Morning Concerts

"Your cat will never threaten your popularity by barking at three in the morning. 

He won't attack the mailman or eat the drapes, although he may

 climb the drapes to see how the room looks from the ceiling."

~Helen Powers

What can I say about my Dylan, except I love the little fluffball. Oh, I can tell you that he is a very serious young man. He apparently has his own language, and speaks it often. He likes to sing, well, actually, he LOVES to sing, especially at 5:00 in the morning... every, single morning, for as long as 3 hours per concert! What does he sing about? Mostly the fact that his daddy keeps leaving for work, without Dylan's permission. He sings about how unfair life can be, and how he has the meanest mommy in the whole wide world! He sings about how much he loves his family, including his new brother Joey, although Joey wasn't his idea! He sings about his favorite brush, and how he likes a clean litter box. He loves to sing about the sun coming through the window, and how he can sit and watch a wall for hours on end. He sings about how he wants me to go to bed, when HE wants me to go to bed, and he sings about how nifty Groupon boxes are, for making a scalloped edge box to sleep in. 

Dylan always bites the top of the Groupon box on all sides, creating a scalloped edge, and when he completes it, he pulls one side down and pulls the side out, which looks a little like a foldout bed. Yes, if he were human, he would be a furniture designer.  But that's Dylan. He makes furniture, and just like Bob Dylan, he sings the blues. In fact, he kinda sounds like Bob Dylan. I am pretty sure I heard him once sing, This Wheels On Fire. Sigh. I have told Alan, NO MORE SINGERS! But did that stop me from naming our kitten Joey? Umm... nope. Joey was named after Joey Ramone, it just seemed to fit him. And it does. Our Joey loved Fruit Loops, just like the real Joey, and he is very, very cool, just like the real Joey. I love my boys, and naming them after singers all started with our Elvis, and I wouldn't change it for anything, I was meant to be a mommy to my little singing cats. But why does it have always have to be morning concerts?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Art About Town: San Francisco "Yin And Yang" By Robert Arneson

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious... 

the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science."

~Albert Einstein

Yin and Yang, the egghead sculptures that have sat between the Embarcadero Center and Sue Bierman park since 2002, were removed last year to be restored. Which is a good thing, as they became quite popular with residents of San Francisco, and visitors alike. I was certainly a fan since day one. Alan and I would sometimes ponder what the one egghead was possibly yelling, which the other egghead seemed to ignore him. Did the screaming egghead have a hangover? Was he enraged by the unfairness of male pattern baldness? Was he pissed off by an inconsiderate bird, who relieved himself on poor eggy's head? And was eggy's friend really ignoring the obvious pain his friend was in or was the look on his face simply trying to convey to his pal... Dude... Shit Happens! Or maybe the slightly amused look of... Holy Cow, Here He Goes Again! I could sit and ponder the expressions of Yin and Yang all day, and I miss doing so! I hope they will return soon from their maintenance outing, the San Francisco Embaracadero simply isn't the same without them.

I miss you Yin And Yang!

Mood: Lonely For Yin And Yang

~Me :)

The Eggheads Yin And Yang

By Robert Arneson

San Francisco Embarcadero

Sue Bierman Park

San Francisco, California

October 2012

Minolta

Again, This Is To Forego A Conclusion, Right?

"The man can only ride you when you are on your back."

~Sarah Palin

Speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit

January 24th 2015

Last Friday, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, told ABC News that "You can absolutely say that I am seriously interested," when asked if she was considering a run for presidency in 2016. Is she? I mean, if she is, how well does she think she will do in a field of candidates with the likes of Christ Christie, Rand Paul, Mitt Romney, hell maybe even John McCain, but if there truly is a GOD, will also include Donald Trump? Can she run on her... ahem... merits alone, or will she have to dig up the kind of dirt on her opponents that is needed to knock them out of the race. Could she possibly face John McCain in a debate, and set about bashing the war hero by calling him soft on terrorism by pointing out that he considers water boarding torture? Will she be the one to finally reveal what that thing on Donald Trump's head really is? And what about the fine folks in the heartland who actually live in reality?

