Best line of the day**

(**Borrowing heavily from the NewMexiKen playbook, with acknowledgement)

Found in this brief story in the ABQjournal.

Background: a 24-year old man pleads guilty to shooting, from his moving vehicle no less, nine sheep or goats and one dog. That's, count 'em, three felonies.

Shooting, for no good reason, really. Boredom? Borracho? Both?

"I have no idea what they were thinking, and I would venture a guess that they're probably wondering what they were thinking then, too," Chief Deputy District Attorney Dustin O'Brien said.

That gave me a chuckle over lunch at my desk. Hope it's true. A little after-the-fact remorse is a good thing, in this case.

You know what bugs me?

Bugs. That's what bugs me.

Specifically, ants.

Those little teeny tiny black sh-thead ants.

With the torrential rains, they have decided that inside our home is a nice warm place to hang out.

Sonsabitches.

First they were all over the bathroom. In the tub, in the sink, on all the countertops, on the ceiling. : shudder :

So The Good Man (formerly known as The Cute Boy™) went to battle and cleaned up, shoved orange oil in all the corners and got them away from the bathroom.

It was only momentary peace.

This morning they'd formed a marching line in a circle around the kitchen. Across the hallway carpet, to the cat bowl, then under the cabinets where the crumbs go and back to home base.

Gah!

Now, I'm used to having bugs about. I grew up in New Mexico. I remember turning on the garage light and having the whole floor in motion as roaches ran.

And this home I live in now is pretty spidery too. Those are my least favorite of all.

But these ants. Oh! How they make me nutty! The Good Man encourages me to be Zen about them. "They do what they do" and "They are just trying to survive".

He's a better man than me, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, battle continues.

(this photo isn't from our house, just one I found on the web. It's pretty much what the INSIDE of our home looks like. GAH!)

W00t!

It took 319 days to reach the milestone.

200 posts.

Yay me!

They call it stormy Monday...

...but Tuesday's just as bad.

Or in this case, Monday was a sun soaked cakewalk.

And Tuesday's a cold, rainy, work crazy, traffic jammed day.

In true proof of the Butterfly Effect, earlier today a BMW cut off a woman in a van, who lost control on rain slick streets, then careened into a tanker truck hauling gasoline causing it to overturn and spilling mass quantities of petrol onto Highway 101.

Thus shutting it down completely.

From the article in SFGate: "'They don't want the freeway to blow up under cars driving by,' said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Paul McCarthy."

Ah...yeah. That'd be great.

And with this one small act, an impatient driver of a luxury car has jammed up traffic for the entire Bay Area. The drive home on 280 (the "detour") was really so much fun. Me, my iPod and singing at the top of my lungs. Good times.

...the rest of the song goes...."Wednesday's worse...and Thursday's also sad......"

Tis gonna be a long week, methinks.

(with all apologies to T-Bone Walker and his fine blues song)

It seems like a really bad idea...

Found myself bored and channel surfing this evening and happened upon a new reality show entitled "Gone Country". It's hosted by one of my fave musicians, John Rich (the Big & Rich song "Big Time" never fails to make me sing along both loudly and badly).

It stars the likes of Bobby Brown, Sisqo,Dee Snyder, Maureen McCormick and Carnie Wilson. The website calls the mix "eclectic". Unh huh.

Their challenge? To sing country music. And the one who ultimately wins will have a country record produced by Rich.

Oy.

What B and C list celebs won't do for a little money.

It was painful to watch. I couldn't get through the entire episode.

And somehow, I know that country music is going to be mercilessly made fun of.

I just....can't watch this.

And tonight I light several dozen candles and say a novena for the writer's strike to end and actual thoughtful, artistic shows to return to television.

Well! I'll not be visiting Virginia anytime soon!

Was perusing Yahoo!'s "odd news" today and found something there that shocks and inflames the senses!

"If you're served a pitcher of authentic sangria in a Virginia restaurant, someone's breaking the law."

*gasp*

A local tapas place was cited for violating the law. They are currently appealing the fine and going to the legislature to roll back the ban.

"The Alcoholic Beverage Control Department…even ordered restaurant employees to pour its sangria — about 40 liters — down the drain."

