Letting Crazy Take a Spin: 2008

10.01.2008

It is done

This is it. Last post here.

Unless I change my mind and need to be all secretive again.

Of course, my cover here is blown so I would have to start over completely with a new super-secret blog.

Anyway... I have moved some links over to my other blog, South Bay Soliloquy. So follow me there, if you will.

Everything else will live on here until Blogger decides to can it or this Internet fad burns out, whichever comes first.

9.13.2008

The party's over

Yep. I think I am done here.
Including this blog, I have three.
It's too much.

So I am going to fold this one into the main one.

First, some housecleaning here over the course of the week.

But I expect to be done here shortly.

Why?

Other than just not having time to maintain this the way I want to, the intent of this has changed.

It was meant to be a place to vent, to question myself and others and my relationships.

That has not been the case lately.

So, yeah, time to stop.

I want to go through the posts and see what I want to save. After that, buh-bye.

Oh yeah, and I will see you on the other blog. Where crazy may still take a spin, but where I am good with that and no longer feel the need to keep it a secret from the people who know me.

Because really, they already know how crazy I can be.

8.30.2008

Mmmm... deep-fried fat

Remember when McDonald's used to deep fry the apple pies?

Yeah...

I miss that.

They were all crispy with little crunchy air bubbles all over the crust.

But sometimes you would take a bite and instead of being filled with air that little bubble would be filled with grease.

Ahhh... Good times...

8.10.2008

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Night shot

I admit. I totally flaked on this.

Once again I had plans to go scout stuff out that would be far more interesting.

Once again life got the better of me.

I figured a week, coming back from vacation, was plenty of time. Turns out I spaced.

So I give you a shot I took on vacation.

This was the view I enjoyed every night for a week while in beautiful St. Thomas.

Find the other Robins HERE.

8.08.2008

Back home, back at work

I have been back from vacation for almost a week.
I just have not been really inspired to do much of anything, including post here.

I did post more of my vacation photos over on the South Bay site. CLICK HERE to get at them.

So, a week.
Funny, I went back to work Tuesday and about halfway through my shift it felt like I had never left.
So sad.

7.31.2008

My disappearing act

For those of you who read here and do not regularly (or maybe ever) read the other blog...
I am on vacation.
You know, just in case you were missing me.

I do have a computer here, but the Wi-Fi is spotty at best.

Anyway, I am in St. Thomas in the lovely U.S. Virgin Islands.
I have been enjoying rum drinks (and then some more rum drinks), diving and just relaxing.

If you want to read a bit more about the trip so far, head over to South Bay Soliloquy.

Just one post so far, no pictures. It just takes too much time to try to upload photos. I will update fully and with visual aids when I return home much too soon.

7.24.2008

But what if she doesn't have the hips for it?

I really question parents who would do this to their child.

From the Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A family court judge in New Zealand has had
enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something
about it.

Just ask Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. He had her
renamed.

Judge Rob Murfitt made the 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that
her name could be changed, he said in a ruling made public Thursday. The girl
was involved in a custody battle, he said.

The new name was not made public to protect the girl's privacy.
"The
court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's
parents have shown in choosing this name," he wrote. "It makes a fool of the
child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap,
unnecessarily."

The girl had been so embarrassed at the name that she had never told
her closest friends what it was. She told people to call her "K" instead, the
girl's lawyer, Colleen MacLeod, told the court.

In his ruling, Murfitt cited a list of the unfortunate
names.
Registration officials blocked some names, including Fish and Chips,
Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit, he said. But others were allowed,
including Number 16 Bus Shelter "and tragically, Violence," he
said.

New Zealand law does not allow names that would cause offense to a
reasonable person, among other conditions, said Brian Clarke, the registrar
general of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Clarke said officials usually talked
to parents who proposed unusual names to convince them about the potential for
embarrassment.

Why? Why, why, why?

Don't these parents remember being a child? Don't they know how mean other kids can be?

6.13.2008

Round Robin Photo Challenges: I made that

Time for another Round Robin!

Click over to their site to find the list of participants.

I know I am a day early.
But I am leaving the house early for my
scuba diving checkout and most likely won't get back
before late afternoon or will just be too tired to think.

So I posted a wee bit early.

I must confess, most of these pictures
were culled from my other blogs:

South Bay Soliloquy

All That and She Cooks, Too

The penne pictures were taken for this
assignment, but posted first on my food blog.

You can find more cards (among other topics) at the
South Bay site and more tempting food treat at All That.

Anyway, I give you all an assortment of
cards I have made and dishes I have prepared.
Best wishes and bon apetit, I guess!

_______

Find out more about this card here.

_________

And now I give you food...

Click here for the recipe for penne with
pancetta and peas in lemon cream sauce.

The penne dish had a hint of mint...

A taste of toasted pine nuts...

Some zesty flavors of lemon and orange peel...

