, if I value my money. One gets ripped off a lot more than one scores. 

So, it was now 10:45 am, well past the Breakfast time, had we taken the ill gotten gain back to McDonald's, they wouldn't have served it to anyone else, because no one would be ordering it. They don't allow breakfast orders after that time, so the food would have probably been tossed or given to us anyway. I think at least the food was eaten  eventually kept it from being wasted. While we do eat an McDonald breakfast from time to time, neither of us eats more than one sandwich or burger at a time. And they haven't had good Hash Browns since the mid 1980's. Blech. But we put it in our ice chest, and refrigerated immediately when we got home. The next morning we put them in the toasted oven, with some homemade rosemary breakfast potatoes!

But the Autumn theme of something for nothing didn't stop there. Later in the day, on the first day of Autumn we stopped at Starbucks for a quick drink. We placed our order, and when we got to the window we were gifted a Venti Black Iced Tea. But this time we were asked if we wanted it by the Brista, so it definitely isn't a dine and dash situation, but it does count as an absolute score! It was a fun start of Autumn to be sure, and a weird one too, but we went on our way that day and smiled about that being yet another fun day we spent together. And on one of our favorite days of the year, the first day of Autumn.

 

 But just yesterday, it happened yet again.

 

I got a coupon for a free medium, Hook and Ladder, from Firehouse Subs. A $13.00 value. Again, I place my order through the app, and picked up my order, again without checking the bag until I got home. When I opened the bag there it was! The bag didn't feel particularly heavy when it was handed to me, but none the less, we had, apparently, scored. One sandwich for Hubby, one sandwich for me, and one sandwich for my moral pull. Sigh. The sandwich shop was in another city, miles away. Can they sell the sandwich after it's been in my possession for over 20 minutes? We are still living in the age of Covid-19, despite what some think. I don;t know it would be legal before Covid to resell food. The extra sandwich was indeed a medium Hook and Ladder, but was made with lettuce and tomatoes, both of which I can't stand on hamburgers or sandwiches, so it may have belonged to the car behind me. Sigh. 

 

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!

AND THANK YOU?!

Two things are clear. Autumn is weird this year! And the questions remains. When is a SCORE a score? When is a DINE AND DASH a dine and dash? And when do you just relax and thank luck for nodding your way? 

If you care to, leave me your thoughts. 

Buzzzzzzzed And Auntumn #17

 "Why should I wake when I am half passed dead?"

 

~Emilie Autumn

 

Isn't it weird? But if that chair needs a little caffeine, to feel more like the inner bar stool that it really is, who am I too laugh or deny it a little something to kick the day into existence? 

~Me

 

 

Monsters By The Light Of Day

"People often believed they were safer in the light,

 thinking monsters only came out at night."

~C.J. Roberts

Captives In The Dark

While we were on vacation, I spotted this wall sconce at restaurant we stopped at for a meal. I have my camera with me at all times, so of course I snapped off a photo and it sat in that file for a couple weeks or so, until I came across it last night, while putting my photo files in order. The sconce is beautiful, a little large for the walls in my home mind you, but perfect for the large walls of the restaurant I spotted it in. Perfect decor. Restaurants tend to put a lot of thought into what will make their customers feel at home. 

Welcome. Appreciated. 

Right?

So why has so much hate been going on at restaurants and coffee shops recently? Chili's has lost my business for good, because of the way they recently treated an American veteran on Veterans Day. You can read about the incident here. And then twice this week there have been incidents at Starbucks where Trump supporters have decided to use their new bully empowerment, handed to them by Donald Trump, to intimidate baristas and customers by demanding the Trump put on the cup be TRUMP instead of their real name, because Starbucks CEO endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

The childish vote finally has a hero.

And the hero is a coward.

Donald J. Trump.

How is it his fault you ask? He has said he wants to be the president for all people, and in the last week he has done nothing but surround himself with white supremacists, Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions and Retired General Michael Flynn. His appointments of folks that have lead the charge in hatred is long standing. He says he wants to be a president for all the people, yet he continues to fill positions in the government and has as his official and unofficial advisors that don't just raise eyebrows, but indeed cause genuine worry that America is about to head into it's arguably it's darkest time. 

