Category Archives: Life

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Third Time’s A Charm

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Remember when I startled you with this announcement?

Then confounded you with this one?

Well, we’ve been in San Diego a year, which is longer than we thought at first, but at the same time, after seeing the winter we had to see it in summer, and what a difference there was (winter was better!). All the same, last winter we made so many ski trips that we decided it would be easier to spend a whole season skiing. Having great friends permanently residing there doesn’t hurt either. If you can believe it, they ran around looking for the perfect place for us. I am so blessed.

So at some point around the end of October, we will be moving to PARK CITY UTAH!

Good news for everyone around this site that knows me, you’ll have a free place to stay when you come on your winter ski trip! You know I’m expecting you all to come see me – and bring some good booze in your luggage…I’m not gonna be able to handle that watered down Mormon crap without you. 😉

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Ice Cream

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As promised.

Seriously. I never liked ice cream after I was, maybe, 6. Gram used to take me and I’d get pistachio and we’d race to eat our cones without letting a drip drop. I was a pro. But then it was too sweet. I let it go.

When I got to Austin I want to say every (don’t tell my husband) guy that ever took me on a date would end up at an Amy’s Ice Cream. At least before I could sneak in go to bars. They would be all impressed showing the girl new to town the crazy fanfare of a guy mashing stuff into ice cream as though it’d never been done. I tried to be polite and often would fake surprise, or a “No, this is my first trip for ice cream! Wow!”

That kind of sounded like a dirty euphemism…

Anyway, so way back when Brother came to visit he suggests ice cream. We’re all, why not? We never. I got a REDUCED fat some kind of raspberry-graham-cracker-cheesecake. It was amazingly delicious.

Then Cousin comes to visit. And what do we have? Perhaps five or twelve rounds of cheesecake ice cream, in all different places, with all different fruits. And it’s so good. I could live on it.

Except – needless to say, when company comes my gym time declines. So now that I’ve stepped it up to running and weights daily, which I call my “two-a-days”, my question is this:

Ice Cream, anyone?

With posts like this it’s not had to understand why this blog is hitting all time traffic highs.

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Don’t Wanna Grow Up

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All this politics and Olympics watching got me for a second. It made me wonder, am I a grown up?

There are certain facts beyond my ability to vote that I consider are features of being a grown up. I am married. I’m finished college.  I’m a legal driver and drinker. I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut better. I feel compassion. I put others first.

Then I get stuck. There are far more things that don’t get me in that category, in my opinion. I don’t own a home, have a mortgage. I don’t have any kids. I mean, I don’t even have a job. I play around all day. I wear neon colors. We play video games a lot. We take naps. We go out for ice cream when we’re good. If I don’t get my way I whine.

We’ve all got our little things. And for the most part I’m trying to make you laugh. But seriously; my parents had three kids by the time they were our age. We don’t even think we’re ready for a cat. Are we running late? What makes you a grown up? Do you just decide?

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Should Have Brought My Ray Gun: Comic Con 2008

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The weekend was full of crazy fun, in spite of our Comic Con being a little weak. I could have done the convention for three whole days. We waited too long (since we didn’t know the power of the nerds) and the tickets were sold out every day but Sunday. It was fine though, even if the crowd wasn’t at its height it was overwhelming, even after a giant preparatory breakfast at the Broken Yolk. We just missed the cast of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but we did get to see tons of hilarious costumes and people freaking out over free stuff. Best costumes: Bender and Marvin the Martian, methinks.

My favorite moments were trying to get on a unicorn, yelling at MK to take more pictures, and meeting the writers of my favorite web comic: Cyanide & Happiness. You’ve surely seen them in posts here before. Well, they drew me my very own (FREE!) comic:

"It's the alcohol that's addicted to me"

"It's the alcohol that's addicted to me"

That makes me cooler than anyone that I know. Don’t be surprised to see it framed and mounted and lit up on the most important wall of my house soon. If you make fun of my glasses, I will punch you in the throat.

As a casual observer that knew very little about a lot of the things going on there, I was expecting to see nothing I knew anything about. But if you’re into Lost or Heroes or any regular TV junk there’s just as many people like you as there are in Battlestar Galactica costumes. No, not as many. But some. My point is it’s not just Star Wars fans, only mostly.

There were traditional newspaper comic writers there (being completely ignored) and people that write graphic novels and rows and rows of people I’m pretty sure are just good at drawing but never drew for the company that makes the characters they draw (walking there was totally awkward).

Here’s a link to the rest of the pictures. SB, this Jabba the Hut is for you.

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Palm Springs

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Before the company (I’m screwing up already) was the road trip. We drove to Palm Springs to see what was going on there in the hot hot heat. It’s hot.

