Murph's Stuff

2010-09-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

Istanbul

We got up early and went to the restaurant for breakfast. A beautiful buffet with hard boiled eggs, fruits ( fresh apricots yum) vegetables, every thing you can think of to drink, bread, honey still in the comb. We sat on a deck looking over the city and harbor, sea gulls calling. The Blue Mosque was on one side and the Hagia Sophia on the other. I went Turkish and wore a shawar kameze (sp?) It is all cotton, long sleeves long pants and a scarf to wear around your neck or head. I actually did you it as a head scarf a lot. It kept the sun off my head. The Mosque was very pretty and old.

Digression: Old has an entirely different meaning here. There is Texas old ( 150- 200 years) East Coast old ( 1700 A.D. ) Turkish old, that you are walking around in is like 500 AD. The streets are old the walls are old. Not everywhere. There are a lot of new buildings and industry. But the old stuff is really old.

The Mosque is still in use. There is a tourist side you can go in. The tiles and mosaics are fabulous. Imagine a dome that climbs in to the sky with windows with stained glass all over it. Very cool.

We went over to the Sophia. Sort of a line to get in but it wasn’t that bad. Now you have to understand that everyone here is working all the time doing something to separate you from your money. So we had a boatload of guides ask us if we wanted them to show us through the museum. We said no to everyone, but the thing is there is almost nothing to tell you what is what in the museum. It would have really helped to have someone tell us about the place. But it had been a work in progress. It was built by Justinian. It was a beautiful cathedral. There are all sorts of mosaics that are gorgeous. Later Muslims took it over but contrary to usual practice, instead of destroying the murals, they plastered over them. Now work is going on to uncover the mosaics. All sorts of young women in head scarves climb up on scaffolding and carefully remove tiny bits of plaster and in no air conditioning. I was so tired I fell asleep sitting up in a chair in an outside snack area.

Then we went to the ship, checked in and had our welcome lunch. We went back into to town for Jeannie’s birthday dinner at Hamdi Restaurant. The service is always so good and we had fantastic food. Dessert was great: baklava and this stuff that took 20 min. to make. We took pictures and Mr. Hamdi himself took a picture with Jeannie and then took a picture of the three of us. It took awhile to get home because we didn’t have the address of the ship. The staff of the restaurant worked very hard to figure it out and finally we got back. One more little drama went one of us lost out key card for the boat and we had to go back to the Hamdi to see if it was there. We finally made it back to the ship and to bed.

2010-09-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Istanbul -First Night
The wedding and the Presidential suite

So we ended up at our hotel, two hours later than we expected, and our host said “ Welcome, You are very happy! Do you want something to drink? Water, coffee, apple tea?” That was the first but certainly not the last time we heard this offer. We got the presidential suite and went up to the roof to talk to the manager about tours, which we declined. Then we decided to stay there and eat supper. Beautiful fresh fish with grilled vegetables. And Raki. This is the national alcohol of Turkey, reminiscent of ouzo but not as anisy. When you add water it turns white and they call it tiger’s milk because it is strong and makes you growl. We could see a lot of Istanbul from the roof and there was a lovely breeze.
We then went out on the streets of Istanbul and naturally we shopped. I then found out my Discover card was not accepted in Turkey or Greece, which is a good thing because I will save money in the long run. The people are incredibly nice and predictable. “Where are you from? What part? I have (pick on of the following) : 1. A cousin who lives in Houston. 2. Been to the states to sell carpets to designers. 3. Went to school in _____________. 4. (personal favorite) born in Colorado.”
People let us use phones to call our credit card, always offered drinks, let me come back and pay the next day for my purchases, had paper airplane contests, and Jeannie’s marriage. Jeannie was trying on a coat and that prompted a spontaneous wedding. Pictures to follow. Home again and to sleep, with our windows open to the night air. NO Mosquitoes! No screens even. The next day is for going to mosques, museums and ………. Can you guess? …… shopping. See a theme?

Flight to Istanbul

2010-09-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Flight to Istanbul
Pictures of the Lovely Claire playing with The Honeypots and the Library Lion and I.
I got up early Sunday, took Gracie for our last walk around Prospect Park, (She drug her heels a little until we got to the squirrels.) then coffee and a Beesting. I found this amazing pastry at Sweet Mellisa’s . Just imagine brioche with vanilla custard dipped in honey caramel and topped with almonds. I ate fast so there wasn’t even a remote chance that Jeannie would wake up in time to ask for a taste.
We had a few last minute things to buy so it was off to Pure Essentials in Brooklyn. Nice man sold us all the things we needed and I tried to persuade him to visit Austin or at least go west. (Austin needs to hire me for their tourist bureau.)
We got to the airport, hitched up with Lynn and got on our flight to Rome with no problem. They feed you good food on those flights. We were right in the middle of the teenage Italians returning from an American tour and even if we could have slept it would have been hard. Flirting, playing cards, talking. Lots like a very long bus ride back from camp.
What to say about the Rome airport? There was a very pretty part to it, but that was not where we were. Our part was equal to many of the finer bus stations in the US. Uncomfortable seating, limited bathroom facilities and the flight left much later than expected. Of course this is seen through the eyes of an exhausted person.
The flight to Istanbul was quick and the trip through the airport was fine then we had an interesting time trying to get picked up to go to the hotel.
Now at this point I pointed out to my sister Jeannie that if we were lined up before a firing squad and they would certainly hit the most stubborn woman on the planet. We all have a plan and are convinced that it is the right one. It makes for some very interesting discussions.
We did make it to the hotel, and that will be the next blog: Night in Istanbul or Marriage of the Sister.