You know the ones... the GOD fearing ones? The true patriots that live in the far right thinking pockets of America. You know the good, and easily lead, people who pay roughly $99 a year to listen to her babble and watch her nifty video blogging on her vanity channel. And the ones who tune in weekly to her reality show, Sarah Palin's Amazing America. Will they be there for her when she can't speak from the heart, of her own values and stand on issues, should the teleprompter she is reading from fail, like the one did at the summit over the weekend? Will they be there for her, when it finally dons on people, that she doesn't know what she thinks, she just tries to be folksy, and go with the buzz words, which kinda amounts to throwing jello at a wall, and hoping some of it sticks. But maybe that will be good enough for her followers. Rome wasn't built in a day, dontcha know!

I have to admit, there is a part of me that genuinely hopes our Sarah does indeed run for president. I want to see her in the debates. I want to see her win. I want to see her go up against either Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren in the final debate. I do. I want to hear American, once again decided that while we might be a country of crazies... we aren't THAT DAMNED CRAZY! I want her name to be at the top of the republican ticket, with Ted Nugent! Yes, you read that right, TED NUGENT for Vice President! Hell YEAH! And more than anything else, I want to watch her take the stage, some time late in the evening, of the first Tuesday in November 2016, and concede that America doesn't want, or need her on their side. And then, if there is a GOD, she will slither away, never to be heard of again. But let's finish the story... about 5 years later, the Wasilla Penny Saver needs to do a follow up to the crazy that is Sarah Palin, just to see how the old girl is doing. 

#DontChaThink?

#BoyHowdy

#YouBetcha

You fill in the rest. Look into the future and tell me, what will Sarah Palin be up to in 2021?

For a serious look into whether or not Sarah Palin is serious about running for office in 2016, read the article below by Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post.  And if you would like to see a clip of her bizarre speech at the Freedom Summit in Iowa there is a link to that at the bottom of the page. 

Mood: Hopeful Yet Snarky

~Me :)

(Washington Post)

NO Sarah Palin is not 'seriously interested in running for president.

By Chris Cillizza

(New York Daily News)

Sarah Palin Dishes Out Bizarre Improvised Rant In Iowa After Teleprompter Breaks

By Adam Edelman

7 Ate 9

"I know there's a proverb which that says... 

To err is human, but a human error is nothing to what a computer can do if it tries."

~Agatha Christie

Hallowe'en Party

Okay, remember the other day when I told you that I will be getting a new cell phone soon, well that's true and it's only six days away now! I have it nailed down to one of the following three devices...

Samsung Galaxy S5

LG G3

HTC One M8 Featuring (Windows 8.1)

The last phone on the list has me intrigued, but I am going to be honest, overall I am NOT a fan of Windows 8.1. For me, it's an awkward operating system, and when it comes right down to things, the pretty of the build doesn't make up for the the stuff that just plain makes it a strange Internet ride. I have found a lot about it is unnecessary, like the stupid extra screen. What's that about? I mean I am sure folks who take the laptops to the movies, shopping, and the occasional romantic dinner like the extra step, but speaking as someone who can take days off from connecting to the web without imploding, I just find it annoying. I selected the Brooklyn Bridge as the face of that extra screen, in fact it's on all my Windows 7.1 devices, because, well, I know that if I should get frustrated enough to pitch my computer into a body of water one day, the Hudson River seems like it would be a lovely place to do so, especially in autumn. Everything is much lovelier in autumn!

Nah, I would never do that. But don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind once in a while. I don't like Windows 8.1 the same way I don't like Window's Vista. Remember that gem of computer nonsense? Uh huh... don't feel bad if you don't, it's the operating system no one wants to remember. So we don't. Now when Microsoft came out with Window's 7, all was forgiven. Windows 7 was easy to make go with, it answered all the needs of Windows XP and it was much better thought through than Vista had been. Had Vista been what Microsoft promised it would be, that would have been awesome, instead it was... well... a turd. Well... a turd blossom. It was really pretty, I gotta give it that! Without the little search dog, and wizard, it seemed a little more grown up. That was a good thing, although I have to admit, I missed the doggie a bit. If only it could have been more grown up but keep a little of it's immature side, like the dog and wizard. But you can't pleasing everybody I guess.