*gasp*

The odd law says you can't mix wine or beer with spirits, so the sangria made with red wine and triple sec is against the law.

And so then are Boilermakers, Irish Car Bombs, and the Kir Royale.

Uncivilized!

I toast to the tapas joint and their success in repealing this law!

On this Friday after a *very* long week, it won't take me much to make a toast.

By the way, in my humble experience, La Tertulia in Santa Fe has the finest Sangria around. But that was nigh on 10 years ago since I've had it. Any better contenders?

That said…headed home soon. Done. Happy Weekend!



Source.

This isn't funny.

*snork*

No! This is NOT funny.

*snert*

hee. : wipes eyes : I'm a bad person for laughing. This is just….so….so….SO New Mexico.

"Thieves make off with 'Extreme Makeover' vehicle in Albuquerque"

We always gotta make it rasquache, don't we?

< giggle >

Source: Albuquerque Tribune

Not Amused

Ooooh, da Govahnah has done ticked off ABQjournal columnist Jeff Jones!

"Gov Uses 'Endorsement' as Bait" is the article title and refers to an email that went out today.

The Cute Boy™ gets these emails from Bill, so he sent it to me early this morning. It was a funny and *very* Richardson email.

Basically saying, "I endorse no one" followed by "I've got some campaign debts, could you spare some cash?"

I thought it was an odd email. But whooo, Jeff Jones was NOT amused!

Ah Bill. Always working a deal. I'm kind of sad he had to drop out. Would loved to have seen his wheeling and dealing in the long haul.



Image via.

Media review

Here's what's doing in my world these days.

On the bedside table:

Just finished reading "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway. This is one of The Cute Boy's™ favorite books. With his help, I might just become well read. Whooda thunk it! :)

I tried to read this one when I was about ten or twelve. I got it at the library and couldn't master it. As an adult, the story resonated with me deeply and in the group of friends and their time at the fiesta in Pamplona, I saw a lot of people I know (or have been at one point in my life, I suppose).

I always thought that Hemingway had a lot harder edge than this, and I think in other works, he does. I really liked the quiet way this book is written. And it has many quotable lines, such as, "It's is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night, it's another thing." That one hit me so hard I had to reread it a few times.

So despite my love for throwaway fiction, I think I might become a fan of the classics.

Now at work on the bedside table is "Fast Cars and Frybread: Reports from the Rez" by Gordon Johnson. Found this on an endcap at the library and picked it up. It's a collection of essays about life on the Pala Indian Reservation near San Diego. Johnson has written a series of articles for the Riverside Press-Enterprise and many of them are collected here. Johnson has a great no nonsense style and a sentimentality for his time on the rez. I find a lot of what he talks about is a universal theme but I also like how Johnson makes his personal stories really accessible.

I'm also reading the travelogue of a good friend and I love hearing his stories told in his voice. This friend is still my favorite writer.

In the DVD player:

"Harvey" starring Jimmy Stewart. Oddly enough, I'd never seen this one, despite being a huge Jimmy Stewart fan. I always thought this was simply a goofy movie, but it isn't. It's terribly charming and Stewart is really top notch. It's a movie that actually leaves you feeling good when it's done. Can't find that often enough in today's movies.

Also, we recently watched "The World's Fastest Indian" starring Anthony Hopkins. I was completely surprised by this one. It had come recommended from a friend and I'm so glad we watched it. THIS is truly a life affirming movie. And Lord, when I'm in my seventies and eighties, give ME the courage to climb up on a motorcycle and break speed records. The best part of this DVD was the short film about the actual man, Burt Munro. What a true character! The Cute Boy™ and I keep quoting lines from the movie. Good stuff.

On the iPod:

I got nothing to report here. Sad, huh? At the end of the year I got a full set of all the Starbucks iTunes free downloads and I downloaded them all, but found nothing in there particularly noteworthy. Some good stuff, yes, but not jumping up and down. I've got nothing I'm totally fired up about lately, and that worries me.

I scour the CD shelves at my library looking for something new to get into, but haven't yet found it.

The most recently added music to my iTunes library is a boxed set of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Seriously. I also listen to a lot of "The Roadhouse" on my Sirius radio. That would be oldies country.

