Fifty more please?

Three years ago today...




What a ride it's been... deserted islands in the Indian Ocean, glaciers in Canada, dirt roads in Africa, deserts in the Mojave , the highest Mountain in the U.S., volcanos in Hawaii, surf in New Zealand, fales in the South Pacific and much much more...





everywhere is home when we're together.

xoxoxoxo lori ann

Vote.Like.This.

Here it is!



My Ballot. My mail in ballot. My Official Mail in Ballot. I Love to vote, I love the feeling of holding the ballot in my hands. Looking at all the names and props. Feeling powerful and thoughtful. It's a heady moment, sure.



Filling it out oh so careful. I don't want to make a mistake. I'll read everything twice and then just like the instructions say, I'll fill in the little bubble with my blue/black pen. Vote Like This.


Because here is the one box I Don't want to have to fill in. Do you see this here? What the heck is this? I've Spoiled my Ballot. Spoiled my Ballot. Does this mean like I've spilled my scrambled eggs all over it, or I left it with some ripe tomatoes and it got a little mold on it? I showed my daughter. She said "that sounds like you pooped on it". I mean spoil your ballot. For heaven's sake America. This is the Presidential Election. Please let's try not to spoil our ballots.



Okay then... Here is an extra bag I brought home after the weekend's volunteering I did. I was thinking that perhaps someone reading this would like this for their own. Today my daughter worked again, and she said the day was even more interesting because of the international support she received. She talked to the Dutch, English, Japanese, Irish and more. They all said they wished they could vote. They were all very excited to be able to bring Obama souvenirs home.

So... it made me think, maybe one of my blogfriends around the world, would like to have something too. To remember this historic time by.

The back side of the bag.

And this New Black long-sleeved thermal xl t-shirt with Obama and a peace sign on the front. I think it would be fun to send these out to someone that would love to have it. So, I would guess it could work like this, if you'd like to have it (t-shirt or bag) then leave a comment with your preference. If there are more comments, I could pick a name out of a hat. For fairness sake. I wish I could give one to everyone that wanted one.

I really just want to share the love.

And keep busy for 8 more days.

xx lori

Headquarters For Change

My daughter works for the Democratic Party. For the past 3 months the focus has been on voter registration. Now that that's over, it's all about getting the vote.



So, she asked me if I would like to volunteer with her this weekend, setting up a table at the Farmer's Market on Saturday and the Paseo on Sunday. Our job would be to pass out literature, sell t-shirts, stickers, buttons, be there. Get out the Vote. So I said OK! watching her enthusiasm over these last weeks was contagious and I was anxious to be a part of the Obama Campaign.









The first thing I saw when we arrived at the headquarters was this sign, taped to a car parked outside. It's funny right? Even if you are a supporter of the other party, it's still funny. I thought so.





Here we are, The Headquarters For Change. This is in downtown Santa Barbara. Here is where a lot of dedicated volunteers come to be involved. Here is where we will pick up the boxes to take to Farmers Market.


There are several tables set up with phones, with volunteers manning each and everyone. I didn't feel right about taking pictures of people I didn't know working, so here are some of the other things I saw...
Many different styles of buttons, it was hard for me to pick a favorite. I think the one that most people wanted was the HOPE one, there weren't any of those left.

Shirts and sweatshirts and tote bags, lunch bags, kids clothes, even clothes for baby...

Mr. Obama and my daughter.

Here is where my daughter checks in for instructions. She tells me this place can get really busy, all the phones going off at once, people running around...it's a big room behind me, you'll just have to imagine it.

getting the boxes ready to go....

At the Farmers Market with Mila, waiting for tables to set everything up on.

Nick and Kimberly and one of her favorite bumper sticker, Republicans For Obama!

I wished I could have taken more photos but we got busy and my camera never came out again. I didn't take even one today.

This weekend showed me some of the best and the worst in people. We were thanked and then yelled at. Many, many people told us "Thank you for what you are doing" Some would yell "McCain!!" and then this "Fuck Obama". And even though this was all donation for the campaign one man even stole a shirt. My daughter saw him and ran through the crowds after him. (of course this is NEVER a good idea, you can't be sure what people will do)it just shocked her I'm sure. When she came back with the shirt she told me she said to him " If you had just told me you didn't have the money, I would have given it to you" and you know what? he apologized. We had several tourists from Japan, England and Germany (hi Angela and Anja!) and they all bought t-shirts to bring back home. We had several young people that said they wished they could vote. There were the 6 or 7 college students that were low on cash but really wanted posters to hang in their dorm. We gave some to them. The most interesting thing to me was the fact that we were set up today in a highly visible place without a permit. The Banana Republic store nearby had given previous permission to put up a table by their place, but it was in the shade and we were cold so we thought we would just take a chance. My daughter said it depends on who the Security Guards are voting for. And she was right. We spent most of today camped out with alot of stuff and all we got from the guards was a wink and a smile!