Why do Ivanka, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump need top national security clearances? And why was Ivanka at the meeting between Trump and the Prime Minister of Japan? The children of the president aren't allowed to work in the White House. There are nepotism laws about this! So why was she there? Will we ever know the answer to that? Probably not! And what else is going on without our knowledge? Trump has sufficiently scared the media... all of the media... by simply discarding them at will. Lies? What lies? He lies about lying, and the media, for the most part says..."oh... okay." I know why it worries me, but why doesn't it concern the people who voted for him?

Blind trust in their candidate is fine with Trump supporters, as long as they have Trump's permission to treat others with any disdain they choose because after all, "political correctness has gone too far." Treating others the way you want to be treated is overrated. Do what you want. Turn on your neighbor. Cut in line. Burn churches. Call any woman you disagree with cunts. Spray paint racist graffiti at will. Bully. Bring out every part of the darkest side of your being, and be damn proud for doing so. But remember, when Leslie Stahl, of 60 Minutes, asked about this behavior by Trump supporters, President Elect Donald J. Trump looked into the camera and said...

Stop It!

(Wink)

Don't get too comfortable ladies and gentlemen, 

monsters come out in the light of day as well, 

and they are the most dangerous ones of all.

Donald Trump Interview 

60 Minutes (Nov 13th, 2016)

Leaf Of The Day

November 19th 2016

Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

A Full Moon, A Sunflower, And An Egg Salad Sandwich...

Full Pink Moon
April 15th 2014
11:30 P.M. PST

"I want to fly like a butterfly around this beautiful world, till the last frame of my life and click the last click of my heart."

~Biju Karakkonam Nature And Wild Life Photographer

Well, I was a bad blogger yesterday, I didn't post to my blog. I was, however, a good photographer, because I didn't let the Full Pink Moon escape me. I got a photo of the April full moon! I am happy about that, but not too happy about having skipped posting 3 days in just this month! It has been... well... a stressful month. Lots of negativity. But I realize that I can control how I choose to look at things. I will explain it all in a different post, in a couple weeks or so, but for now I want to just focus on the assignment at hand. The color yellow, and of course, April's full moon.

The Color Yellow 
Day 2: A Sunflower 

Photographed August 2010
 

Now A Little Photo Editing Magic (Illusion)


The Color Yellow 
Day 4: A Starbucks Egg Salad Sandwich

What does a slightly stressed out photographer eat for lunch? Well this slightly stressed out photographer loves Starbucks Egg Salad Sandwiches! In fact, she is addicted!


Mood: Good

~Me :)

The Morning After...

"Perhaps the most important skill in photography is learning which images to show."

~Leslie Dean Brown

Is it a tree ghost? No. Is it a plastic bag ghost? No. Is it a spider web? No. So what is it? 

You tell me!

Oh, okay, if you must know... it's a sheer camisole. Someone got lucky last night!

Outside a Starbucks.

LOL.

It wasn't me!

But...

Good for them!

;)

"You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."

~Dorothy Parker

Mood: Inspired.

~Me :)

What Does A Semi-Professional Wannabe Photographer Eat For Lunch?

"The history of every major Galactic Civilization tends to go through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we ear?' the second by the question 'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch.'"

~Douglas Adams, The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe

Breakfast? No, this girl doesn't have breakfast all that often. Yes, I know, it is the most important meal of the day, and it's got a lot more viable choices than it did when I was a child and artery clogging early morning meats and eggs where all the rage, but I just rarely partake of the breakfast ritual. Just don't... don't know why... just don't. But I do admit to dashing off, from time to time, to gitchy little 24 hour diners with Alan from to indulge in midnight eggs. Midnight egg white omelets I should say! Yum. What? Being older than God isn't boring at all!

Lunch? Yes please! I am a lunch girl. I am hopelessly addicted to a couple cute little national chain soup chains, and you might find me from time to time at Panera, ordering YUM YUM YUM. And like yesterday, Starbucks will yell at me, in a soft seductive tone, you want me for a nooner... you know you do! Blushing. Sighing. I say "Yes, yes I do." My favorite Starbucks indulgence being a Seasonal Fruit cup and a Egg Salad Sandwich. The two together only add up to 580 calories, which makes for a light lunch. It's good to eat lightly when you are chasing down public art, or walking the streets in San Francisco looking for inspiration.

It is one of my favorite lunches, and it does my body good! :)

Mood: Happy

~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.