So I'm looking for good suggestions. Anyone got one? I like all kinds of music, so have at it.

Well, that's the state of the media in my head at this point. Sort of an odd mix, eh?

In memory

"The legacy of Dr. King lives in each of us and we are responsible to promote, teach and live the American Dream."

Image via. Quote via.

The MacWorld Report

Back from a day playing boss-sanctioned hookey from work. Had a chance to head into San Francisco for this year's MacWorld.



While there I tried to remember when, exactly, was my first trip to MacWorld. I believe it was 1994 and I was gainfully employed by Sandia Labs. Sandia, at the time, bought quite a bit of Mac gear. Because we were such a good customer, I got a ticket to see the keynote. This was before Steve had returned and Gil Amelio was still at the helm. Anyone remember him?

That was the year that Jeff Goldblum opened the keynote with a bit of promotion for the movie "Independence Day", a copy of which was taped to the bottom of each of our seats. I think I still have that VHS tape in a box in the garage.

Ah well, the good old days. Back when grabbing the entire collection of Iomega Buttons was cool and schwag fell like manna from the sky (I still use some of the t-shirts gained at past Comdex and MacWorld shows to check the oil in my car and polish fingerprints off my guitar).

But those days are over.

This year's MacWorld was....to say the least...underwhelming.

It's hard to top the buzz and excitement of the 2007 MacWorld what with the lickable iPhones twirling in jewelry showcases, so close and yet SO out of reach.

But last year's show had a lot of buzz for the iPod too. Lots of cases, accessories, and audio software to make it fun. There was some of that this year, but it was pretty much the same gear on display as last year.

A lot of the buzz was gone too, the energy was low, there were empty booth spaces and even the Apple booth, usually the showpiece of the floor, was less than usual.

Here's the booth:



Here's the show floor (taken from the Apple booth):



The Apple booth was the same sort of set up as in past years. Thick gray carpet, minimalistic fixtures, highlight on the "star" product.

Last year, as mentioned, the iPhone was this dizzying spinning tantalizing thing.

So I was excited to see how they would display the new MacBook Air.

Well, here's the answer:



That is five MacBook Air bodies hanging from a string. Uh. Okay.

I went over to take a look, and it was cool, but the swinging MacBooks were not accessible, unable to be opened, and not actually functioning machines. So it was...odd.

I did get a change to belly up to the bar and test drive one with the help of a very nice and knowledgeable Apple employee. The thing is scary light. Amazing. Three pounds. Compared to my MacBook Pro, which now feels like a ton of bricks, this thing is a feather and I can see it SO easily tucked into a bag for hitting the road.

It has this cool flip out door for the ports. Only one USB port, which I've read some bloggers complaining about online, but I think that can be easily managed. The screen is delicious and it just looks good. Nicely done!

The rest of the show was only ok. Like I said, low energy and not really any new products to get excited about. I had expected to see a lot of accessories for the iPhone and was gravely disappointed. The Cute Boy™ bought a new case for his, I held off. Didn’t find exactly what I wanted.

Saw a pretty cool camera case/backpack that they wanted a lot of money for, but it was really functional. Didn't buy it, but it was nice to dream.

Tried to get close to the Canon booth, but to no avail. That one is always very popular.

Got only a few schwaggy items, but came home mostly empty handed.

So to sum up MacWorld 2008, in my opinion, it was kind of like the keynote, to quote NewMexiKen, "is that all there is?"

Oh, I tried to "live blog" from the Microsoft lounge, but it was totally packed in there. I hadn't brought my own MacBook with me to the show, and the few iMacs they had for use were taken up by squatters. Oh well, you get this reacap instead. It's semi-live cuz after this day, I'm dead on my feet.

All photos by Karen Fayeth and grainy cuz they were taken with an iPhone.

I wanna be supportive, I really do.

Due to gas costs and the mental toll that commute-time driving extracts from me, I've been riding the train a lot recently. Today, for a variety of reasons, I needed to drive, so I took my trusty hoopty out on the road.

And as I cruised along (at, yes, the speed limit) I observed a blue Prius cut me off, then slow down.

As I stifled the curse words and angry gestures (yes, I actually *did* pay attention to that driver's ed course I took and passed), I wondered to myself, quite bluntly, "Why are Prius people always such crappy drivers?"