Anyway, back to the phones. The HTC phone intrigues me because it is a great phone, above and beyond the Windows program, and I am familiar with the company. My current phone is the HTC Vivid. As I said before, it's the best camera I have ever owned, but as a phone it absolutely SUCKS. But the phone I had before the Vivid was the HTC Aria, which was an amazing little phone. It never gave me any trouble, it simply ran it's course, as all things will eventually. Still, HTC is promising to roll out the next generation of the M 9 later this year and will be getting a release date pretty soon. Just in time, I expect, for the debuts of other things that will be happening later this year, like the release of the Windows 10 operating system upgrade for PCs, and other devices.

You can upgrade to Windows 10 right now, if you sign up for their Beta program. It crossed my mind to do so, and I looked into it, decided to wait until the full version is ready to be rolled out. I did Beta testing for AOL some 15 years ago, and I learned a lot about computers, and how to fix minor things that go wrong, but I was testing on an older computer, and the whole project was really hard on the computer, and caused several crashes of my machine. That's how I leared about the ever important BACK UP thing. Live and Learn. Still, I am glad I did it then, but it's not for me now. So, we will see how things go, and in the autumn, when it's rumored to be released, I will probably give it a try on at least one device, but more than likely, not on my phone.

No, I think my new phone will definitely be an Android device. My Androids have been great. I am hoping whichever Android I choose, it will serve me well for at least 2 years, when my next contract will be up, and I will be ready to go through this all over again! Perhaps by then Windows 10 will be out long enough that all the bugs will be stamped out, and the phone will just behave like it should. At any rate, I will have had Windows 10 on my other devices long enough that I will know how to feel about it for myself, rather than having to go on some stranger's opinion. Do you know what's kinda strange though? Microsoft decided to call it's new operating system Window's 10, rather than Windows 9. I guess it's kind of understandable though, much in the same way Microsoft didn't want us to think about Vista when they rolled out Windows 7, they probably don't want us to think about Windows 8.1 either so they decided to just skip over 9 and go straight to 10 to make us believe that there is nothing attached to Windows 10 that resembles Windows 8.1. . Although from what I have seen, it combines the best of 7 and 8, at least regarding the Start menu. And I can live with that.

I Guess Windows 7 Ate Windows 9. :)

 :)

As for my new phone, I will keep you posted.

Mood: Hopeful
~Me :)

Windows 10 Preview ( Microsoft )

Windows 10 Ambitious But Realistic ( PC Magazine )

It May Just Be Everything Windows 8 Should Have Been ( CNET )

Watching Time

"Time is the longest distance between two places."

~Tennessee Williams

The Glass Menagerie

Is it just me? Has January seemed like the longest damn month EVER to you as well? I think it must be because I am waiting to get rid of this butt hair phone I have. HELLS BELLS. It might also be because of the extreme Fibromyalgia slap-down I have been enduring. I think it must have something to do with the mild food poisoning I got after the first of the year. But seriously, I haven't been out of the house in almost a month, except for some minor errands here and there. Anyway, it should be different next week, as Alan and I have a few ideas for some fun day trips. I just hope I will have the energy to go when the time comes. Sheesh. I had an opportunity to be an extra in a new movie shooting here in the Bay Area in the coming weeks, but had to turn it down because I couldn't guarantee what my energy level would be.

It wasn't the end of the world, and there will be other opportunities, but sometimes it hurts my feelings to have to miss things like that because of a disease that basically amounts to phantom pain. Well, that's not quite right... the pain is there, but Fibromyalgia exaggerates how severe it is. One would think that if you already knew that fact, one could will the pain away, but no, that's not how it works. It's just something I have to deal with, but I sure wish time was moving at a slightly different pace. A photo jaunt next week will help, it always does! In the mean time I have to photograph different subjects close to home. Like personal items that hold meaning for me.