2010-08-01T03:33:00.000-07:00

Another amazing day. Gracie, our doggie companion walked in the Prospect Park with me bright and early. Came back and had a lovely scone and coffee, then it was off to Manhattan. We bit the bullet and bought tickets to go see the Addams Family at the 2:00 matinee, so that left us with about four hours to shop, and shop we did! Jeannie fell in love with a clothing store that only has 6 stores in the states and is based in Barcelona. She tried on clothes and I tried to talk the clerk ( very cute and Dutch) to come to Austin. We ate at this little restaurant that had windows that open right on to the street, Bull McCabe style. That was fine until a car caught on fire outside and N.Y.’s finest parked their fire truck right outside our window.

So it was off to the theater at a fast trot cause it was a ways away. The play was too too much fun and great singing and dancing. Then , Hmmmmm shall we try a guess???? More shopping! Back to Brooklyn in time for supper with Claire and Brian. It was fabulous ( thanks again guys {wait that should be ya’ll} {Part of my conversation with the Dutch kid} ) We went up to the famous roof . What a wonderful space that they have created. Back to our Brooklyn apartment, take Gracie for one last walk and fall into bed. No problems sleeping here!

2010-08-01T03:27:00.000-07:00

What a way to start a vacation. Easy flight from Austin talking to an almost 5^th grader about her life and school. Sweet polite child. The into NT. We got our own completely fantastic apartment. Then off to free MOMA day ( Thanks Target for sponsoring and Brian for telling us). Picasso , Matisse, cool sculptures fabrics. Confession We butted in line. The line was around the block and my karma is intact only because Jeannie accepted the guilt. More shopping, good food and Claire at the Rock Shop. Could it have been ant better? Another couple thou to spend wouldn’t hurt.

2010-07-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

When I was out picking grapes and it was hot and buggy, I imagined myself a mother in a hunting and gathering society. Imagined that if I gave up and didn't get every single grape, that it might mean that my children might be hungry in the winter. I imagined every day being like that, a fight to find food, and the responsibility that was almost overwhelming. I"m glad I could just walk away when I got too tired. But there are women out there that live like this every day.

2010-06-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

It's summer time. I again have time and inclination to write as opposed to rant. Stay tuned.

Beyond Blue A Very Special Moon

2009-12-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

This full moon is a blue moon, because it is the second full moon of the month. But it is more than that. It is also a full moon that will shine in two years. How rare. So I asked people to write poems about this moon. Here is mine.

Beyond Blue
Moons have names
bony moon
crane moon
hungry ghost moon
open sea moon
What to name this moon?
platinum moon?
It sends it's brittle rays through the crisp night
pearl moon?
Glowing soft in the sky, rosy in the velvet
precipice moon?
Teetering on the edge of the new
i don't know what is coming but i hope it will all work out ok moon?Holding our breath as we slide seamlessly into the new day.

Getting in the spirit

2009-11-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

I just went on Netflix and once again went in search of obscure holiday movies. Reviews to follow. The Flaming Lips: Christmas on Mars looked promising. I did not go in for any of the horror ones. I have standards.

2009-10-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

I came to the beach with friends. I slept last night on a porch, listening to the wave watching the stars and bats go by and reading trashy romances. OK, so perhaps I am not so zen. I did do yoga on the beach and am about to sit down to biscuits and chocolate gravy. ( Don't ask. I have no idea what I'm getting in to.) This is definitely "do what you need to do to take care of yourself" weekend. This afternoon: massage. Life is good.

Another Dream

2009-10-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

I dreamt that I was having a meeting at a garden center. I wandered through an old house and found myself in the part where they sold plants. Under a wooden lean-to , around a picnic table we met. I was playing around with the guy across from me ( Older, very funny, heavy set black guy) and then the meeting was over (I have no idea what it was about). I went to buy plants for my little water garden and was waited on by a pony tailed twenty something. So far the is all very Austin normal. I had made a mistake with my purchase and the guy was totally cool about fixing it. So far all normal. No hint that this is a dream. I went to look for Debra ( Yes she was there too) and I found her riding one of those little cars like Shriners have in parades. She was tearing all over the street. Then I realized it was a dream and woke up.
I do like to keep myself entertained even when asleep.