I know, broad generalizations are never accurate, but go with me on this, for a minute.

So yes, I live in hola-granola, tree-hugging, skunk-kissing Northern California. Which means there are a lot of fans of that little gas sipping automobile. Fundamentally, I have no problem with the Prius. If the financials could bear it out (meaning the premium they charge for that car more than offsets the cost at the pumps) I might even consider one. I can be environmentally conscious, I really can.

Here in the Bay Area, people who drive hybrid vehicles can get a special sticker that allows them to drive in the car pool lane even if there is only one person in the car. So that has definitely helped boost their popularity.

So there are a lot of little Prisuseseses (what exactly IS the plural of Prius?) on the roads out here. There are a lot of other hybrid and electric vehicles too, but today I'm talkin' about the Prius people.

I've checked in with many friends. Their experience matches my own. Something about the Prius drivers is off. Is it bad visibility? Is it the alternate way they have to drive (coasting to build up a charge)? Is it the kind of person who chooses to own one? I don't know, but I've observed some truly crappy driving behind the wheel of these little wonders.

Like a lot of changing lanes rapidly and slowing down. I'll attribute that to the coasting, I guess. A lot of not looking or signaling before changing lanes. Is it hard to see in those things? And a lot of driving real slow in the fast lane.

I haven't observed this as much with other environmental cars, just the Prius.

What's up with that? I mean, when I read the news report that Al Gore's kid was popped by CHP doing 100 in his Prius, I thought "well, there's hope yet!" But perhaps all the drugs had changed his view (…and I can't support that).

I'm all for assisting the environment by using less fossil fuels (this after reading, with horror, about the "milky rain" in Silver City and the Gila) but damnitall! Let's keep it safe out there, ok?

Meanwhile, I'm doing my own part by taking the train as often as possible. Good for the environment, good for my sanity.

Thus ends my rant.

Time for my calmness affirmations…..."breathe in…..breathe out…."



Image via.

Sportsmanship! Feh!

From today's Las Cruces Sun News:

"The Western Athletic Conference has issued a warning to all WAC members that any pre-meditated chants that contain vulgar or offensive language will result in a technical foul called against the home team."

(full article)

You know what, that fine Aggie tradition of shouting "Nice shot, ass--le" at basketball games dates back to my college years. Like, uh, back to the early 90's.

I started out this blog post going to rant about the demolition of a tradition. But actually, that crowd chant was pretty juvenile back in '91 (which was why it was fun), but it's probably time to move it along to something new. And even more juvenile.

Not sure I buy into a Technical Foul to the home team. That's an expensive penalty, and how are they supposed to corral their own fans, anyway? I guess when the fans lose a game because of the T, they'll pipe down.

So ok. It's lame that the WAC is governing this NOW, some twenty years later. They really should have gotten in front of it back then. I mean, you can *hear* it on television! Seems hard to curb this now. But ok, it's part of the rules now.

So I'll let this one go. But I'll *never* let go of the grand SF Giants fans in the bleachers tradition of "what's the matter with < insert name of opposing team's outfielder here >??......He's. A. BUM!"

Convergence

The two halves of me, the New Mexico girl living in California (and a ragin' Giants baseball fan) collided today.

For Christmas someone gave me a page-a-day Giants and baseball trivia calendar.

The entry for January 14, 2008:

"Who is the only National Baseball Hall of Famer born in New Mexico."

Wha! I didn't even know we had one!

The answer:

Ralph Kiner is his name, he was born in Santa Rita and he played most for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's now a broadcaster for the Mets.

Oh Fair New Mexico, how I love to learn your little secrets.





Image via Wikipedia.

Friday. W00t!

It's been a hell of a week. And getting back into routine, not so good.

And work is once again hair on fire.

I'll just say this: Happy Weekend to all!

We'll see you Monday, same bat time, same bat channel!

And then there were three.

Was sad to read in the ABQjournal today that it looks like Bill Richardson is giving up his run at the Presidency.

I had rather hoped that he could hang in there at least until Super Tuesday. I had wanted to look down at my ballot and see a New Mexican's name there. Don't know if I would have voted for him (I might have).