Oh, and we made several hundred dollars for the campaign!

There are now just 9 days left.

p.s. No doodles this weekend, they were off to the Sierra Nevada's near Yosemite for the annual Tarantula Festival. With the other g-parents.

yep, I said Tarantula Festival. It's the only time I'm glad the kids(and tarantulas) are 287 miles away.

xx lori

Special Delivery

At work today one of our dealers called to tell me she had a package being delivered to our business instead of her home. She asked if I wouldn't mind signing for it and she would come collect it later.


Of course I said "No problem". Later that day the delivery truck pulled up. A uniformed guy came in carrying a big box which looked to me quite heavy. He said "Package, where do you want it?" I pointed to a spot on the floor . "Right there's fine thank you" I said. So he set the box down and then came over to me. He stood there looking at me.

It was a little awkward, he just stood there. Looking. I was thinking WHAT? aren't I supposed to sign for this? What are you looking at?

Finally he said "Sign here" and so I wrote my name. He looked at me one last time, then left.

Wow, I thought, that was weird. Wonder what he was thinking.
Then I looked a little closer at the box and the label. Can you see what it says? This Package contains Alcohol
and this,

Do not deliver to an intoxicated person

He was checking to see that I hadn't confused breakfast with Happy Hour. He was trying to determine that my red bleary eyes were a result of computer over use (it was 11:00 a.m.) and not a Pumpkintini in my smoothie. I may have had an extra glass last night...does that count? Seriously, how can they do this? I have never seen this before. I showed a few people and they hadn't either. What would he have done? Ummm... sorry ma`mm..you've had one too many, I'm gonna have to take your wine back now.

Seriously.

ha ha ha. Wooo.






xx lori

Mom

Happy
Birthday
Beautiful
To the best Mom a girl could ever hope for,

happy, happy day.

xoxoxoxoxoxo lori ann

Never too old

It's October and that means only one thing when you have small children...



H A L L O W E E N.







It means finding or making the perfect costume, putting out the decorations, buying candy to pass out, changing our minds about the costumes, carving the pumpkin. But first, the trip to the pumpkin patch. The requests to go start in September when the signs begin to pop up around town. I hear "when do we get to go to the pumpkin patch?" "When it opens" I say "when does it open?" Soon, pretty soon. We repeat this everyday.







My daughter says " what is so exciting about the pumpkin patch? there's just pumpkins and dirt." I tell her to try to remember when she was little, yes there are just pumpkins and dirt but there is also something magical. I remember.

First Grade field trip to Pirate Jack's Pumpkin Patch.

Sadie Bella and her classmates. And her sunglasses.

Knobbly gourds and Indian Corn.

Pretty Pumpkins all in a row.

Finding the magic.

Sadie ran off with her class waving goodbye to her Mama and me. My daughter stood there just shaking her head. She was remembering after all. The excitement of searching for just the right pumpkin to carry home, the bales of hay to climb on and the friendly farmer to show you around and maybe even let you have a sit on his tractor. The resident kittens and scarecrows keeping away not the mice or crows... We will have to come back she says. Travis will want to come too you know.

Uh huh. Us too.

xx lori

The Zen of Listening

It's been a looooong week. I am mothering little people again. Since June, my 2 grandchildren have been living with us. It's everything you would expect if you've had kids. It's temporary (as I'm wringing my hands and typing at the same time) My first g-child was born when my own youngest was only 8, so I never really got out of the swing of it.


I find myself saying to the kids the word "Listen" alot. I tell them there is a reason we have 2 ears and one mouth.

But, it had not occurred to me that maybe I might be a better listener too. There was an article in the paper this week about this very subject. It was titled "Learning to Listen".

I didn't realize that there are mental and physical benefits to being a better listener. The author said it is never too late to break a lifetime of bad listening habits and doing so can not only improve your relationships, but also keep you younger, healthier and just plain better all the way around.