With this post I have decided to begin a new series centered around different time pieces. I like clocks and watches, so much so, that I have a small collection of them. The watch above was a present from Alan. I love it! It's small and feminine and goes with everything in the closet. It's my every day Go To watch. Most of the time I use my cell phone to keep track of time, but when we go out to lunch, or when I go out for something special, it's the watch I use most often. Funny, out of all the time pieces I have, I just keep going back to the same one, over and over. LOL. The one situation when I don't tend to carry a watch is when I am going on a planned photo jaunt, like the one planned for next week. I don't like anything on my wrist while I am concentrating on a subject. It's a distraction. In fact, I don't tend to wear much jewelry at all when I am out with the camera. It's a shame really, I have quite a collection of fun little necklaces, rings and pins. Funny how our taste changes over time. My pretty little watches are just sitting my jewelry box, keeping the other baubles company, ticking along through time without me.

Mood: Happy But In Physical Pain

~Me :)

The End Zone

"The same boys who got detention in elementary school for 

beating the crap out of people are now rewarded for it. They call it football."

~Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak

"Football is all very well as a game for rough girls, but is hardly suitable for delicate boys."

~Oscar Wilde

"Football has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with

 hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all the rules and

 sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence...

 in other words it is war minus the shooting."

~George Orwell

The Collected Essays, Journalism And Letters Of

George Orwell

"Everybody has a preference. Some guys like them round. Some guys like them think. Some guys like them thin. Some guys like them brand new. Some guys like old balls."

~Tom Brady, referring to BALL preferences

1/22/2015

"We're going to be fine. This isn't ISIS, no one's dying, we'll get through this."

~Tom Brady, referring to the "Deflategate" scandal.

1/22/2015

That last quote by Tom Brady guarantees him a brilliant future in politics. I am guessing he will be a congressman or senator one day. I am sure the republican party is waiting with open arms to embrace the quarterback and his slightly deflated balls. Until then, he will be busy in the near future playing the Super Bowl, because, after all, there is no penalty for cheating, so really, did he cheat if there is no consequence for it?

Tom Brady

And

The New England Patriots Cheated.

The End

Go Seattle!

Mood: Quiet

~Me

He Get's Me!

"There is nothing as cozy as a piece of candy and a book."

~Betty MacDonald

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic

Alan is such an amazing husband. He knows I love See's Candy, especially the Milk Chocolate Bordeaux with the chocolate sprinkles on top, so for Christmas he got me a $20.00 gift card from there so that when I was in the mood for a bit of candy here and there I could drop in and indulge. 

He gets it! He gets me! 

He knows that once in a while, all I want, is to curl up with my cats, and a great book, or guilty pleasure movie or television show, and just escape for a while. Am I a lucky girl or what?

I love that man!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Retail Therapy Pt 2

"Would women find vampires even sexier and more romantic if instead of fangs they had rose thorns? It's thoughts like these I think of when digging in my garden, looking for my one true love... (If only I could remember where I buried her!)."

~Jarod Kintz

At Even One Penny, This Book Would Be Overpriced.
In fact, Free Is Too Expensive, Because You'd Still Waste Time By Reading It.

I have been busy this week, mostly sitting in one place, hoping my joints and nerve endings would just stop hurting me. My Fibromyalgia is really being really nasty. But what can I do? I meditate. I sleep when my body tells me to. I try to keep my own spirits up, and I try to get the vitamins and nutrition I need. After that... it's all up to the Fibromyalgia to figure out when it will be done with pain. Sigh. At least my mood is good, and so is my willingness to try. I even went out yesterday, and the day before, on short shopping trips. The retail therapy has been a big help, and Alan and I finally went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday, which was overdue by some 12 days or so. He is a wonderful man to wait until I felt more like going out! I treated myself to a new wallet, which I posted about yesterday, and I also used my Old Navy Visa rewards to pick up two new coats, a green wool coat, and a black faux leather vegan moto jacket. I also found a cute pink bathrobe, and some t-shirts and tanks. And the best part? Between the mark downs, the closeouts, and the rewards, I got all of it for around $9! How completely cool is that? Am I a smart shopper or what?

Happiness Is A Successful Shopping Trip!

 Bigger Happiness Is When The Pain Stops!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Rose 

Photographed May 22nd 2005

12:30 PM

Konica Minolta

Graphic Created January 22nd 2015

Watercolor

Retail Therapy Part 1

"I was walking down fifth avenue today and I found a wallet, and I was gonna keep it, rather than return it, but I thought: well, if I lost a hundred and fifty dollars, how would I feel?