Dark Shadows

2009-07-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

When Dark Shadows came out I remember hearing about it. I don't even think I had a TV. Or perhaps it was on at a strange time. Whatever, I never saw it.
I love this show. It was like Buffy before Buffy only 80's instead of 90's. There are witches and a governess for goodness sake. A governess? Not in England? Oh well, good fun and steamy bodies, sex and magic and ghosts. Who could ask for more? Thanks to Hulu.

2009-07-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

I fell asleep in the hot tub and woke up to the moon shining down between the sunflowers. Life is good.

The Prophesies of Dr. Dolittle?

2009-07-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Dr. Dolittle and Tommy are getting ready to go on a trip. They are going to play "Blind Voyage", open the atlas and promise to go where the pencil falls, with eyes closed. Tommy says" Would we have to go to the North Pole?" And the Doctor repies.
"No. The rules of the game say you don't have to go any place you've been to before. You are allowed another try. I've been to the North Pole," he ended quietly, "so we shan't have to go there." I could hardly speak with astonishment.
"YOU'VE BEEN TO THE NORTH POLE!" I managed to gasp out at last. "But I thought it was still undiscovered. The map shows all the places explorers have reached to, TRYING to get there. Why isn't your name down if you discovered it?"
"I promised to keep it a secret. And you must promise me never to tell any one. Yes, I discovered the North Pole in April, 1809. But shortly after I got there the polar bears came to me in a body and told me there was a great deal of coal there, buried beneath the snow. They knew, they said, that human beings would do anything, and go anywhere, to get coal. So would I please keep it a secret. Because once people began coming up there to start coal-mines, their beautiful white country would be spoiled—and there was nowhere else in the world cold enough for polar bears to be comfortable. So of course I had to promise them I would. Ah, well, it will be discovered again some day, by somebody else. But I want the polar bears to have their play-ground to themselves as long as possible. And I daresay it will be a good while yet—for it certainly is a fiendish place to get to—
Prophetic.

Recipes

2009-07-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

This is a story about recipes, not really the recipes. Well there are recipes but they aren't the point.
Rosemary lemonade.
Those of us with rosemary are always looking for something to do with it, and if you are mostly vegetarian ( yes mostly) then chicken is out. So Vegetarian Times ( not just for vegetarians) had a thing about your favorite summer drink and someone mentioned rosemary lemonade. I looked it up on the web but then sort of invented my own version and it is good. Just simple syrup with some rosemary cooked in it for awhile then left to steep in some more fresh rosemary in the fridge. That in a glass with a slice of lemon squeezed in and lots of ice is great. I'm going for a rumless mojito ( which my friend Debra informs me is actually minty limeade).
Then there was the gazpacho that turned out to be really good thin hot sauce. Don't just upend the habenero lime hot sauce over the blender. On a positive note, it did clear my sinuses. I probably shouldn't have added the chipotle chili powder either.
Lastly, fresh figs poached in white wine NOT with thyme, which is the only recipe that came up on google. Mine are either star anise and cardamon or saffron and cinnamon sticks. These are killer and I tried canning it but am afraid that it is neither sugary enough or acid enough to can well so I'm keeping it in the fridge. It is so good, but again it response to having so many figs I don't know what to do with them all. The birds , butterflies and flies are doing there best to help. The tree at this time of year becomes a city, full of life, stinky in a good over-sweet way. I stand underneath and fig nectar rains on you. Then you eat warm figs off the tree, with the birds complaining overhead. It's a good thing I like my tree since it is trying to take over the backyard. Not winning but trying never the less. Life is good.

What I Learned on My Trip.

2009-06-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

I found out that there are nice people all over the country. The busiest clerk had time to wish us a safe trip. But they couldn’t connect unless I breeched the wall first. I guess the message is chat, with real people, in the now. Our trip was like a trail of smiles.
Kias rule! I’m sorry, but my little car made it up and down the mountains and went 80 in West Texas, with the air on. I just took it back in to my mechanics (John and Charles at Superior Automotive on 1st and Congress. You guys are awesome. Go see them if you need a truly honest mechanic.) Clean bill of health.
Friends, beware. Move away from Austin and you too may get to host me, and any friends I choose to drag along. Thanks again to Doug and Faye in Fort Collins, Bruce and Phillip in Las Vegas and Carl and Janie in Tempe.
You can become jaded to anything. I asked Corey to take a picture of a mountain in Texas for my collection and she said no. She did take it, but I have to tell you, the mind can only accept so much. I think we were both mountained out. “Oh another spectacular red rock mountain view, Yaaaaawn."
Thanks for following the trip. I’m going to put a slide show of mountains from different states on facebook soon. If you are not inured to mountain pictures yet.

2009-06-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

In response to 107 ( 107 degrees in Austin yesterday) I have struck back with my very own cool down system which I am willing to share.