Effective listening is about paying attention to body language and tone of voice, it's about being in the moment. I read that listening is the first of our five senses to develop in the womb and the last to leave at death. There's a reason for that: It's the key to human development and how we interact with our environment.

Focused listening can improve lives and and relationships in so many ways. I know I feel respected when I am listened to. There is a certain dignity to being listened to. When we can't connect with the important people in our lives, we suffer, they suffer. In the article it says this: "Poor listening is to blame for many of the headaches and heartaches in our lives, schoolyard and workplace violence, high divorce rate, malpractice suits, dissatisfied customers and other costly mistakes" Listening closely is essential for making all relationships more emotionally satisfying.

One way to be a better listener is to "get into the movie". The way to do this is to forget about yourself, and get into the other person's movie, just like we do when we are at the movies. Deep breathing is a key element of focused listening as well as meditation, because its calming and sends more oxygen to the brain, which increases alertness. Really listening to someone is almost like meditation , and it can have the same beneficial effects of focus and relaxation.

Here are some helpful rules to be a more "mindful listener":

1.) getting the whole message by processing nonverbal cues and pauses as well as spoken words.

2.) maintaining sustained attention.

3.) making the speaker feel valued and respected.

4.) listening to what you say yourself when you speak.

Quieting the mind is basic to good listening and allowing silence is a great habit to develop and so worthwhile.

I am sure I need to work on all these points.

Maybe I haven't been so mindful with these children. Maybe their listening skills are just a reflection of the habits that've developed as a result of our hectic days...who has the time? I'm going to try to be more aware now. I want to be the one they say (or feel) really listened to them. I very much do.

Isn't that all we really want anyway? to be heard. really heard. and understood.

xx lori

...Readin' Rolling Stone, Readin' Vogue..

It is about 7 a.m. Look how dark it is now. The days are getting shorter, I like the later morning dark like this, but it's hard for the kids to wake for school. Pretty soon the time will change when we go to Daylight Savings. We're on our way to see if we can find a mountain lion. Well, not really. We are on our way to trail run, but I can't get the lion's out of my head. So I will be looking and listening. Believe me.



Romero Canyon Trail, in Romero Canyon, Montecito. This trail is one of my favorites. It's a beautiful hike/run. You can make it as long or as short as you want. But it's always hard. It's up. Up. up. Of course, until you go down, which can be even harder, on the knees. Here is the start of the trail and the signs I was telling you about in a previous post. There were several. We noticed only 2 other cars besides ours. It's probably just because of the wind. not the (gulp) lions.

We started out just enjoying the morning, me at a slow jog to keep up with my husbands long stride. We looked all around at every turn. There are so many places out here that a mountain lion would love. There are sandstone outcroppings in the chaparral. Big flat rocks that you can just picture a cougar stretched out on. We only saw one mountain biker and two trail runners. One of the reason's I love this trail is because often times you can be the only one on it. Just you and the mountain lions and bears and rattlesnakes and tarantula's...

You can see my husband going up the right fork, this leads to the top of the ridge. Most of the time I go to the left, which leads back down and it makes a big loop, about 5 miles. The way we are going today is about 10 kilometers in all.


Would you believe I forgot my bells? In my morning fog brain I forgot them. Instead, in my waistpack I put the most basic bare essentials. Here is what I grabbed. A beanie. My reading glasses, you know in case I run into a newsstand or something along the way. A debit card. Same reason. A box of tictacs. A lip sunscreen and my mobile phone. Oh, and a Sigg water bottle. We're not supposed to buy plastic bottled water. What was i saying about running with excess weight? I never said I was brilliant. I'm just sayin'.

It is so dry. It may not look it, but California is in the middle of a drought. Water is our most precious resource and wildfires in this area are one of our biggest threats. Yet even in a stressed state the trees and plants have so much beauty. The hardy oak and it's acorn.


Here is one of the creek crossings. Sometimes the water comes all the way up to the tree on the right. That is an incredible sight, watching the creek rush bubbling over the rocks!

This is all over the trail. Sage. It has the best smell. Its uses are many. My favorite besides to smudge is to put a bundle in my husbands truck and then it doesn't smell so awful. The truck. Not the sage.

Look! A porcupine! ok, not really. But doesn't it look like it? Well, I try running meditation but I'll admit, my mind wanders.In fact I want it to so I can pretend I am somewhere else. Some place other than trying to run up this hill.