I think he made a valiant run as the underdog in a race with some big names. He raised the visibility of New Mexico, for both better and worse, in my humble opinion. It hurts to hear on the news about what a poverty state NM is, how low are the test scores in the schools, etc. I know it's true, but I hate hearing it blared out on national news.

It seems that Bill has gotten on the fighting side of the Clintons too. I'm sure that was a calculated move but I'm not savvy enough to work it out.

For now, I'm sorry to hear that the Governor of Oh Fair New Mexico is stepping out.

I give him applause for making a run at it.

And now, onward.

In a side note…I'm consoling myself today with the news that one of the candidates I'm considering from my open job is a graduate of NMSU. If I can't New Mexicanize the country, I can start locally! heh!

Update to add an image. Now is that Larry? Or Moe? Wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh!!!!!

Moist!

Ah yes, it's that special time of year. Right on time. We have arrived at the rainy season when soaking rains last for days and days and make it non-stop damp. Makes slugs and snails slither across sidewalks (: shiver :).

Inspires my auntie (formerly of Oregon) to claim that mold is growing in one's own nooks and crannies. (ew)

I remember when I'd first moved to the Bay Area back in '97. I was VERY naive. Incredibly so. I spent the first year living here picking hayseeds out of my hair.

I used to cry at night wondering where all that rain would go. In New Mexico, that much rain would cause massive and cataclysmic flooding.

I had this incredibly caustic friend I worked with at Lockheed. She was a lifelong Bay Area resident and she took me under her wing early on. I remember asking her where all the water would go. She looked at me incredulously, and said "uh…there's this thing called the Bay?"

"Ohhhhh," this desert rat said. Beginning to realize that Dorothy was not in Albuquerque any more…

But the best story came one afternoon at work. After weeks and weeks of rain, we were outside so my friend could take her afternoon cigarette break. I don't smoke but would go outside with her. We were talking and I looked down and saw the most profoundly blue iridescent fuzzy thing on the ground. It was beautiful. I'd never seen such a color. I wanted to take a photograph!

Was it a bug? A flower? What incredibly new and wonderful thing was this that I had discovered?

So I asked my caustic friend!

She took a long drag from her Marlboro Light and kicked at it.

Then she fixed me with a steely glare and responded, "It's mold on bird shit."

Ah.

So I've toughened up a bit over the years. Age and intention can do that to you.

But just to prove I haven't lost the wonder of it all…

Yesterday I was on my way to the stop where the work shuttle bus picks me up to take me to the CalTrain station.

And I saw something that caught my eye. And since my phone has a camera, I stopped, squatted down, and took a photo.

Here's your Bay Area "art shot" for the day. Better then mold on poop, right?

Bill! Don't make me like you!

The Cute Boy™ is very into politics. He can speak about them intelligently. Profoundly. And he knows what he is talking about.

After being harangued by dear old dad in my formative years regarding politics (papa leaned so hard to the right it's a wonder he didn't flop over. Daughter tends to be more than a skosh toward moderate). And when I say harangued, I mean dash from the room at a dead run to avoid the inevitable lectures.

That being said, I'm trying. But I find I can't tolerate listening to any of the current candidates speak. None. Right. Left. In the middle. Out in left field. I just can't. It is just so false. I get the same tense-in-my-chest feeling that I get when a sales-weasel puts the full court press on me at work. I find it distasteful. Disingenuous. And just not ok.

I have been following the trail of Oh Fair New Mexico's own Governor with mild interest, mainly because I'm curious to see how this all goes.

When I first heard he was running, I made barfing sounds and stamped my little feet.

See, when I was living in my home state, I didn't like ol' Bill all that much. It's ok. I own it. (Don't tell Jim Baca, ok? I like Jim a lot and don't want to get on his fighting side.)

It started with that g'damn cheesy billboard on I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. If you lived there long enough, you remember it too. "Bill Richardson welcomes you to Northern New Mexico". Bill leaned across his desk, fixing you, the driver with that jowly stare.

AAAAAAGH!

Then I came to dislike him more because both my folks worked for Sandia Labs and for a while were located at the WIPP Site in Carlsbad.