We ate some really good food and met the people that have been keeping UR company for ages. We saw a show. We slept in the most comfortable bed in the nicest hotel ever. We did the tram. We drove through the ritzy neighborhood. We saw that guy that got fired from that show. It was a quick stop but all we needed to see what Palm Springs was like. During tourist season I bet it’s a trip, but I like going when things aren’t such a zoo (like our home right now).

Here’s a bunch of not that impressive photos.

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Seagull Babies

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As usual, after I go through or see something and become an expert, I share all my knowledge with you, my dear readers. Today: seagull babies. I’ve learned so much this past month about them. Now you can too.

  • They are gross. Seagull babies come out all gray and downy and shed everywhere and just sit around and poop even more than grown up seagulls.
  • They make their parents insane. Our seagull parents (on the roof of the building in front of us) have taken to screaming out loud every morning and all day. All day. Loud. And trying to get in our pool for some reason, which is gross. One parent ALSO (see next item) banged his head on our sliding glass door all morning the other day for no reason whatsoever.
  • They are really really stupid. MK actually had to go after the baby that took his first trip off the roof and ended up walking in our laundry room after hitting his head against the glass of our sliding door. Stupid bird then walked down two flights of stairs and got stuck somewhere, so we gave up on him. (Maybe the head banging is hereditary.)
  • They stink. You could totally smell them on our walk by the beach yesterday. Eeew.
  • They need to be stopped. There are already too many seagulls and the babies were going nuts wandering around the beach trying to scavenge for food (they learn that quick) and fighting.
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Fighting Over Seals, Part Two: Current Dilemma

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Today, if you go to see the seals you might wander into a different scenario depending on the day. The failure of the city to resolve the issue is causing people to take unimaginable actions.

Some days the seals are left to themselves. People walk the seawall and enjoy the view of the beach and the ocean. Children smile and point and get excited to see the animals. Tourists are taking pictures. Chances are good it’s a cloudy day. There will be a small table staffed by a volunteer selling “We just need one beach” t-shirts supporting the seals.

On a sunny day, weekend, or holiday there might be a different scene. The seals will be out in the water looking for a rock or ledge to rest on. Recently some snorkelers have gone so far as to hire private security and put signs up proclaiming their right to use the beach. Families unaware of the small signs warning of the unsafe fecal bacteria levels will allow their children to use the beach and swim in the water. Cops are now trolling the area more regularly.

People not paying attention are finding their pictures on the web and on the local news – they will be found and ticketed with a heavy fine for breaking the Marine Mammal Protection Act that tells them they must stay a certain distance away from the seals. Recently a man was even sentenced for threating the seal activists.

The stress this must be causing the animals is hard to imagine. The fear of disease is a concern of the locals. The problem is clear – the situation needs to be resolved once and for all. All the back and forth is just making the place harder to visit and enjoy. To dredge the sand will cost over $500,000, with $50,000 in annual maintenance going forward. The seals last hope may be the Navy, who have the ability to say that dredging could change the California coast too dramatically and may damage the other landscape. Whether or not the seals are allowed to stay, I certainly hope to see the resolution of the issue while I live here.

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Fighting Over Seals, Part One: Background

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Here in La Jolla, there is a Children’s Pool that was trusted to the city ages ago (1931) by Ellen Browning Scripps. It consists mainly of a sea wall. The idea was to have a safe place for the kiddos to swim. Over time, seals started hanging out on the beachy part on breaks from their adventures. Over more time, they began to birth their pups there annually – the only place of it’s kind in Southern California. This pool has now become famous in its own right – the number one tourist attraction for La Jolla.

In 2007, some mean spirited lady named Valerie O’Sullivan sued the city for not keeping the conditions of the trust. Mainly, she wanted the sand that had accumulated dredged so the seals would leave and kids could swim there again.

On the one hand is the trust. The city is supposed to do with what you give it exactly as you wish.

On the other hand is the change in time since that trust. There are dozens of other safe beaches and pools for children that weren’t previously established. Not to mention EBS wanted kids to enjoy the pool, arguably they enjoy watching the seals (more of that in Part Two).

The city is slightly on the side of the seals, trying to find ways to hide behind marine mammal protection laws in order to avoid pushing them out. In addition, they’ve tried to find that the water would be bacterially unfit for years to come. Unfortunately they seem unable to find a convincing argument for the seals. It has been two years of heated debate back and forth over what to do. I’m currently reading the entire history through the court briefing (if you’re crazy it’s right here).

Here’s the link to the Friends of the Seals.

Here’s the link to the Friends of Mean Spirited Monsters of the Law.

In Part Two I’ll tell you about the recent escalation of the situation and the pros and cons of change.