Can you see him? If you look really closely you can see my husband, he's in that little divot in the hillside. He was calling "wifey! here I am!" I don't even try to keep up anymore. I tell him to go ahead. See ya when I see ya.

This may not look steep to you. But it is. Oh it is. My mantra "one more step, one more step, one more step..." sometimes turns into " take me now, take me now, take..."

Look how high we are. Here you can see Santa Cruz Island in the distance. This is part of the Channel Islands chain. Santa Barbara Island (the one we were going to) is way behind this. Hi. I see you islands. Now there is no wind. Not a bit. Stop laughing at me islands.


There is my husband. Sitting waiting for me. He is enjoying the wonderful view. I can't wait to join him. We are half way done.



I made it! Time for a little rest before we head back down. My husband said to me, "I heard you coming a long way away. What is in your pack?" I pulled out all my stuff. He saw the tictacs. "There's your bells."

He was right. The tictacs (which if you are not familiar, is a tiny box of mints) were making a sound like mexican maracas. There was a fiesta in my pants all the way back down. La Cucaracha!

Oh, and in case you were wondering why I titled my post this way, it's because that is what I did the rest of the day after our trail run... And...

after taking my grandbabies to the zoo!

xx lori

Mother Nature always knows best

This island is our nemesis. We lay in bed early this morning saying this to each other. It must be. What is the explanation for why gale force winds of at least 30 knots came up late yesterday afternoon, and are fore casted to continue at least until tonite. We continued to prepare anyway, hoping it would die down. We had been planning this trip for over 2 months, maybe this is only a clearing wind...






But a phone call at 5 a.m. confirmed it. All trips have been cancelled. And so we got back into bed and lay there staring up at the ceiling and trying not to feel too frustrated or disappointed. We started remembering the other episodes we'd had with this particular island.





First there was the time my husband had an assignment to write a story about paddling around the island. I was invited to come along and i gladly accepted thinking to myself, this should be doable, no problem, the island is only a mile across, so the paddle around it should be simple. Instead it turned out to be in my top 3 worst ever experiences, EVER. It began with the boat ride. The ride over took over 3 hours of rough open sea. When we arrived I was feeling a little green and wobbly and couldn't wait to get on land. But that was for the other people, the people that came for the day, for the hiking. We were here to paddle. Oh yeah. My husband said we are getting straight into our kayaks from the boat. From one boat to another. I was to go first. I knew I was in trouble the moment I was pushed off from the Island Packers boat. The current was so strong I immediately got whisked (is that the right word?) a mile out to sea. Well, not really, but I was out there. Now I have a little experience, not a complete novice, I have done this before, but I knew right off, I was in over my head. I made it back to the boat and just in time because the others were in their boats and they said "Ready?! let's go!"





We were a group of 4. It was my husband, a guide who had paddled this island before, his friend and me. I need to describe the other's because it's part of the reason this day was so horrid. The experienced guide was a kind man of around 70 years old, he was amazingly strong and fit. He had a gentle voice and I liked him right away. His friend was a very cute girl about 30. She was also a very experienced paddler. But I sensed some animosity. She wouldn't talk to me or even acknowledge me. Instead sticking between the 2 men. They were paddling and talking and laughing, just like this, la la la, a walk in the park. But not me. It was hard. I was pushing just to keep up. This was different, open ocean, 60 miles from the mainland, currents, sharks, I admit it, I was sketched. Suddenly the girl makes a u-turn and paddles back to me. She says to me Are you sure you've done this before? I say Yes. I have. And then she gives me a lesson in paddling. I think, oh, ok, this is just being nice. She wants to help me. So I say thank you. And she says Keep up.And shoots me this look. And then she paddles away, skitter scatter skimming over the water like a little sea fairy.





Then my husband falls back. Hey honey! how are you doing? Ok? isn't this great?! I don't want to be the spoil sport so I say Oh Yes! Great! Then he says, Ok, good, because this could get a little difficult. We are apparently at the "Easy" part right now. He says see the point up ahead? well, when we round that we will be heading right into the wind and it is also the open side, like next stop is Japan. So I decide I'd better be a little more honest. I tell him I might be in a little over my head. This is kinda hard. And then I tell him about the girl. He just shrugs. He said Don't worry about her. He said he sensed a bit of an attitude. He told me I could do this and he would always be right here to help if I needed. So I said Of course! I Can do this!





