Batteries are a girls best friend

Last night the man is here, and we've finished with a very late dinner because we had the neighbor over with her very shrill daughters. Dinner didn't get made until So we settle down to watch tv. We have three...well, make that four remotes. We also have a universal remote somewhere around here.

1. The remote for the tv can also work the cable box, but not the amplifier.
2. The remote for the amplifier only works the amplifier, not the cable box, nor the TV. BUT, the TV doesn't work if the amplifier isn't on, because the way we have the system set up, the TV is a monitor.
3. The remote for the cable box doesn't work because it needs batteries. The cable remote can adjust the sound on the TV/monitor and it changes the channels, of course.

Now, I'm a much more practical person. I don't have the "high functioning brain" that the man has. If something is broke, I take a look at the object and immediately try to fix it. The man will sit there and RANDOMLY poke at the buttons on various remotes. Not paying attention to what buttons he's pushing, but he pushes buttons like crazy and DEPROGRAMS the remotes that ARE working. These are the remotes that we had the technician program when they installed our system. I'm now left with a dead cable remote and 2 other remotes that are out of program. It was all I could not to whack his knuckles with the dead remote when I came back into the room AFTER HAVING TAKEN THE LID OFF THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT and removed the batteries when I see him poking at keys, three remotes in front of him... gaah!

So, I tell him..."There are no batteries in that remote!" pop the batteries back in, and click on the cable box. Then I fiddle with the remote for the TV/monitor and by some stroke of luck that turns on. Then 20 minutes later, I found the magic combination for the amplifier.

Then we watched nonstop CSI. I think that I'm going to go nuts if I see Horatio take those black sunglasses off and spout an aphorism one more time.

So, today is going to be a good day. I remembered to put the leashes on the dogs before taking them out to the yard for their poop session. Therefore preventing me from having to run all over the neighborhood in my jammies. It never fails that they want to run across the street to see Yogi and BooBoo and I'm wearing the man's boots and my nightshirt, hoping to be able to just stand on the front porch so then I look like a crazed woman shouting the names of the dogs as I run through a series of backyards.

I may actually get to do some scrapping. I loves me some scrapping.

Creative Quotes

There's no correlation between creativity and equipment ownership. None. Zilch. Nada. Actually, as the artist gets more into his thing, and as he gets more successful, his number of tools tends to go down. He knows what works for him. Expending mental energy on stuff wastes time.

Hugh Macleod, How To Be Creative: 10, 08-22-04

I saw on 2 peas a challenge for bloggers to write about something inspiring. I found this quote on my iGoogle, and I realized that it really was true. It feels good to know that I'm in a zone where I use the tools that I use. I don't need to find more tools that do other things, because I am happy doing what I do already.

It's a good thing to be able to play with my things and know how to use them. Now to resist those horrendous new things that come down the pike. Things like Heidi Swapp rub ons. What possessed demon ever thought those things were going to work? Things like the circle scissor. That's one tool that I gladly threw in the trash. It doesn't work!!

In other areas...I'm watching the news about the most recent California fires. It amazes me that people are wondering why the fire is so hot. It completely makes me want to shout DUH at the screen. People are building in fire areas, providing fuel for future fires, and they are being stupid with their landscaping. People aren't clearing their brush away from their homes. People don't get it. To find out that these fires were potentially set on purpose is awful. How could someone do that?

Tomorrow I go off to NYC for the weekend. YAY!

I may shop for purses!

Bad Memories. REALLY bad memories.

It was very nearly 4 years ago to this day that we woke up and looked at the sky. There were fires blazing outside of San Diego, but we just never thought that they could come close to us.

I remember that my ex husband had decided to go to church, and I stayed behind that day. We lived on the edge of a canyon, and I walked to the edge, and looked out into the canyon, seeing a large plume of smoke way at the other end.

The fire was close enough to be truly frightening. I hopped into the shower and got dressed. The phone rang, and it was Gary. He was telling me that the pastor of the church had announced that they were having a "voluntary evacuation" of the neighborhood that the church was in. Gary told me that he wanted to me to stay and pack up some things in case we were going to be evacuated.

I didn't exactly behave like a calm, cool, hero with a single possessed attitude. It was me, and three kids, a cat, and we were babysitting a very elderly dog that belonged to our neighbors. I remember running into the storage room and pulling out some large tubs, and telling the kids to throw their clothes into the tubs, so that we would have clothes.

I remembered the photo albums, my jewelry, and other things that I knew that I would never be able to replace. I packed some clothes, but as it turned out, no clothes that I could have worn because I packed sweaters, and a dress. No jammies, no undies, no extra shoes. I packed a few of Gary's uniforms, but forgot his shoes, and his covers.

It was this fire that frightened me so much, I realized that I was not prepared for an emergency. I did realize that I was self reliant. I also realized that my marriage was over. Not hurt, not stressed, but it was over.

Gary didn't come home to help us pack for a possible evacuation. He didn't come home to comfort the kids. He didn't come home to make sure that the things he would need got packed. He decided that the policemen needed water, and he was busy helping others at the church.
I didn't have any issues with having a husband who loved to help others so much. But it dawned on me that he didn't bother to make sure his family was safe. It was as if he just didn't care.