If you are unfamiliar…in a quick nutshell…the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant or WIPP is an experiment in the disposal of low-level nuclear waste. The WIPP site is located way down in some ancient salt beds. The theory (this is me, a layperson and not a scientist, so give me wide berth) is that a properly sealed container could be placed into a hole made in the salt. And over time, due to some fluids in the salt, it will migrate. Meaning the salt will close in around the container, encapsulating it, thus keeping it safe and sound and away from contaminating anything else.

Obviously, this plan has met with a lot of opposition over the years. The moving brine water means that folks are concerned with contaminating water supplies. And other such (legitimate) concerns.

So my folks worked there back in the early 1990's and the site was dug out, ready to go, but faced massive political opposition to opening. Or even *trying* out the storage of some low level nuclear waste (like gloves, jumpsuits, etc from workers in nuclear plants).

One of the biggest voices of opposition was our own Bill Richardson, congressman from the northern part of New Mexico. Vehemently.

Except when he became the Secretary of Energy under Bill Clinton.

Yeah. El Flippo Floppo.

I guess after hearing my dad rave on about the evils of Richardson, much of it took hold in my head. Again, for the folks following along at home…dear old dad was a staunch Republican. In hindsight, that *may* have colored his view…just a skosh. But to be fair to my pops, those were frustrating years at WIPP because they were fairly *begging* to be given the chance to at least TRY their theories and see if they worked. And Richardson issued a firm "nyerhe, no, nada, nope". Didn't make my folks big Richardson fans.

And well, after all of this time....I'm not a fan of Bill either. Just not. Or was not, I should say.

As this campaign progresses, my mind might be changing.

I've listened to some speechifying over the past week. I thought I was an Obama girl, but I really listened to a speech he gave in Iowa and was sort of turned off when it was done. For a variety of reasons. I think Jim actually put it best in yesterday's post about worrying that he's all hat and no cattle.

As a woman, I'd like to like Clinton. I just…can't.

Edwards is sort of blah to me. And I think he's putting on that accent a bit. I know it's natural, but he seems to Hee Haw it up a bit, in my opinion. But so far I'm ok with him. Not sure I'm Team Edwards yet…I'm team no one yet, really.

And forget all the Republican candidates. I listened to their first debate and was like, uh, no.

So. Sunday night I watched the Democratic candidates debate with each other. Well, I watched the end. Listened to much of it while working in the other room then came and sat down and watched. It was the last question that intrigued me.

Moderator Charlie Gibson asked the question, "Of all the debates that have been held so far what have you said that you wish you could take back?"

Clinton went first. And didn't answer the question. Blathered on about how the real thing to concentrate on was the difference between the Democrat and Republican debates. I kept yelling at the TV "ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!"

Richardson went next. He told a funny, charming story about one of the early debates where he was asked who was his favorite Supreme Court Justice. It was endearing, self-deprecating, and got a laugh from the audience and candidates (and me).

Edwards said his was when he made fun of Hillary's jacket early on. Ok, at least he answered the question.

Obama said he agreed with Clinton and blathered about the differences between the two parties. He also didn't answer the damn question.

So at the end I was like "oh my god…Richardson *may* have just made me like him."

Wow.

I don't know what to do with that.

It may be for the best that dear old dad has (sadly) passed on from this mortal coil. Because I think if I voted for Richardson it would send him into convulsions…

I have until February 5 to figure out exactly which name I'll put the mark next to on the ballot. I may have to do like I did in that whacked out election for California Governor…pick the most outlandish candidate and give them my nod. Not very mature, but it made me feel better when I left the polling place.

Ok. All this talk of politics is making me twitchy. Wonder what Britney is up to today?

Grumptacular

First day back at work after two glorious weeks off.

Yeah.

Current mood: cranky



Image via.

I have served my debt to society.

(Gad, I'm *such* a drama queen....hee!)

: hand to forehead :

As of today, ladies and gents, I have fulfilled my obligation to God, humanity and the Superior Court of Santa Clara County.

You may recall that back in October, I ran afoul of one of California's finest. Yes, our fair heroine was taken down by the CHP. She was only trying to get home after a terribly long day at work. And in order to get home sooner, she thought that going 90mph in a 65 zone was appropriate.