And then we rounded the point. Oh my God. It was unbelievable. The water was changed, white caps and chop, huge unbreaking waves that form these deep troughs. The island was all sheer cliffs and rock outcroppings. We were commited now. I don't know if it was fear or adrenaline or upsetness that kept me going. It's hard to describe. No one else was having a problem. My husband was all over the place, he'd paddle close to the island to check out caves or get photos, the girl his constant companion. The guide stuck with me mostly offering over and over to tow me. I am so stubborn I wouldn't accept. I am going to do this if it kills me I thought. It's a bad trait I have. So stubborn.





Half the time I don't know if it was the wind and sea spray or tears on my face.





One time I saw my husband and the sea fairy locked in a kayak to kayak embrace the way zebras do when they are each facing the other way, being the eyes for each other. Only they were facing each other. She was asking my husband to help her with her removing her pullover. She was laughing. It was all so gay! I was thinking of other ways to use my paddle.





3 grueling hours later we made it back to where we started. I was shaking as I groped for the ladder dangling off the side of the dark cliff. I could barely pull myself up and my legs wouldn't work at all. My butt was asleep. But I was out of the boat and I honestly was never so happy to step on dry land in all my life. When I reached the top of the stairs and stood, dripping wet and shivering, a group of people said to me "were you one of the paddlers going around the island?" I said uh-huh. They said We Can't believe you did that! We watched you go all the way around. uh-huh. I couldn't believe it either.





That was one episode, the other is much shorter. One time husband went out to same island for photos. Planned for 3 days again. Only weather turned. 3 days turned into 10. He was all alone on the island. Just him and 2 others. 2 women rangers. Tucked into a teeny tiny ranger shack. For 10 days. Sounds like the making of a movie eh?







So...he "What would you like to do now?" me " I don't know, it's windy everywhere" We knew from watching the weather channel that there was a cold front coming from the north and cold wind was blowing through the mountains, deserts and of course the ocean. So as we lay there thinking of a plan A or B or even C, we knew the wind that was howling outside our house was going to be anywhere we would go...



and so we decided we would stay right here. in bed.



and so we are. a different adventure indeed.

Sailing into the Mystic

We are leaving for 3 days. Tomorrow morning at 7am we will be on an Island Packers boat heading out of Ventura Harbor.



We are going to Santa Barbara Island. It is part of the Channel Islands National Park. S.B island is one of a chain of 5 that makes up the Channel Islands. Santa Barbara is one of the farthest ones away from the mainland, almost 60 miles straight out to sea.



The islands are often referred to as the Galapagos of North America. Even though it's close to the California mainland it is worlds apart. Although the park is within 60 miles of 18 million people, it is home to 175 miles of pristine undeveloped coastline.


Isolation over 1000's of years has created unique animals, plants and architectural resources found nowhere else on earth.




Is this too much like a social studies lesson? would you like to hear more? wish i could hear you nodding your head, up down, or side to side please stop now... well, i'll continue only because i love this place so much. you would too. It's really incredible, trust me.


So, a little bit of the history. The first European visitor to the Channel Islands was in 1542. His name was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer. Before he arrived these islands were home to the Chumash Indians. Santa Rosa Island is home to the remains of a 13,000 year old woman, they are the oldest dated human remains in North America. There are even pygmy mammoth fossils. And a petrified forest! And shipwrecks!



The island itself is made up of volcanic rock. And steep wave cut cliffs. Its the smallest of the islands, only 1 sq. mile. That's it.


Getting there takes around 3 hours of bouncing boat & barfing people. Getting on the island itself is treacherous. Remember i told you its all cliffs? so there is only one way on. The boat idles up to a looooooong rickety rusty metal ladder that is anchored to a rock cliff. You have to unload all your stuff, and make it snappy please or the captain of the boat gets grumpy. Then when its your turn to go you wait for the boat to surge towards the ladder, making sure you got a good grip, and up you go. It's fun. Really.



Why are we going here? well, because no one else does, for one. It's hard to be alone in the outdoors where we live, and its just incredibly beautiful. and this time, for work. My husband has an assignment for a magazine that wants several trails mapped out on gps and C.I. is on the list.



We will also bring kayaks, take photos, go bird watching, have a shag without having to hang the Do Not Disturb sign...!!