1 Family Size Fun Pool- On sale at Target for 14.99

1 bath spa Thrift Town special for 20.00

1 extention cord - No clue where this came from.

1 Laudry detergent bucket- Free This is my pool side table.

1 Tarp Home depot maybe 6.00

1 glass of wine Twin vines, my new fav and only 6.00 at HEB.

1 steamy romance Book Exchange World's best used bookstore.

Results Priceless

I also included a shot of my new gazebo put together with my two hands and invaluable help from Michael and Kyle.

This system is not yet patented so anyone is free to copy the design or contact me for further instructions. Enjoy!

An Uncommon Blog: Hunger

2009-06-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

An Uncommon Blog: Hunger

2009-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

It’s late and I’ve been up since 5:30 mountain time, but I’m still buzzing from driving. We stayed with old friends of Corey’s in Tempe. Carl had the grill going and made Daddy Burgers and grilled shrimp and we had all the fixings to go with it. This was at poolside folks. While they were at it they fed half of their neighbors too. Salt of the earth doesn’t even begin to describe how kind these people are. We got a tour of the resort where Janie works. It was huge. We got lost wandering around the complex of rooms ,villas, restaurants, even a water park.
Sunday, Janie made us a wonderful breakfast from the baguette I got at the Wildflower Bakery in Sedona, (10% goes to help schools at risk.) Then we were off to the mountains that overlook the city. But it was silent Sunday and we couldn't go up the mountain unless we walked or rode a bike. Hmmmm walking up the asphalt road or even biking up a mountain in the over 90-degree heat, I don’t think so. So after goodbyes and invites to come to Austin and Bradenton, we were off on the road again. We did good. Made it all the way to El Paso. I will say that Tempe and most of southern Arizona is hot as the dickens. You couldn’t even know you were sweating. It just evaporated. What really got us were the signs. Caution : Blowing Dust Keep light on. Visibility may be zero. We saw the dust devils dancing between the mountains and us. There was a haze over everything. At night the side of the sky away from the sunset glowed pink with dust.
Starting out this morning after breakfast in the office. ( Janie, we miss your French toast!) We are home by tonight. Whoopee!

2009-06-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

View from our window

Hello again, this time from Sedona. We woke up yesterday in Las Vegas. Bruce filled us full of coffee, even pouring the cream. We talked and played with the dogs, then set out for the Pilipino grocery store. Aisles of fresh whole fish on ice, along with octopus, squid and pork blood (?). (Corey claims she was glad to be there with friends because it was scary. I did find some new fruits and veggies. I bought some purple yams, evidently a mainstay of the diet, and banana pears, (just short, fat bananas) and seaweed salad). Corey reminded me of the milkshakes, avocado, yam and other things I’m not sure of the spelling. We went to Jason’s Deli for lunch and then took off for Arizona.
Blowing kisses goodbye to Bruce we went first to the AT&T store to figure out why my Bluetooth wouldn’t work. (Don’t ever turn it off at the phone.) Then we were off to the Hoover Dam. Do you know that there is a security Guard at the Dam and it takes about an hour to make it across? Crawl, crawl crawl. But we saw that they are making a bridge to flyover the dam, so they can eliminate the security stop and speed up that spot.
The dam buildings at the top are all Art Deco, with Statues and gold art deco doors. On one side you are in Nevada and on the other side you are in Arizona. If driving with a standard transmission, I advise coasting down the hill to the dam to save your clutch. We had to go about 5 MPH the whole way down.
On the other side we hit our first real desert. We did spend short time on Route 66. Mostly a lot of really funky old building with "Historic Route 66" painted on the side. Still lots of mountains and the signs claimed elk and big horn sheep were going to jump us anytime, along with falling rocks. Nothing jumped us, the weather cooled from the razor wire wind we met it first to cool breezes and we were again in the mountains, this time with firs and the twistiest roads to date. But here we are in Sedona! First thing out of the car (at 8:30 at night) was Gypsy Jenny’s. Awesome clothes from Nepal. She really, really hoped that selling these clothes was a good thing for the people in Nepal. She knew and liked her suppliers, a family from Nepal. I talked Corey into a wonderful cute dress made of recycled saris and I got some truly wonderful pants. Jenny had been a hairdresser, but she now has the shop, with singing bells and jewelry and this unique clothes. I really haven’t seen anything like them.
We met a youth group on a mission trip from Richardson Texas, Church of the Nazarene. The youth minister was in front of us in the line (Sorry for the delay taking your order. We weren’t expecting 50 teenagers). They had been to a Navaho reservation for community service and were on their way back. We got the veggie pizza, truely fine and listened to a musician sing about his father and how he was sure he too had long hair while he was standing next to Jesus and now he understood his son.
It was hot tub and sleep time. Woke up and looked straight out on those rocks in the picture. Took that from our window. Now we are off to Tempe.