Wink Baby Wink

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics, is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

-Plato

On Halloween night, at Starbuck's, I saw witches, and a lot of little cowboys, and Snow Whites, but by far my favorite Halloween costume had to be the lady dressed as vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. She had the character down pat. She had a sash that said "Caribou Barbie" and various political buttons that pretty much explained it all. My personal favorite was the one that said, "Ask Me What The Bush Doctrine Is." Need I say more? Well, probably not, but I will anyway. See, here's the thing. The Halloween costume this lady wore was scarier then any ghoulish, bloody, Frankenstein-ish getup anyone could possibly come up with, because it was a pretty accurate depiction of someone who could very well be the next V.P. of the United States. Sigh. And that is the scariest thought of all.

It shocks me that there is still a percentage of folks who haven't made up their minds about who to vote for, even as we are just two days away from voting. It also shocks me that John McCain can run a campaign that basically played out as an object lesson in how not to run a campaign, and still be doing as well as he is in the polls. Choosing Sarah Palin was probably the worst choice he could have made. It has been LOL funny at times, watching her try to be vice presidential material. It has been amusing to watch the campaign implode from within, and I ask you, if you never hear from "Joe The Plumber" ever again, will you be disappointed? Good Lord, if it weren't all so absurd... it would be, well, scary. Wink Wink.

Opinions, Opinions...

You all know how I feel at this point, but truly, I want to know how you feel before we go to the polls. If you think I am dead wrong... tell me. If you think I am absolutely right... tell me that. If you are still unsure who to vote for, tell me why you still can't decide. What is your number one concern, whether or not you have already made your mind up. Speak up. Tell me what's on your mind!

-Carly
"Wink Baby Wink"
Starbuck's
Castro Valley, California
October 31, 2008
Late Afternoon

Lazy Days

"When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago."

-Friedrich Nietsche

Autumn always heals me. Along with it's cool mornings, and warm afternoons, comes my peace of mind. I have never been able to figure out what it is about this season that allows me to think so much clearer, and sleep so much sounder, and live so much better, but somehow it does. Have you stepped outside yet, for the sole purpose of looking at the how the autumn sun plays with the color of leaves and flowers, and of course the sunset? Here on the west coast, we are all about the sunsets, but I think next month, I will try for at least one sunrise. I think Alan and I will get up really early, or perhaps not got to bed at all, and head across the bay to San Francisco, to watch the sun rise over the bay. Maybe the view from Twin Peaks would be the best place to be, as the sun lights up all those amazing tall buildings. The view from up there is magnificent.

I haven't done as many photos this year as I have wanted to. There have been a ton of reasons. The price of gasoline, my diagnosis of degenerative arthritis, Elvis's cancer, the drama with the state budget. I get sad when I think about it all at one time, so I won't dwell on all the reasons, I will just say that sometimes life gets busy, and sometimes I have the energy of a toddler, and sometimes, not so much. That's just life... right? It just is what it is. The last few days I have been somewhere in the middle, but today I am really tired, and it is not even noon yet. I feel quiet, and a little bit unfocused. Not really uninspired, just maybe, well, little inside.

I am not taking my mood lightly. I am going to fight back. Later today I am going to ask Alan out on a date to Starbucks for a Venti/Shaken/Ice Tea/Lemonade/with Passion tea. YUM. If you haven't tried it yet... go get one now. It will hit the spot, trust me on that! (Insert BIG smile here). And for dinner tonight I am planning on whipping up a new recipe for stuffed chicken breast. Autumn always seems to inspire my cooking as well. But for now, however, I am going to bow to my mood, and be lazy for the next few hours. Cream of Tomato soup, and a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch, my Elvis by my side, a wonderful warm cropped sweater around my shoulders, and a good book in my hand. Lazy in the afternoon.

Lazy Days
By Robbie Williams

Lazy days calling to you
Come out to play
The future lies with you
Now you can be sure love is the cure
What we're searching for
Is to have a jolly good time

Crazy days, but you'll get me through
And here I'll stay, holding on to you
Now you can be sure
Our thoughts unpure
Will unlock the door
And we'll have a jolly good time

It can happen in any season
We don't need any reason
To sit around and wait
The world can change in a second so
I find the sunshine beckons me
To open up the gate
And dream and dream

Lazy days don't let the get you down
Where your smile
I don't to see you frown
Don't let them get you down

It can happen in any season
We don't need any reason
To sit around and wait
The world can change in a second so
I find the sunshine beckons me
To open up the gate
And dream and dream

The we will have... a jolly good time.

-OndineMonet
"Yellow Reflections"
Cull Canyon Park
Castro Valley, California
September, 2007