 And I realized I would want to be taught a lesson."

~Emo Philips

I have engaged in a little bit of retail therapy lately. Over the weekend the snap on my wallet broke, so I purchased a new one. I think it's kinda cute! I don't tend to spend a lot on wallets, because a wallet will usually last me a five years or more. I would rather spend more on a purse, and get a less expensive wallet. I love this new one, it's a bit smaller than the last one, which means it will fit better in some of my smaller purses. Always a plus! Come back tomorrow to see part two of my January shopping extravaganza! There is nothing like a little retail therapy for what ails ya!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Salad Has Nothing To Do With The Words

"Think of your head as an unsafe neighborhood;

 don't go there alone."

~Augusten Burroughs

Dry

This Friday I will meet, and have an appointment with, my new therapist. She will be number 51. Yep, in my lifetime I have had 50 therapists! I am 52, so you can imagine who young I began my adventures with the couch! And keep in mind, I went a few years, here and there, without any time spent in therapy. Sigh. I don't really need it now, I just know that sometimes painful things comeback sometimes, and I feel like it is better to have someone I can touch base with. Does that make sense?

Anyway, I have learned and gotten a lot out of therapy over the years. I have learned to let go, I have learned to not ruminate on the painful times, and I completely eliminated panic attacks from my life! So it's a good thing to be establishing myself with a new therapist, it's just telling the whole story from the beginning that's the hardest part. Fortunately, I am in a happy place, so in a way, whatever got me to here is something to be grateful for.

Now this picture has everything to do with the words.

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Dating Mr. Squishy

(Mr. Squishy)

"The only person who can save you, is you.

 That was going to be the the thing that

 informed the rest of my life."

~Sheryl Crow

On being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Well, it's that time again. How did 2 years go by so quickly? I know I need to go, but it's not something I am looking forward to very much. You see, I have a lump. Now, before you panic, I am prone to these things. I have lumpy breasts, especially around certain times of the month, which even at my advanced age I am still enjoying! LOL. I will feel a lump from time to time, and then it will disappear. From what the doctor tells me it's not unheard of, and no one makes a panic because my mammograms always come out just fine. It's been like a toothache. You notice a pain, you make an appointment, and by the time you reach the chair, the pain is gone, and the cavity is gone with it! Let the patient heal thyself! But this time, while doing my usual monthly self exam, which I do bi-monthly now because, hello, not getting any younger, I noticed that one of those little lumpy bumps hadn't left! So, okay, maybe it has a will of it's own, or maybe it's lazy... who knows? But the bottom line is, I have an amazing healthcare plan, so why not go get my annual check and get the good news! Right? I don't take my healthcare for granted, there are a lot of ladies who wish they had a way to get a mammogram, but can't.

I could go on quite the political rant here, but I won't for now. Now isn't the time, but stay tuned, I will be revisiting the subject! Now, if you are reading this post, and haven't had your routine mammogram, will you consider joining me? You don't have to come to my appointment, of course, but will you please schedule yourself an appointment, sometime in the next 6 weeks or so, and then come back here and tell me how it went in the comment thread? Or you can send me an email if you like. And DM on Twitter is good also! The main thing is to take care of ourselves, and each other. We have to, too many folks love us and need us! I don't know if this silly lump is cancer or just a silly little lump, but it's important to find out! Either way, it's all just another part of the adventure!

Pink Promise Rose

(My Garden 2012)

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience

 in which you really stop to look fear in the face."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Mood: Curious

~Me :)

Pickles

"I had a dream about you. You were storing my brain in a pickle jar in the fridge, 

and I only discovered it when I went to garnish my hamburger. 

Mindless and hungry, I was a US politician's ideal voter."