2009-06-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Morning all. I write from sunny Las Vegas. Yesterday was delightful. Free breakfast at the motel and it was good. Fresh waffles off the grill. Then we got on the shuttle to the park. Once in the park we got on another shuttle that took us through the park. You could get out at any stop, wander around as much as you wanted and catch another shuttle. It was all very clean and organized. We took some short walks, nothing over a mile. There were tons of people there of all sorts. So many different languages. Nice folk. We at garlic French bread with goat cheese and avocados, blackberries and cherries outside the old lodge that was built for tourists back in the 20’s. We stayed until about 3 then went back to town, picked up our car and headed for Las Vegas. Along the way we went to the Big Chill for snow cones. I was just thinking that snow cones were few and far between in this neck of the woods and here is a Hawaiian shaved ice place. Bright blue, built like a little house, cute as it could be. Very nice man inside. I really liked him because there were some kids there and he listened to what they wanted instead of listening to the Mom yelling from the car. Rather sounds like I’m a traitor to my own kind but she did sound a little bitchy. Anyway Austin got his three flavors instead of just two and he gave them an extra punch on their frequent customer card.
At this point we had gone through so many time changes, we literally didn’t know what time it was. Our various electronic devises didn’t agree either. Oh we changed the Tomtom’s voice so now he sounds like a Brit, sort of a young Sean Connery. But he still didn’t know what time it was. So we thought we were going to get here at 7:30, then we revised to 6:30 and it was actually 5:30. I think we now know we are firmly in the Pacific Time Zone.
We went out for Thai food, which was very good. We went swimming in a pool that is Bruce and Phillip’s backyard. ( We don’t need no stinking grass!) Today we are messing around in Las Vegas and then it’s off to Arizona. Yes we are going to Sedona Debra. Then off to Tempe.

Rain and Rocks

2009-06-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

This is Bryce Canyon . Me & Lou's

I’m trying something new. I’m writing as we go along the road.
We had the most extraordinary luck last night. We ended up in this cool little town of Malad. The motel was simple but you could tell a lot of work was being done. I talked to the lady who ran the place and she was trying to bring it back after the neglect of the former managers. She told me about her kids who “lived close enough to see but not so close they could show up on the doorstep with all the grandkids” . We went to eat at Me and Lou’s café. Wowee zowee! Gorgeous. Ed was there. He was from Dallas but had family in Austin. Went north after his divorce and never looked back. I had the best biscuits and gravy.
What a long day it was. We traveled down to Bryce Canyon and got there about 4:00. We almost passed it up because of the rain, cold and unrelenting. I was not a happy camper. ( Speaking of which, we have not been able to camp a single night. Either too tired, too late, too cold, or too wet. Lots of toos.) I’m so glad we got to go to Bryce. I thought it would be too much the same, but every new spot was another OMG experience. We aren’t seeing a lot of animal life. We saw a foolish prairie dog standing upright in the middle of the road. Much like our bison friend but so much smaller as to be stupid rather than brazen. There was one lone deer.
We are off to Zion today, so biblical. They have a great system. We are staying just outside the park. They shuttle you to the park and then they shuttle you around the park . There are shuttles every ten minutes all day. We are going to stay until about three then we are off to Las Vegas.

2009-06-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today we drove to the Grand Tetons. Wyoming started out sort of like a green north Texas, sort of all rolling plains. Then gradually the hills got taller, and then we saw the mountains. It just got bigger and better as we went along. Craggy towers were growing right next to the road. We did hit some of our tax dollars in action (shovel ready as it were) and the roads were rugged. Rain also gifted us. We went into Chugwater to eat, but the Buffalo Stampede Inn was under new management and wasn’t open yet. While taking pictures of charming downtown Chugwater one of the natives came out to take pictures of the tourists. We ate breakfast at Wheatland Inn, where we found out that the lady next to us had a lazy daughter-in-law and who was getting what test. Just like home. Yummy blueberry pancakes. We are now in the economy room at the Hatchet Resort. Very nice place. They cut us a deal since we got there late. Wonderful food in the dining area and our hardworking waitress was from Romania.
I’m off to bed. No internet because of the rain. Will post tomorrow.

Hail to the Rockies

2009-06-14T17:10:00.001-07:00

And they'll know you are Texan by your hat, by your hat. And they'll know you are Texan by your hat

Today Faye took us up to the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain State Park. It's cold up there, people, too cold for the elk. Faye stopped for every possible photo op. We ate homemade almond butter sandwiches in the car. The altitude started getting to me a little and did I mention it was COLD? So we didn't hike to the very top of the divide. For Texas folk, it was like walking halfway up Enchanted Rock in 40 degrees with a 30 mph wind. The wind was really bad. But you can see the sky was blue and it was a lovely day. Lots of people around. The women co-oped the men's room at one stop ( We had a line and they didn't) . Very empowering.
We topped it of with a tourist crawl through Estes Park and the Chocolate Factory. Ancho Chili Truffles! Tres, tres yummy.
We are home tonight ( Yes we think of it as home. Doug and Faye are so welcoming and they listen to NPR in the morning and buy organic produce and Doug is turning his front yard into a vegetable patch. Our kind of people.)

