Happy Bastille Day!

Bastille Day is an independence day in France, marked with celebrations and parades...

July 14th is also very near and dear to my heart because it is my birthday! I am 31 today. Funny, doesn't seem like I am a "thirty-something" but here we go. I had always held 30 up as the point where you become a grown up, but now I think maybe the magic age might be 40. I mean, come on, I am nowhere near grown-up. I like Harry Potter more than any one person should be allowed, I live to color (though I can justify it by calling it "art"), I bought a car because it was a "pretty pretty Mustang" etc. I am so not grown up.

My dad says that 40 wasn't it, nor 50, so maybe we are grown ups at 60? Who knows.

My very cool coworkers are taking me out to lunch today--Thai food. I never get to eat Thai because no one in my family likes it. I also could have gone for Mexican food, but the Mexican place that I like puts a hat on your head and sings to you on you birthday. I am so not feeling the hat.

I guess the only thing that I would really like for my birthday this year would be for my dad to come home and cook dinner--swiss steak. But not this year. I guess I'll have to go to Hawaii for lucky number 32.

Happy, uh, 5th of July

I didn't look at the clock until just now, so I realize that it is no longer Independence Day. It was a little less exciting than 4th in the past. Due to the fact that nearly half of the state in on fire, they have postponed the city display until September, so we enjoyed a few safe and sanes in the front yard and called it a day. We did get to view some illegal aerial fireworks from the people the next block over, but I am pretty sure that they were tracked down by the roving FD folks.

We have had some really great news--my mom has been offered a job in Hawaii...she will be moving in the next month or so. I am excited for her, but feel a deep sense of loss at the same time--my best friend and mom is moving out of state. I will be lonely. It also means a huge shift in responsibility for me, as I will be buying their house here and taking it on. Wow, grown up stuff. No longer a renter, but full fledged home owner!

Weird Weather We're Havin'

It looks like rain when you get up, but turns sunny and warm--but not too warm--as the day wears on. It is not hot by any means--not like it was a few weeks ago. The weather is WEIRD.

My parents are in Hawaii now. Weird weather there is actually normal. It is no big thing to have a major rainstorm every day around 4, or to have a chilly day followed by a balmy night. They had been in drought for a few weeks prior to my mom going over there, but it began raining in earnest almost as soon as her plane touched down. We have dubbed her the Rain Goddess, since she has had that effect on the island numerous times. They ought to pay her for her rain giving services!

Happy-dappy June!

I am in utter disbelief that it is June! My mom is in Hawaii (with my dad, who's basically a full-time resident now), so I am super jealous. But the weather here has turned, it is extremely beautiful, so I am glad to be in Red Bluff at the moment.

They took the ugly metal screens off of the windows at my office, so there is sunlight streaming into the room--of course it also highlights just how dirty the window are, but I hope they leave the stupid screens off, because it sure is nice to turn off the fluorescents and just work by sunlight.

Within the next couple of days I will post a couple of how-tos that I have been holding onto while I waited for pictures. They are good 'uns. Later, y'all (and by y'all I mean the 2 regular readers that I have and the countless others that stumble upon my blog hoping to find something good. Sorry to disappoint!)

Ever gone back and read your diaries?

I did, and it was a weird and enlightening experience. To see who I was so long ago...for instance, I just read the diary I was working on when I got my current job, 6 years ago. It is funny, when I saw the job announcement, I wasn't too excited about the job, then I interviewed and was certain that I didn't get the job, and secretly hoped that I wouldn't because I didn't think I was completely qualified. I read about, and re-lived the day that they told me I got the position, and showed me my office--that was the part I emphasized, not the people I met, but that I had an OFFICE (a word that was underlined about 6 times). I can't believe how childish I sound, when I thought I was so mature back then (I was 24 at the time).

I even read some of the stuff I wrote in high school and college. I was so full of angst. How very 90's of me...

I have a confession...

I am letting you know...this is hard...that I really, really like Harry Potter. That's right. I am a giant Harry Potter nerd. I have read all of the books a couple of times now, watched the movies countless times, listen to www.mugglenet.com podcasts and check the site at least a couple times a week to see if there is any new Potter news. I sometimes even find myself pondering the wizarding world. It is sad, pathetic. I know it. I am seeking help.

Starbucks

So, we all know that Starbucks has a bad rep, being corporate and ruthless in their takeovers of small markets and such. My most favorite Lewis Black bit is about the Starbucks with a Starbucks across the street, in the same building as the first one. He claims that the only people who would need that kind of Starbucks saturation would be Alzheimer's patients. I would disagree with that--there are Starbucks that are smelly, grimey or otherwise undesireable which warrant another option. There are also days that require another cup of coffee, incognito (I mean, who wants to go back again and again for a fix from the same all-seeing barista? Caffeine paranoia, anyone?). But this is not why I needed to write to you today.