What will we see? are you still with me?? Ok! this will be the last lesson. Santa Barbara Island has a large Sea Lion rookery & Seabirds nesting colonies. It is home to the largest breeding colony for the rare Xantus's Murrelet, a threatened seabird species. If we're lucky we'll see one. We'll also see Black Storm Petrel, warblers, finches, owls!! and hummingbirds. There are no trees, or shelter of any kind, but there is the Santa Barbara Island Live-Forever, a succulent plant endemic to the island. Which will offer no protection whatsoever should there be a storm. But there won't be. It's going to be sunshine and smooth sailing...(finger's crossed).



and when that foghorn blows i will be coming home...





oh and if you've read this far and you have an interest in seeing what the Islands look like you can go to http://www.chuckgrahamphoto.com/ go into the gallery and click on Channel Islands for a look at some beautiful images...




enjoy your weekend!





xx lori

Big Cat Country

A warning was in our local paper this week.





Caution was being urged for people hiking and biking along the trails of Santa Barbara and Montecito after a recent rash of mountain lion sightings in the front country.



Trail users are advised to not travel alone, avoid dusk and dawn hours, and can you believe this?... to carry rocks in their pockets or a stick in case of a run-in with the normally solitary and elusive cats.




What are we supposed to do with the pebbles in our pockets? pelt the poor animal? wave the stick? throw it? reason with it, see here mr. cougar, i've got a stick and i'm not afraid to use it!We were always taught to get big, raise your arms, yell. And never, ever, run.





But this brings me to my next point. That's what we do. Running on these trails. Great. I mean i always knew they were out there, it's the Los Padres National Forest. But you just don't see them. Or the bears. My mind works this way, if don't see it, it's not there.(this doesn't apply to spirituality however!) . So what to do?... I do not want to add one more speck of weight to my body when i run, as it is i choose trail shoes based on weight first, traction second, cuteness third (at least my feet can look good).

here is a pic my husband took of me on one of the trails near where we live, can you see it winding up the mountain? see our town way down below? the pacific ocean in the distance? any mountain lions? my red face?

I've got it! bells! the kind you ring to let the bears know you are coming. i could run with bells and scare (hopefully) away the cats, at the very least, warn them i'm headed their way. I like my idea. I'm going to try it tomorrow morning, well past dawn. wellll past.





I'll let you know how my little experiment works.





or not.





oh god that's a horrible thing to say. sorry mom if your reading this. just kidding.








xx lori

I've got the answer

Well only for the question "what is a meme?" anyway. First I went to my good friend google for the answer, I was sent to my other friend wikipedia, where i finally found the explanation i'd been looking for and here is what w.p. had to say:



A meme (pronounced /miːm/)[1] consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, gestures, practices, fashions, habits, songs, and dances. Memes propagate themselves and can move through the cultural sociosphere in a manner similar to the contagious behavior of a virus.




This cleared things right up for me. That explains the lists that are circulating all over the web in blogland. We are so interested in each other that we want to know more about what its like being you, or me, as the case may be. I'm sure that's why i do this, it's fun to write about myself, (i didn't realize just how fun!) but more, I want to know about you, what you think, to learn something new about you and where you live in this big, beautiful world.




I could've just read blogs. Alot of people do. But where is the fun in that? Only by commenting and replying does this come to life. You are just like me, i'm sure. Doing your daily stuff. And whether you pray or meditate or believe in menehunes you are out there. Real as rain.




The sharing that is going on is phenomenal to me. This goes much deeper than any idea or photo could show, it is a connection with compassion. I can feel minds and hearts meeting. Ok, so my kids roll their eyes and say to each other, oh mom's talking to her "friends" again. I only smile and say when you want to know, i could show you what its like to have friends on any level. Even in ones you haven't met.





It exists.


So. i'm next to be tagged by Val! I'm not entirely sure how to play but i think the first part goes like this...

You have to choose a person to describe that's in your phones address book and so i...



did push 3 times,and then go down 3. I'm pretty sure i am not following the rules but do you really care? ok. getting on with it. Twice it landed on a restaurant. The third time it landed on MyGirlHannah. This is just the way i have her written in my phone, but i did want to talk about someone else so i went one up and finally... Mr. Bill.



Mr. Bill is a one of a kind, truebluegoodguy friend. He was a friend of my husbands first, until i met him, now he is a friend of my entire family. I'm not sure when the Mr. started, he probably coulden't tell you either.