Onward through the rain

2009-06-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today we hightailed it up thru Colorado to light in Fort Collins with the Lovely Doug and delightful Faye.
I got to see a windmill farm. Forget your grandma's windmills. This guys are huge and clustered on the edge of a ridge and go on for miles. Fantastic to see.
We ate at the Freedom Cafe. 2 eggs , 3 pancakes, 2 sausage patties and hash browns for 6.50. Waited on by the little girl( Seventeen is little to me) who was on the student council and serenaded by a little girl ( This one was about 6) on singing along with "This Little Light of Mine" on her laptop computer. You have to love it.
We went from the flat ,flat Texas plains to the mountains of Colorado in just a few miles. And it is cold up here. We are going to the Continental Divide tomorrow and there is going to be SNOW. Take that Austin with your 100 degree heat.
We did hit a patch of rain outside Denver, but Cori made it through with flying colors.
The trip is now going on longer because I totally messed up and got my dates messed up. This is going to be great. More tomorrow.

Northwest Bound

2009-06-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Cori and I are on the high trail to adventure, heading north and west as we please. We went on a lot of smaller roads today. We saw a lot of ranches and places that looked like movie sets for westerns. We got a twelve pack of cinnamon rolls and lots of health snacks and snacked across the country. There was this fantastic sign in Paducah that said SATAN SUCKS 2' high letters on a black background, brought to us by hellfighters.com. We found the best rest stop ever, complete with Beware of rattlesnake signs on the playground. The inside was truly beautiful. There was a little museum of the near by town of Clareton, founded to bring God and Education to the wild west. It was named after the founder's wife Clara, a saintly name if ever there was one. We are now camped out in Amarillo after a dip in a very cold pool we are in for the night. Tomorrow we head for Fort Collins.
People in Texas are so nice. We have been God Blessed and Be Safed all across the country.

T Mobile video

2009-05-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

So why am I crying after watching a cute TMobile ad? For some reason, any time I see community as in people connecting, it brings me to tears. It is so moving to see people seeing others as part of themselves as opposed to different or outside themselves. Watch the video and judge for yourself. Yeah I know it's a commercial , but they provided the opportunity not the spirit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orukqxeWmM0&feature=PlayList&p=EF254AFBDF6F1259&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

Great Day

2009-04-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

It was one of those days that make you know why you are a teacher. I didn't have all my usual help and the day was just a blessing. My guys rose to the occasion. Not perfect but they definitely took turns creating trouble. What a wonderful morning. Now I just need to get through the field trip tomorrow.

How to spot a Special Ed Teacher

2009-04-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

You want coffee in your room in the morning.
Gen. Ed. teacher- Buys it on the way in or brings it from home.
Good Gen. Ed.- Has a coffee maker in the room but if everything isn't there, forget it.
Good Resource Teacher- Will try to jiggle around with what they have, but knows when to give it up as a bad deal.
Severe disabilities teacher- When faced with no container for the coffee filter, decides maybe the apple corer will work. Smashes the filter around to sort of fit. Gets the hot water out of the microwave and pours it in. Filter lists to one side and spills a slurry of hot water and coffee on the counter. Grab the filter to hold it up. Burn fingers. Reevaluate and reposition filter. Pour water in again. Again get coffee all over plus coffee grounds in the cup. Reevaluate. Change filter posistion again and very slowly pour water in. Fingers now burning a lot. Get most of the water in . Gently squeeze filter and get a hole in the bottom that puts more grounds in the cup. Toss filter, clean up coffee muck off counter and floor. Drink coffee.
I will get it done NO MATTER WHAT!

Psychic connection

2009-02-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

So I woke up around 4 AM this morning. No big deal, this happens fairly often. All three parents of my school kids came in and said that the kids got up at 4 AM. We have arrived at a whole new level on connectedness. This is scary. :)

Really the last Christmas review

2009-01-25T17:23:00.000-08:00

I just watched "What Would Jesus Buy?" A documentary about a guy who dresses like a flashy TV fundamentalist who's message is simple, Quit Shopping. Quit buying Christmas from Box stores. Make your own gifts. Figure out what is important. Give your time and love to those around you.
I watched this on a lark. It looked so goofy. But it is a fantastic film about attitudes and values and a creative way that some dedicated people have taken a stand about something they believe in. Watch it now or some how remind your self to watch it before next Christmas. Join the revolution.

The Christmas Card: Also the last Christmas review

2009-01-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

This was a sweet, predictable movie with out being completely saccharine. Ed Asner is fun. There is a soldier, a randomly received Christmas card and love. I liked it. No angst either, which is a nice change from all the other stuff I watched. Sometimes you want to watch a movie that is more like a cup of hot cocoa than a shot of Jack Daniels

30 Rock

2009-01-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

I had resisted, for no good reason, watching 30 Rock. It is fantastic. I know, everyone knows that. But I didn't and now I do.