Just as I got everything packed up, I remember walking to the edge of the canyon again, and in the distance seeing flames, and seeing houses burning. The fire had certainly come a LOT closer to our neighborhood. I went running to houses, knocking on doors, letting neighbors know that the fire at the end of the canyon was close enough that we could see the homes it was burning without binoculars. After about 5 doors, the police came through the area. We were now under a mandantory evacuation. We had 15 minutes to get out of the house. I sent the eldest child off to get the dog we were dog sitting, I ran into the house to get the youngest two kids, and to make sure we had the Bean's (Daughter #2) asthma medicine, and we threw everything into the car.

Gary called at this time, and said that we were supposed to go to his cousins home down in National City ( a community right on the border of Mexico...we could see Tijuana from the front step of their house). Off we went, not really knowing about anything about what it was going to be like. Gary's cousin was married to a very sweet Phillipino lady who didn't speak english very well. They lived in a very small 2 bedroom house. There were the 4 of us ( me and the three kids), Gary's cousin, his wife. Her cousin, her cousin's husband, their 2 kids, a friend of their kids, their little dog, and her pregnant daughters boyfriend. And Gary showed up to sleep. Yes, 13 people in this house.

When we got to National City the sky was still blue and hopeful looking, but it wasn't long at all when the sky turned a sickening color of orange. It was like we were in some sort of a science fiction film. The air had this bizarre aroma...not like what you smell when you burn wood in your fireplace, but it was acidic, painful. We sat in front of the television, watching it like crazed people, looking for any kind of a lifeline. The news was reporting all sorts of things, a lot of fallacies and rumors. A plane crashed on the 15, because it couldn't see where to land at the hobby airport. It was as if we were living through Armageddon.

The photo to the left is a picture of the fire in the canyon at the end of Tierrasanta Boulevard. The first photo is the neighborhood that a family from our church lived in. Their house was totally lost. We were fortunate. We had to keep the Bean inside because of the poor air quality, we had to clean up the ash that seemed to seep into EVERY corner of our home. I dusted every day for a week and it still didn't go away.

The devastation from the fires that year went beyond the material. I realized that my feelings about feeling "safe" because my husband was around were lies. I was not safe. When his family was in danger, when his wife needed his help, he was nowhere to be found. He was doing what he felt was the right thing, leaving us on our own. When I needed him to be a man, to show that he loved and cared for us, he was gone. It wasn't a good place to be mentally for me.

So now, as I watch the news, and see the devastation of the fires in southern California, I cannot help buy mourn the loss of so many things that I loved. Things that didn't get physically burned in the fire, but certainly things that were destroyed by the fire.

My prayers are with those in the fires this year.

Ode to Bonnie Raitt

You know, sometimes I see a video on You Tube, and it just reminds me of the glory of true talent. Today my spotlight on true talent is on the incredible Bonnie Raitt and her accomplice in these marvelous songs that make me just close my eyes in bliss, Norah Jones.

Hmmmm...

I stole this and it made me laugh... yeah, I can be a follower, and damn proud of it!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car), Betty Expedition

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie), Vanilla Oatmeal

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name), K Tha

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal), Pink Dog

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born), Louise Bismarck

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first), KatTh

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink), The Blue Water

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers), John Clement

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy), Chanel Kit Kat

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ), Delores Beal

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter), Banks Boston

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower). Summer Daisy

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Orange Jackety

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree), Granola Sycamore

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”), The Scrapbooking Wind Tour

I swear I'm a sick, sick girl. I couldn't remember my 5th grade teacher. Heck I could barely remember the name of my mothers father!

I think that I love to scrapbook because I have a memory like a sieve. I wonder sometimes if I'm losing my mind because I have such an issue with memories.

This way I can get it all down on paper and then it's done.

What the hell?

Here in this house we have 3 days a week we get to sleep in.

I mean the "we" in the "royal we" manner.

The eldest kid doesn't have classes on Thursday, so I get to sleep in. It's a good thing.

Last night, the yellow dog actually slept through the night.

So, this morning, at 6 freaking 30 in the morning, the man stands up and says "oh my gosh! the time!"

Yeah. I wake up. Excuse me. "We" wake up.

I tell him that it's Thursday, no need to get up early and start the taxi.

He says "Oh good", lays down and goes back to sleep.

Yeah.

"We" lay there and look at the cool fog in the trees. Watch the numbers change on the alarm clock. Watch the sun start to creep across the ceiling, and then finally fall asleep again.

He wakes up and shakes me. "Are you sleeping?"

No. I was actually changing the oil on the car.

Sheesh.

Just had to add this. It is so funny and so true!

This is the class that I'll be teaching at my local scrapbooking store. I really am looking forward to this. I used scraps and NO ruler at all. I didn't even use a paper cutter except to trim down the paper after punching out a row of squares.

It's a very easy class and I'm really excited to do this.

My life is happy. I'm looking forward to some major personal self improvement steps this fall. The other day I really noticed that I was losing weight. Not just the numbers on the scale, this time it was my clothes. I pulled on my favorite skirt and it fell off. WOW.

My goal at the gym has not been weight loss, and for me, I think that this has been a good way to get me there. I want to become healthy and strong. So I work out with that intention. The weight loss is a bonus, a big bonus!

I'll try to update again before the end of the month. You never know, I might become a real blogger someday!