Now if you knew my hoopty of an automobile, pushing it at 90mph is no small feat. I'd considered going to court to fight it since the officer said he didn't have a radar. Instead he set his cruise control at 75mph and said I was pulling away.

I came home and Googled the officer's name and found out he's a highly decorated and well-respected member of the force. So I knew that was a losing battle.

I also looked at the table of fines and realized I *may* have been doing more than 90mph, but he gave me the ticket at 90. Were I cited going faster than 90mph, the penalties (meaning the cost) went up dramatically at that clip level. So he kind of sort of did me a favor. Also, I didn't have my most current insurance card in the car (I'd *just* gotten it in the mail). The officer could have cited me for that, but instead looked it up online (my insurance reports to the DMV so he can see if it's current).

So after careful consideration, I decided to just pay the "bail". And thus a point was assigned to my driving record.

A fact I'm cheesed about. Did you know that in the ten almost eleven years I've lived in California I've never, not once, gotten a ticket for speeding? A couple parking tickets, yes, but nothing else. Indignant! Yes I was.

Well, California offers the opportunity to take driving school and thus mask the point on your record from view (meaning your insurance company is none the wiser). They've recently begun offering the driving school online where you can work at your own pace.

So yesterday morning in the midst of the Storm To End All Storms, I decided to begin work on my online driver's training. I had until mid-February to complete it.

Well...let me tell you...this online driver's course was no easy thing. Time consuming. And BORING. True, I got to work through it in my jammies and in the comfort of my home, but DAMN!

About a third of the way through a very LONG day, I told The Cute Boy™, "boy am I sorry I did 90mph!"

So it worked. They got remorse out of me.

It didn't help that the power went out after I'd been working on it several hours. Ugh. I finally finished at 9:00pm last night. It was a long grueling trudge to the finish line.

Today I went to the "in person" location and took the written test to thus complete the course and end this debacle. And because I'm such a freaking overachiever, not only was I nervous, but I got 100% on the test.

So now, gentle audience, it can be said that I, the criminal, have done my time, done my penance, paid my debt to society, suffered for my sins, carried the cross of my shame, and can tear the scarlet speed limit sign from my chest and begin to rebuild my life as a member of society.

(And to reward my hard work, The Cute Boy™ took me to see a movie. The Golden Compass. Yay!)

Thus ends the drama of the Nice Girl Who Turned Bad on Highway 280.

fin

Alert! Frosty down! Repeat, Frosty *down*

Yes, folks, the mother-of-all-storms, or rather, the middle of three mother-of-all-storms has passed over the Bay Area today. Oh what havoc it has wrought!

Accidents! Solo spin-outs! Semis toppled on the Richmond San Rafael Bridge. Flights delayed! Manhole covers overflowing! Karen and The Cute Boy™ trapped in the bowels of Burlingame as parts of El Camino were flooded! Power out at the Casita Bonita!

And most telling of all, over at the Mediterranean restaurant two blocks over, the six foot plastic Frosty the Snowman, lovingly displayed out front, was torn asunder, carelessly tossed and laying face up on the front porch, top hat rudely ripped from his head, carrot nose cranked to one side, and little twiggy arms reaching toward heaven as though to proclaim "Oh the humanity!"

And at this sight, after a harrowing drive in furiously pounding rain and violent winds, amid the sound of sirens, The Cute Boy™ proclaimed "Frosty down! We have a Frosty down!"

It's been a hell of a day.

We had to take the Cute Boy's automobile in to be serviced. For making me get up early. In the inclement weather. And drive with the Bay Area loo-loos, I made him buy me breakfast.

Meanwhile, The Feline did this:



Extended coverage of Storm Watch is all over the local news. The news went an extra half hour in breathless anticipation. For the local meteorologists, THIS is the World Series.

Click here for photos of the utter devastation (except for Frosty. I shoulda taken photo but didn't....)

Where I come from, they'd call this a certified frog strangling rain....(or the less couth would call this a turd floater, but I'm not so coarse as to say such a thing...*wink*)

This is supposed to blow over by Sunday. It's gonna be a wild weekend......

Image via SFGate.com

The Little Prince. I don't get it.