Mr.Bill is something of an enigma, most of what he does is a mystery. He has never really had a job, save for halfheartedly selling his surf photos to magazines. We often wondered how he supported himself. You can find him everywhere. Everyone knows him. Some of our friends were on a surf trip to Tahiti and who did they bump into? Mr. Bill! My husband was on a trip with him one time, they were in Chile. Eating at a little outdoor cafe. My husband got up to use the bathroom , and when he came back he found Mr. Bill talking to some people he knew from California. My daughter has been taking public transportation, she said to us "Guess who i saw on the bus? Mr. Bill!" And it doesn't matter where he is, if i bake a chocolate cake he will be at my door before its cooled. i have a feeling my husband tips him off on this one.



Every one should have a friend like Mr. Bill. There isn't anything he woulden't do for us. Or anyone we know. Or anybody period. There is just one problem with this man. He would live with us if we let him. He doesn't know when to go home or say goodbye. The first time we had him over was with a group of friends. Everyone left. Except Bill. He stayed on and on. I looked at my husband (who was then my boyfriend) and he looked at me, and he saw i was ready to be alone. My husband said Good Nite Bill. Its Time to Go Now. I was quite embarrassed, i 'd never told someone to go home before. But Mr. Bill got up, stretched, smiled and left. My husband said sorry honey, its what you have to do with Mr. Bill. He told me for years he would just turn out the lights and go to bed, leaving Mr. Bill sitting there alone in the dark continuing to watch the t.v. It's just the way he is. So now, even the kids know, unless you want to miss your sleep, miss your bus, be late for work, you have to say good- bye Mr. Bill. But we love you still. always.


And now it's time for The List. I think you must answer the question's on the list using only 8 words, but maybe i'm wrong. In any case i coulden't do that, that would be too much thinking , like writing a haiku. But still for your sakes, i kept it short. pretty much.


1. Where were you 10 years ago?


In a pippi longstocking house(do you know villa villakula?, decrepit and all that, a horse and monkey on the porch?) down by the beach, newly separated, shaken , miserable.


2. What's on your to do list today?



meditate, then run in the a.m., throw in a load of laundry, go to work, go to market, bring a salad to the girls varsity for their pre-game meal, go to my daughters game, come home from game, cook dinner, eat, read, shower, have sex. that's the plan anyway. this does not include any extracurricular activities.


3. What if you were a billionaire?



i would hand it all over to my son(the one with the marketing degree, not the one who works at a wine bar) to figure out . i can't be trusted with money.


4. Five places you have lived?



California and Hawaii


5. Three bad habits?


only 3 shewww... i take one bite out of each chocolate in the box and put it back (its just a tiny bite ok?) i never balance my checkbook and i think i can read minds.



6. Snacks you like?


i don't really snack, so can i say i love, red wine, risotto and chocolate?



That's it. oh and one last thing about meme, i read somewhere it rhymes with dream.




now that's it.





xxx lori

For monday

as for the last post...



i really debated about writing it. i wonder still how i'd like this blog to go. keep it light or make it more personal? bore to death or worse drive off the 5 lovely people that read it.



so i just decided not to think about it too much. this is supposed to be fun and a good learning experience. so there it is.



i'd like to share something with you that will leave a better feeling in your heart. and so you wont remember me for that last dismal post.


if you haven't seen this already, you are in for a treat. click the" watch in high quality ", turn up the volume, grab your friends and family, and enjoy!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY





xxx lori

on the fence

a friend of mine sent this to me today...



While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man.
Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heart beat away from being President.
The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle.' Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.
The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle.'
The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain. 'You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and you just Wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with.'


Our voter sample ballots came in the mail today. According to my informal poll, here is how its looking: Obama 10 - McCain 10 -OnTheFence 20. We have about 34 more days to figure it out.

Angela reminded me to say that my husband did return safely. No run in with pirates or sharks. He did look like a pirate tho, all bearded and scruffly and smelled a mix of sea and smoke (no, not that kind, campfire smoke!).

He told us stories describing the sealife he encountered, the waves they surfed, the pissed friend that got pounded in a sea cave when my husband directed him to get in there just so, so he could get the photo, i could really relate to that one, not that d.h. would put me in any real predicament but i know the lengths he will go to to get THE photo.



He brought home a pile of equipment, a bag of dirty laundry and one perfectly ancient abalone shell for me. Well, a part of one. It's colors are so intense and it weighs like a rock. I said, you carried this with you when you paddled? it's so heavy! he just smiled and said i knew you would like it.



yes. i do.