Fun Free Internet Stuff

2009-01-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

These are two great places to go.
Pandora radio is free, no commercial music that plays only what you want to hear. It is great for having a seamless background and for finding new artists.
Librivox is free audio books, read by real people that volunteer to do this. Now the catch is they only do books in the public domain, but that just means old. There are a few contemporary authors that have given them the right to read their books and let them go free of charge.) I just signed up for a podcast of The Beasts of Tarzan A chapter a day. Walking the dogs is going to be so much more fun.

Poirot's Christmas

2009-01-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

The boiler in his flat is broken, and Poirot's vision of a quiet Christmas with succulent food and a good book is shattered. So when an offer comes in from a paranoid, elderly diamond mine owner to protect him over Christmas comes, Poirot asks if he has central heat and accepts. The rest is all classic Agatha Christie, a dead body and dysfunctional families. The good part is the sound track, snatches of English Christmas carols in a minor key, by far the coolest part of the drama.

Zen and the Art of Cleaning

2008-12-29T09:37:00.001-08:00

I am cleaning in a cosmic sense. Well there is also dirt going away, but more than that, I am shedding. I tend to keep stuff, lots of stuff, generally revolving about someone who gave me something. I have stuff from people I don't care about and doubt they even remember me. It always just seemed rude to discard things that people gave me. It's not. It's clutter and I need less. So I'm down to the last two rooms. (That is not such a grand accomplishment considering I only have four spaces to worry about. Sounds better than half done. Then there is the garage..........{sigh}) I am taking pictures as I go along to remind myself of how it should look. Is that crazed or what?
On a positive note I hung my new painting! It is gorgeous and I'm so glad I broke down and bought it at the Art from the Streets show. All homeless or formerly homeless artists. I need it to be a good work to break down and spend that much money.
I'm off to IKEA this afternoon for new pans, my Christmas gift to myself. I have no lids that fit anything. Part of my making my life more simple. I want things that work!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. A Poirot Christmas is coming in next.

Joueux Noel : New Christmas Movie Review

2008-12-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Remember the story about WWI, when the opposing forces declared a truce on Christmas? Well this is the back story. Glorious, beautifully conceived, filmed and acted. This story is not about war, but peace. Each side is populated by husbands, sons and brothers that share a time and then find it difficult to continue war.
Filmed in France with subtitles for the French and German parts, you can't put it on and then putter around the room. Sit and watch and enjoy. Oh, and cry.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

2008-12-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and my first thought was how lucky I was. I have my little house, which I love. I have food and clothes. I have a job I like that supports me and lets me make an impact on the world. I have wonderful sons, and brillant friendships. I live in a place I love. I have ways to help others and be spiritual in a way that suits me.
Life is good.

Halfway House Christmas

2008-12-18T19:35:00.000-08:00

There are not words to describe how bad this movie is. A fake reality program about people in recovery being in a reality program. Bad in any way you look. A pimp dressed up like Santa. A producer who seeds the house with drugs to improve ratings. BAD BAD BAD
Now the question is, why did I watch it, or keep on watching it? I have no blessed idea. It was strangely , eeiriely fascinating. Don't repeat my mistake. It should never be seen by anyone ever again.

Christmas Movie marathon

2008-12-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

I got on Netflix and searched Christmas movies. I selected the most obscure movies I could find and will share the results.

Movie #1
I'm not sure why this was called "Christmas in August" .
A young photographer is dying, and tells no one. I want to say the film is unsympathetic, but that is not quite the right description. Rather say it is an unflinching look at death and dying. Jung-won meets a young woman, falls in love, but never tells her about his love or that he is dying. A remarkable, lovely film, but not what you would thing of as Christmas fair.

The Boys

2008-11-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Meet the boys. These are my constant companions when I'm home. They trail me from room to room and snuggle when I am sitting, no matter if I want to be snuggled or not. The top one is Sarge and the soulful one on the bottom is Buddy. Both rescues from near shelter experiences.

So, the boys and I are out walking in the fields behind our house. I turned them loose to run and realized instantly I had made a mistake. Two deer stood in the field and at the first whiff of dog they are off and running. Now here is the funny part. Both dogs are terrier based, not big game hunters. So while I can see the deer have left the scene, they are running around wildly trying to figure out where the deer are, trying to rely on scent, but of course the whole place reeks of deer. I managed to get a leash on Sarge, but Buddy finally got going in the right direction and took out after the deer. Now I am not worried about the deer at all. They have a good five minute head start. so I walk in the general direction the deer went , called in the wanderer, and he shows up, out of breath and convinced he is a mighty hunter. We walk on a little more and then I turn Sarge loose again because Buddy got his run but Sarge didn't.