I like the "vintage" Starbucks cups. They are marketing their Pike's Place Roast in honor of their original store in Seattle (opened in 1971 for anyone who cares). They have rolled out the original, double tailed mermaid design in brown on their cups, all of their promo signs are written like cafe chalk boards, and there are these cute green cup spout stoppers that you can get. Those are completely unnecessary and wasteful, especially if you are (and you SHOULD be) using your own cup. But I love little details and gadgets and these are cool nonetheless.

Here's the thing about Starbucks, though. First of all, I am adverse to spending $4 on a cup of coffee. I just can't justify it, especially when regular food is now a fortune and you have to be a millionaire to fill your car's gas tank. I have been getting just brewed coffee, but even that, at a buck seventy-five, is pricey when you consider I can make it myself for mere pennies. Second of all, I go through cycles of not being able to tolerate their coffee. It is so darkly roasted that it tastes scorched to me, and I am not happy with it. I drink espresso elsewhere and it is rich, chocolaty and not BURNED. But at Starbucks, they pride themselves in this roasting style.

But I love to sit there in the squishy chairs, slowly sipping a cup of joe, talking with my companion, whomever they may be (oh, who am I kidding? It will be mom). It is amazing that Starbucks has built an empire on selling a stimulant drug in an environment for relaxing.

Okay, gotta go get a cuppa.

Brie and other random loves

I love Rouge Et Noir Brie. It is a California company and the brie is creamy, sweet and so tasty. We put it on crusty bread from Raley's--I think its called a pugliese bread.

I love cheap, fruit flavored wine. There is one in particular, Fruitezia, that has a tropical flavor. It is slightly carbonated and a little tart.

I like pepsi, and Red Robin burgers, and mochas from Starbucks. I love Simply Orange juice.

There you go. I think I have the munchies.

Prom Project Update

The Prom Project has now held 2 boutiques, and they have been a smashing success. We have given away about 20 dresses, and still more keep rolling in. We actually received 8 dresses and a big box of jewelry just today. It has been unreal, how supportive people are of the project.

It is so neat to see the girls shop for their formal wear. They are all so surprised at how nice the dresses are--I guess they assumed we would have old grandma dresses and thrift store cast-offs to offer, so we hear a lot of exclamations of "Wow, these dresses are really nice!" I am so honored to be a part of this project. I do the prevention education portion, and all of the young people have been really good listeners, asking questions and participating. I know they are just doing as a means to an end, but I hope at least some of the info will sink in.

New Opportunity: Getting Paid for My Opinion!

Who knew that there were people out there that want to pay for my opinion? Sure enough, Pay Per Post does. I was so completely skeptical about such a thing--getting paid to blog, but I did a google search on it anyway, and found Pay Per Post. It was pretty easy to sign up for, although I really got a crash course in how my particular blog worked--I had to learn about RSS, and how to add things to the HTML, etc. I feel so smart! Let's see if I get paid to blog.

I am so looking forward to researching new and interesting products, websites and services that I might never have known about. I am also really looking forward to paying off my insurmountable credit card debt with the proceeds of posting. I am really enjoying learning about new blogs through Pay Per Post as well--I always check out their Blog of the Day, and aspire to one day be one! These are people who get paid to blog.

So, every now and then, I will get sponsored to discuss products and services that I would be talking about anyway. I love to review stuff, but anything that I get compensated for discussing, I will let you, my readers know about. But, hey, if you are a blogger, check out Pay Per Post, and get paid to be opinionated! I will let you know once I get my first paycheck if it is worth it to get paid to blog

The Prom Project is Up and Running!

We kicked off the Prom Project yesterday. The boutique looked beautiful, as we decorated conference room A in teal, orange, yellow and lime (sounds awful, I know, but it matched our comfy orange lounge chairs and throw pillows). We had a small turnout for the first day, but as it is a minimum day at the high school each Monday, we figure kids just went home and forgot about us. We had a lot of support from the media! The Red Bluff Daily News, Redding Record Searchlight, and Channel 7 all came out and did pieces. The RBDN had us front page, above the fold, and ch. 7 had us on the 11pm news (and I hope the news today). The Searchlight only publishes the Red Bluff section twice a week, so we look forward to their piece as well.

Because of the buzz created, we have been inundated with calls and visits of people donating more things, asking to be a part of the project, and just sharing their prom stories. The other blog, My Prom Story, has been so well received. It has been amazing having so many people share their prom experience, and wishing this year's prom-goers a great time.

Note: The photo above is from the RBDN article.