So a few weeks ago, The Cute Boy™ and I watched a movie, "My Dinner with Andre" that The Cute Boy™ (who is much smarter than me) had seen before and wanted to watch again. The movie is basically a long conversation between two friends having dinner. The conversation covers a lot of ground including theater, spiritualism and to some extent, existentialism (here's where I get bogged down and need The Cute Boy™ to help explain).

In the movie, Andre discusses at some length the story "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I've stumbled across this book before in my life but have never read it. I recall that my best friend in High School loved it and reread it with some frequency. I have a friend I work with who is from Russia and she says it is her favorite book. In fact, her home is decorated with prints of artwork from the book (done by Saint-Exupéry).

I've taken a few "woo-woo" classes in my adult life and find that many of the women I've met in those courses quote the book and consider it to be an impact on their lives.

Ok, so after watching the movie and thinking on it, I went to my local library (which, I may have mentioned, rooooocks) and found a copy. I took it home quite expectantly and dove right in, ready to get my "wow" from it and my spiritual impact.

I read it through. I read it thoughtfully as I did. And when it was done, I closed the cover and said to myself, "huh...okay."

It think my favorite part was when the Little Prince described that on his planet (which is quite small) you can watch the sunset every hour, just move your chair. And I liked that notion. I do enjoy sitting in a chair and watching the sun go down (especially over the ocean).

But I don't consider that a "wow" moment. Or life altering. I just found it an amusing bit of imagination.

So, what am I missing? I consider myself fairly intelligent (six years and two degrees from higher education. Granted, from NMSU, but still, it's a fully accredited college!). I'm sort of well read. Ok, I do tend to like throwaway fiction better than the classics, but I've read enough to know what I like. I've even read some fairly complicated stuff.

I just don't get it? What does that say about me?

I'm going to read it again and see if I get something on a second read. Am I trying to hard? Or not trying hard enough? : shrug :

Maybe it's just as The Little Prince says...that adults are just like that, they don't understand. Hmm......

(meanwhile, in my Google searches I found a guy who got a Baobab tree tattooed on his arm?)

Here it is!

As promised, a photo of the New Mexico float in the Rose Bowl Parade, winner of the "Grand Marshal's Trophy for excellence in creative concept and design". w00t!

Here she is, the 'Passport to Our World and Beyond':



Image via.

More photos can be found at Only In New Mexico.

Happy First Day of the New Year

I'll start off the first post of 2008 with what I believe to be a profound quote from an unlikely philosopher.

"The first step in creating the life you desire is stating just what it is you hope to accomplish and be willing to fail miserably in the pursuit of it."

Yeah. I like it. I posted my obligatory resolutions list and have been thinking on them muchly since. The twist (pardon the pun) that Monk puts on it helps me calm down (the part about failing). So ok.

Onward.

Congrats to the team of New Mexicans (Jim Baca's wife Bobbi, included) for putting together a humdinger of a Rose Bowl Parade Float which won the Grand Marshal trophy for creative concept and design (as reported in the ABQJournal)! Go New Mexico! Kicking the pants outta that parade! I did a quick Google but couldn't find a photo online. Hope to see it soon. It makes me proud to be a New Mexican!

Hats off to the Las Cruces pecan farmers who are finally in full swing harvesting this year's crop (as reported in the Las Cruces Sun-News). This is an "on" year for the trees, so they are expecting some 71 million pounds in-shell to be harvested. This is a late harvest due to weather so they are out there hauling tookus to get 'em all in. Hats off to my many friends who are making their living right now. I did my part, ordering way too many chewy pecan pralines from Stahmann's and eating them with an evil cackle. The pecans of New Mexico, second in volume to Georgia but number one in my heart.

And finally, the Iowa caucus is but a few days away and I'm dying to see how our intrepid Governor Bill Richardson fares in the fight. He's working it, really working it hard and I'm curious to see how this all goes. It's just the beginning but sets a tone....just what note remains to be seen.

If for nothing else, Oh Fair New Mexico is in the national spotlight. Salud!

Well, the holiday decorations came down today. The Cute Boy™ and I sadly packed up the tree and ornaments and our rockin' train and put them away. The living room seems so...empty. *sigh*

Time marches on.

As a final farewall, a photo of the train in motion. I adore it.




Photo by Karen Fayeth.