Now it turns out, Sarge really is a mighty hunter. It was fascinating to see him hit every brush pile looking for rodents. He found something and proceeded to dig for whatever it was. He torn out dead branches and dug in. He kept checking to make sure that there was no one escaping out the other side of the dead bush. Sarge was all business and a light year away from a pampered lap dog. Evolution in action. Watching him I understood the constant chewing and his intense approach to life. I could not see why he feels the need to pee on everything in the house and poop all over, but one revelation at at time.

Thoughts on the election

2008-11-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

I think that it is amazing to live in a country that has a smooth transition of power. Men and women of good intent compete and then graciously face defeat and victory. I think I have seldom been so proud of my country as I was last night. It feels like we have grown up and can now move on to compassionate, adult governance. I pray it is so. I heard a man fron Africa talking about what they could learn from our election. He talked about much the same issues. That government should be based not on where you come from , but who you are. Votes can not be bought but earned.

BIG "What not to do"

2008-10-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

I have a sinus infection, but that is only relevant because my nose is really stuffy. Here is what you should never do. When you have a stuffy nose, do NOT take a swig of mouthwash and walk around the house getting ready for work. I almost suffocated myself when I had to breath and could get no air. I was either going to: 1. Spew mouthwash in my closet. 2.Inhale said mouthwash. or 3. Make a mad dash for the sink. Yes 3 did work, but don't try this at home, boys and girls. Very, very bad.

The "bad" kid

2008-10-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

There is a tendency among teachers to blame the kid when learning isn't happening. He doesn't pay attention. She doesn't do her work. He acts out all the time. I really love it when teachers get down on a kid with a disability over the very stuff that is the essence of their disability.
Let's take a step back. As educators, if we aren't getting through then it is our duty to figure out another way to get the job done. We are raising a new generation of children that are actually hard wired differently. These are media children. An four year old walked into my room. She said she had Spanish homework. She had to find the name of a Spanish lake. "How are you going to do that?" I asked. "Computer" she said. At four!
They think differently and learn differently. And if a kid has a disability, for heaven's sake, think outside the box. "He won't pay attention" HELLO He's autistic. Quit blaming and start teaching.
OK end of rant.

Reunion

2008-09-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

I went to a reunion and we relived the meanness we had in high school from some people. One of us tried to explain that another's life must be filled with a lot of pain to be so cruel and another chided her . "No, she is just mean, no excuses."
Is there value in forgiveness? Imagine a virtual garbage bag that you carry around with you and collect all your bad feelings and grievances. It would soon be huge and you would be carrying it around on your shoulder. Who is being punished? You ! You with your giant trash bag. All the people who committed slights against you don't care in the least that you are put out. Why carry around other people's trash?

2008-09-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

I discovered a long time ago that you can't make anyone learn something. Did you ever try to make a baby eat or a toddler learn how to use the potty? Well, that is actually the way it is all the time. So I have become a facilitator. I provide opportunities to learn through environment and the aura I bring to the encounter, but so much is in the learners' court. It is all part of the locus of control. We teachers are loathe to give up the illusion that we are in control. But in reality we control very little. Go forth and learn, bold ones.

My new Mac

2008-09-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

So... I got a new Mac at work. The first thing I did was look for the rest of it. I just saw this wonderful huge flat screen. THERE WERE NO OTHER PARTS! I have no idea how to use the gorgeous machine but OMG it is beautiful.

The bridge

2008-09-07T05:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday

2008-09-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you, thank you, yes, I am a year older. Everyone should have a birthday party on a bridge with good friends, food and wine. People walking past wish you a happy birthday and you watch kayakers and tour boats swirl beneath you. The sun sets red through the next bridge over and the the moon and planets make an appearance. We danced to old "back to school" music ( on KUT's Twinetime. Try streaming it) and played drums and lit candles.
So now I offer up a poem I wrote on my twenty fifth birthday.

On Attaining Twenty-five (years)

Well, I've written a love poem,
Two death poems, it's time.
A poem on my lost youth
on attaining twenty-five.
It seems a good thing for me to write
with me being properly mournful,
Only I don't feel anything.
Oh, a momentary qualm
That I've done nothing with my life
Or a sharp second of anquish
On realizing my life is one third over.
Other than that, nothing.
Of course I've been thinking of nothing
For a week now.

When all else fails

2008-09-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

When all else fails, go back and do something you know how to do very well. Just the act of being successful can make taking on new challenges easier. A five year old taught that to me today.

Looking in from the outside

2008-08-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

I realized this morning that in every job I have ever had, somehow I have managed to be on the outside. This stems from a comment at my new job that someone was seeing me that way already and I have only been there a week. I like to think that it is a function of my outlook at work. I work with people and they always come first. I think who ever I work with have rights and deserve dignity. And somehow I end up here on the outside again. I am crazy but hopefully in a good way. More later.

random thought's about the universe

2008-08-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

ok, I've finally started my blog. be prepared for rtaut's from 3 am on.