~Jarod Kintz

We Had A Dream #DreamAboutYou

Pickles are good. I love spicy pickles better than the sweet pickles. I love dill spears, but not the stackers. I like relish, but I like the relish with the mustard in it, not the kind with the ketchup. Although I love ketchup... just not with my pickles, unless it's on a hot dog, and even then I tend to forgo the pickle relish and the ketchup, and just put mustard and cheese on my hot dogs, but occasionally I will have a hot dog with chopped onion and chopped tomatoes, but I never have tomatoes or onions on my hamburgers, I don't like vegetables on my burgers because the hot meat patty tends to make the veggies slimy, so I have my veggies on the side. I usually eat the veggies like a small salad, that comes without croutons. It's a good way to get a salad for free. I don't ask for salad dressing, I ask for 3 sides of mayonnaise, and a side of pickle relish, then I take the relish and mix it into the 2 sides of mayonnaise, then add just a dash of ketchup, which makes my famous homemade Thousand Island dressing. And what do I do with the 1 extra side of mayonnaise?

 Dip my french fries in it of course! I like ketchup with my fries also, but not at the same time.

 There are rules to these things!

Mood: Hungry

~Me :)

Pickles
Photographed 2/23/2005
11:50 AM
Konica Minolta

Art About Town: Oakland, California... "Trumpet Flowers" By Karen Cusolito

"Trumpet Flowers"

By Karen Cusolito

Oakland, California 2013

"Great Things are done by a series of

small things brought together."

~Vincent Van Gogh

This is a photo from the archives, from May of 2013, but it wasn't part of the series of sculptures I included in the set I posted. I am not sure why I didn't include it, perhaps it was too dark, or I couldn't quite get an angle on it that was pleasing to me at the time, I am not sure, but when I found it yesterday it kind of made me happy inside, and reminded me that I need to go in search of some new public art placements. I love pieces like this one, it is made entirely of recycled steel. It's great when a piece of art not only inspires, but springs forth from something else once useful but is now discarded. It's like when the body dies, and the soul is finally free. 

"Put your ear down close to your soul, and listen hard."

~Anne Sexton

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

"Trumpet Flowers" 

By Karen Cusolito

Photographed 5/27/13

2:38 PM

Konica Minolta

Extremely Stupid And Incredibly Useless

"Technology offers us a unique opportunity, though rarely welcome, to practice patience."

~Allen Lokos

Patience: The Art Of Peaceful Living

Finally, in just about two weeks my contract with AT&T will finally be up and I can unload this piece of crap cell phone! Sigh. I hate to say that because while it might be the worst cell phone ever, for reasons I will get to, it is one of the best, if not the best point and shoot camera I have ever owned! In fact, long after I choose a new cell phone, I will still be charging this phone... urrr... camera to take along with me when I go on photo jaunts. It is excellent in low light conditions, it takes crisp macro shots, and even the action shots come out amazingly crisp and clear looking! The camera really is amazing in that it is only 8 megapixel. The pictures it takes are really quite lovely!

 Here are a couple examples...

The HTC Vivid is not the first phone by HTC that I have owned. My phone just prior to this one was the HTC Aria. That phone was great, in fact it never gave me a moment of trouble. I decided to upgrade to the Vivid because the Aria was quite small and I felt I needed one that fit a little better in my hands. Not that I have big hands or anything, I just felt a bigger phone would make some things easier. Anyway, I liked the company a lot, but I have been noticing that their products don't get the ratings they used to, so I will probably be going with a completely different manufacturer next time.

I have been shopping around and I think I have it narrowed down to the Samsung Galaxy S5 or the LG G3. We'll see. Sometimes I wish my cell phone wasn't necessary, but let's face it, the cell phone may have just been a fun gadget at one time, but in the world we live in, it's become many other things, such as a household tool, a safety device, a learning device, a media device, and a source of entertainment. I could live without a cell phone prior to 9/11 but now... not so much. I appreciate being able to communicate with Alan should the unthinkable occur again. I feel safer knowing that I can get an alert from local news and CNN, although sometimes I dread reading the news alerts I get. Like the day Robin Williams died. I heard the alert tone, looked at my phone, and then couldn't function for the next few hours. I couldn't even say the words that I saw on my phone, when Alan asked me what was wrong... I just handed to him.