Graffiti Follow-Up

I had to find it again, but a couple of years ago I ran across this amazing website, called Graffiti Archaeology, which has matched photos of various locations and the evolution of the graffiti found there. It is truly amazing. Check it out!
http://www.otherthings.com/grafarc/
There is one photo series in particular that is a train tunnel. The first photo taken in 1949 shows a train actually coming through it. Through the years it is fenced, then walled, all the while being covered in graffiti. A few pictures even depict some of the culprits/artists. Amazing stuff.

Graffiti=Art?

In the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, there was an article recently outlining a new rewards program for tipsters informing on graffiti taggers. The issue of graffiti has reach epidemic proportions in some areas of the Big Island, frustrating public officials and local business owners and costing a considerable amount of money to cover it. The taggers are becoming more and more bold, leaving larger tags in more prominent areas. It is an issue in Red Bluff too, with gang rivalry being expressed in tag speak. I studied graffiti a great deal for my master's thesis, and note the destructive nature of such vandalism as it instigates violence in some cases. But I also see the beauty of graffiti.

I have always been mesmerized by boxcars covered in tags, the cryptic messages, the color gradations, and the flowing design of graffiti. It is beautiful, and created using just a couple of colors and the difficult-to-control spray can. In Pahoa, there used to be a wall lining an alley (on the side of JoMaMa's, across from LaQuin's) that was a designated graffiti spot. Many local youth artists would create this cacophony of color and design. It was one of my regular pilgrimages to visit the wall, take a picture and see how it has changed. There was very little graffiti in other parts of town. The last time I was in Pahoa, the wall was white; the lovely little graffiti tradition had been lost.

Graffiti can be a major hot-button issue. So, yes, discourage the destruction of public property. Place bounties on tagger's heads if you must. But give these artists another venue to display their work. I can't say that it will eliminate their need to exhibit in more dangerous and visible locations, but it will give them a legitimate location for their work and it will not deprive the rest of us the opportunity to marvel at such gritty, interesting art.

Springtime in Tehama County

Happy 1st day of Spring! Tehama County does Spring in a big way, with our orchards of plum and almond trees blooming, our tree lined streets and highways leafing out, and fields being plowed and planted. It is a beautiful place to be--though if you have seasonal allergies, stock up on antihistamines!

I happened upon this orchard near Gerber. Surprisingly, the picture was taken with my cell phone--I am forever amazed at the quality images it can capture. Obviously, I can get better with my 35mm, but not too shabby.

Happy Birthday to Kilauea Eruption!

It has been 25 years since the beginning of the current Kilauea eruptions which has added 500+ acres to the Big Island of Hawaii and covered several populated areas, including the small town of Kalapana. To read the US Geological Survey's assessment of the lengthy eruption, visit their website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/current_issue.html

The activity of the volcano and the Volcano Goddess, Madame Pele is the subject for much of the art and lore that comes out of Hawaii, and with good reason. The terrible beauty and constant threat of the volcano is very much in the mind of any island resident or visitor. It is amazing to stand on new earth, as you can at the New Black Sand Beach in Kalapana, and frightening to imagine that possibly thirty feet below you was someone's home, covered in lava. While it is a difficult trek, to hike out to the lava, it is worth it to see the glow of lava coming over the hill, to see the steam plume as it hits the ocean, and wonder where Madame Pele plans to go next.

Happy 2008

Welcome to a new year. It is exciting to think about the new year, and to view it as a starting point for changes. It is really an arbitrary marker, but it is so ingrained in us that we can resolve to be a better person starting on this date. Well, I bought into the hype, and have made some resolutions:

-I will recycle, reuse and reduce more--I won't buy new things if I can help it (see the compact: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thecompact/)
-I will learn more and talk less
-I will be creative every day
-I will drink more water and eat more veggies
-I will give credit where it is due

It is going to be a great year--I know it!

My niece, the artist

I have a beautiful and amazing niece, Ryley, whom turned one on Dec. 22nd. Her mom gave me a large collection of art supplies--one of those giant kids art packs--for Christmas. Ryley and I sat down with it Christmas day and she colored! We have been doing art together since she could hold her head up, but she didn't really get the concept that she was making marks on paper until now. She used markers on paper--and chose her own colors. She stayed with earth tones, greens, blues and browns and she is definitely a lefty, like me. I am just so thrilled!

Arts are my passion

As the chairperson of the Tehama County Arts Council and a part-time artist (though I am a professional now--I've sold a piece) I am constantly in the market for new and interesting ways that people express themselves. I am determined to comb the net looking for like-minded individuals. I joined myspace, and while I reconnected with a wide variety of old high school friends, I found not a lot of art. I joined zaadz, and rather enjoy the camaraderie there, but have a hard time with how "spiritual" everyone is. I joined another blogging site just today, but will not continue that one, despite how pretty my site is because I don't wish to pay for the privilege. I hope to have fun and make connections here.