Even now... looking at the words... it just seems so incredibly unreal. Alan and I were crossing the bridge into San Mateo, when I heard an alert on my phone. I didn't check it because we were having a deep conversation about our friend who had taken his own life a few months earlier. All night, the night before, I had been ruminating on suicide. Not mine, but just in general, and I didn't know why. So, as we drove along, I was asking Alan if he had noticed if some of our other friends seemed unusually preoccupied or seemed unusually depressed. To my relief he said no, our circle of friends were coming to terms with what had happened and would process verbally to him if needed. A few minutes later we stopped at a little bagel shop, Alan went in, and I stayed in the car, tired from lack of sleep. I decided to check the alert, and there it was! My heart... my heart began to pound out of my chest. I knew he lived just across the bay, and suddenly the world, especially the bay, seemed so damn dark. It's a feeling, I hope I never, ever experience again! It took me over a month to erase that alert off my phone. I didn't want to let go. But I did eventually. We have to... right?

So, like everything else that's ever been invented, the cell phone is a constant source of help and hurt. Of crisp, clear January days, and days spent in happy frolic to moments of fear and sorrow. The cell phone lets us keep in touch while on the go, and keeps us up to date on what we need to know right now. I get to play word games with friends, and capture sunsets with its camera. I can save a recipe and take the recipe shopping with me. Owing a cell phone is fun, much more fun than it is heartbreaking. We live in a world where we can face dangers we didn't 20 years ago, and we have had to adapt to new ways of living. I just wish our government wasn't tapping in! But, if they feel they need to know what recipe I am making for dinner, or that I don't let go of love easily well, that's fine. Who knows maybe I can make them feel less alone. If anyone is listening in. One can't worry about everything, right?

A cell phone, my cell phone in particular, might be extremely stupid and incredibly useless, but it is, however, the best necessary evil in my life. Hey, it's not all bad, at least it entertains as well as breaks my heart.

That's Life.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

HTC Vivid

Photographed 1/15/15

11:00 PM

Nikon CoolPix S3500

Berkeley On A January Day

"I will go to campus alone dressed in antique silk slips and beat-up cowboy boots and gypsy beads, and I will study poetry. I will sit on the edge of the fountain in the plaza and write."

Francesca Lia Block

Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories

A couple years ago I posted a set of photos that highlighted what I love about Berkeley. It's been a while since I have posted anything new from around town, I am not sure why, I just seem to do most of my photos of Berkeley either within the acres of Tilden Park, or sunset photos from Grizzly Peak Boulevard. Both lovely mind you, but it's far from telling the whole story of Berkeley. So, above is a photo of a January day in 2005, which looks pretty much the same today, as it did back then, and below the collage from 2013 and a new one I put together today from archived photos. I need to get out and about with the camera soon, well, as soon as my Fibromyalgia gives me a break. Hopefully next week sometime. Until then, here is a look at one of the loveliest cities I know... Berkeley, Ca.

Set #1 From 2013

Set #2, From The Archives...

Art
Free Speech
Museums
Sather Tower
Cool Mannequins
Gorgeous Trees In Autumn
Tilden Botanical Garden
Tilden Little Farm
The Berkeley Marina
Tilden Park Carousel
 Shattuck Avenue
And there's so much more, so stay tuned!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Dear Woody...

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer.
 To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy.
 Therefore, to be happy one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness."

~Woody Allen

Dear Woody

In that you have just launched a brand new venture with Amazon Prime to write and produce a new TV series, and are currently in the development stage, may I respectfully request it be set in San Francisco? I know, I know, I tended to stalk... um... enthusiastically pursue your filming schedule while you were here in the Bay Area in 2012, but I promise, if I do come across you, I will immediately turn and walk the other way. I promise to never again wear black and gray together... what was I thinking that day? I promise to take lots, and lots, and photos, from a fair distance of course, and then promote, promote, promote your new creative project with great enthusiasm! And hey, one very important thing to consider, on a practical note, our brilliant governor, Jerry Brown, just signed a bill that TRIPLES California's tax credit for film and television! New York is lovely, and I would love to see it one day, but it's been done to access in films and on the small screen, but San Francisco... that's a city of true love and sourdough, and the true love of sourdough! You wrote it yourself, in Blue Jasmine, "If you can't fall in love in San Francisco, you can't fall in love anywhere!"

Sincerely

Carly from Berkeley

Tuesday, January 12th 2015

8:35 PM

Woody Allen

Photographed August 25th 2012

Ulloa and Claremont

San Francisco, California

Life's Rewards

"The biggest reward of a lifetime is finishing day after day with a smile on your face."

~Eric Sennevoight

The World's Game

Aren't they the cutest little salt and pepper shakers ever? I got two sets of them last December, and a nice little movie ticket package, by chasing in my Stouffer's Dinner Club points. I love Stouffer's, and Stouffer's Lean Cuisine for my lunches. I don't mean to sound like a commercial, but they are really good meals, and the calories are just about right! So, most of the time, with the exception of the occasional I HAVE TO GRAB A GREASY BURGER rampage, that's what I do for lunch, so why not save the 20 points per box... right? In the time that the rewards program was in existence, Alan and I went to the movies for free 4 times, and I got two sets of these cute bird shakers! Yay me!

Lets see... each Stouffer's box was worth 20 points. It takes 2,000 points for each movie ticket package, and 350 points for each salt and pepper shaker set... that comes to...

 Movie Tickets = 300 Stouffer's Lunches

 Salt And Pepper Shakers = 52.5 Lunches

Yep. That's just about right.

But that's spread out over some 5 years or so. You know, because of the occasion burger rampage. Stouffer's recently discontinued their rewards program, so no more luxuries to save for from them. They are supposed to be lunching some new program "soon." I hope so, I like participating in this type of program and I will miss it. But in the meantime I also save points from Coke and Fresh Step cat litter. Not quite as glamorous as Stouffer's, but the box must be scooped, so a little reward of a new set of cat toys makes me incredibly happy! LOL. 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Advice For Your Monday...

"Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless,

 and add what is specifically your own."

~Bruce Lee

Ugg. I hated it when California made it illegal to hold a cell phone while driving. Mind you, I wasn't anti-safety and it wasn't because I am so busy and so popular that I must be available for phone calls, no, the reason was because the people I heard the most squawking from, within my circle of peeps, were the ones who had held out and refused to buy a cell phone! Now, okay, previously to the new law I had indeed held a cell phone and drove at the same time, but I have never texted anyone while driving, because I am all thumbs! I don't know how folks do it! How do people text so darn fast using all their fingers? Sheesh!

Anyway, when it comes to cell phone use, in day to day life I do more texting than I do talking. Because of the law? No, I have Bluetooth in my car, so if a call comes in I just say "Hello" and talk through my awesome radio, or hit the decline button, and happily continue on my way. But every single time I am out in the car, apparently law be damned, I still see folks talking away on their cell phones. I don't mind really, it's their possible ticket to enjoy, but I am curious about what can't wait until the get to where they are going? Does driving with a cell phone in your hand really make things more dangerous? Or could it be who you are talking to, and the content of the conversation that's the problem?

I have been considering this for years, but even after all this time, I am not sure how to feel. In the end, I have to obey the law, and try to not engage in any screaming matches while talking over my awesome car radio! So, I guess I will never really know unless one day, one of my friends, or my hubby, pisses me off but good while I am driving. That should do it! In the meantime I love the bumper sticker I spotted on this car the other day. Do you suppose they got the dent before, or after the NO HOLDING A CELL PHONE LAW TOOK AFFECT?

Mood: Curious

~Me :)

A Guy Named Joe

"The only thing a cat worries about is what's happening right now.

 As we tell the kittens, you only wash one paw at a time."

~Lloyd Alexander

Time Cat

I love our little guy Joey. How anyone could have dumped this beautiful child on a bridge is beyond me. I am just thankful that he probably doesn't think much about that time, and those awful crows that were making a meal of him when Alan found him, I am just glad that the memory that seems to stick the closest to him, is the one of his great love of pizza, and Italian food in general. He is a beautiful child, and while he wasn't in the plans, we love him so deeply that I can't remember what it was like to not have him around. I didn't know I needed him, but fate did, and apparently fate kinda likes me!

 It's been a happy 13 months!

Mood: Happy

A Year Of Joe 

Created January 10th 2015