To come up with a wonderful dish
with the citrus zing, a little red pepper heat,
pleasing peas and lovely, lovely Italian bacon.

Sorry. No leftovers!
__________

Click here to get the recipe for
sweet and tangy grilled pork tenderloin.

Ingredients for a sweet and tangy marinade.

Whisk!

The carmelized onion relish was a great way
to dress up an already great grilled pork dish.
______________

What is a great meal without dessert?

Click here to get the recipe
for chocolate-rum cake.

OK.

I hope I didn't make anyone drool
too much with that last one!

5.31.2008

Round Robin: Tiny Things

It's time for another Round Robin Photo Challenge.
The challenge this time:

The idea here is to photograph very small inanimate objects
- not details and closeups of larger things, but self-contained
little items we see and take for granted.
It should be interesting to take the expertise some Robins
have with tiny critters, and apply it to objects that can't fly away.
And the rest of us have the photographic challenge of
learning to focus on the miniature world.

Click on the Round Robin link above to get
to the linking list of participants.

Here we go. Let's get tiny...

Tiny beads.

I have a little box, broken down into segments,
that contains all sorts of tiny beads.

I have used them for jewelry and for the cards I make.

Tiny pins.

This goes to the part of the tiny things we take for granted.

Such a simple, perfect design, the safety pin.

Small change.

I was going to call this tiny change,
but it just did not sound right.

Anyway, at the end of the day I take any change
that is floating around in my pocket
and put it in a little bowl on the dresser.

When I need to restock the parking meter change
I keep in the car, I just grab a handful from here.

Tiny elephants.

I have several elephants of varying materials and sizes.
These are the tiniest.
The one in front is only about an inch and a half tall.

And I love the detail on this one, which was a gift from
my friends who visited Spain and were thoughtful
enough to bring this back for me.

Tiny bubbles.

Really, need I say more?

5.17.2008

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Wood

I skipped the RRPC on spring cleaning.

I just could not get inspired by my mop.

So when I saw the one on wood, I thought it could be fun.

Then I waited until the last minute to do this.

So I was out in my back yard this morning.

Let's see if I got anything.

This is some wood left over from when the manfriend built the deck.

The pieces are about a foot and a half long.

I don't want to toss them. But I don't know what to make.

Maybe a planter.

For some reason there are wires coming out of my lemon tree.

Something to ponder.

I like the contrast of textures here.
This is a trunk of a small palm or marginata type
tree next to a dead palm frond.

Here is a detail shot of one of the palms.

One of the planters has some wood posts along one side.
The rosemary and vines from the wall are growing all over it.
Another nice contrast of color and texture.

5.15.2008

Sounds familiar

Oh that Natalie Dee. She is always spot on.

5.13.2008

More proof of not being old

I got carded last night.
And not at Trader Joe's.
And not by a kid.
Usually it is someone at TJ's who looks about 17.
My standard response is "Really? I am old enough to be your mom. I mean, if I started young. But still..."

Nope.
Last night I was carded at a restaurant when I ordered a beer.
The waitress looked to be in her late 20s.

She carded me.
She did not card the manfriend.

5.07.2008

Not young, not old

I had a birthday.
Am I old?
Am I young?
I am closer to 40 than to 30.
But I still get carded at least once every couple months.
Maybe they are just being kind.
Would I be considered middle-aged?
I don't think of myself that way.
I could do stuff to make myself look and feel younger and better.

In some ways I think I am ahead of the game at this point in life.
In some ways I think I have some catching up to do.

House - check
Kid - um, no
Job - check
Job security - um, no
Husband - well, there was that one guy. Then there was that other guy. So... um, not anymore.

I try not to set deadlines for having things like kids and husbands and houses.
When the good stuff comes along, I try to just enjoy it.
When the bad stuff happens, I try to get through it.

I like to think it is more good than bad these days.

But I do still want the kid. Which I guess means I do still want the husband.

As for the job... I think I would rather just win the lotto.

Since that is unlikely, I guess I will have to make do and keep my fingers crossed.

4.18.2008

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Variety Show

It's Round Robin time again!

The assignment is:
Varieties.

Photograph something as viewed as an assortment...
something that comes in different varieties.

For example, it could be a bunch of flowers
or nuts or crayons or birds.

So here we go...

Cookbooks.

I know I have a lot of cookbooks.

This is just a small sample of the
variety of cookbooks I have.

Buttons.

A while back I bought a box of mixed buttons.

Then I added to it the buttons that came with new sweaters.

I added in buttons that I took off of shirts I turned into rags.

Some buttons I bought just because they might
be cute on cards I make got tossed into the mix.

Oh, and there is the snowman button.

I am not exactly sure where he came from.

But I dig him.

Markers.

I used them for the cards I make.

Just markers.

I jerked the camera accidentally
just as the shutter clicked.

I like the effect.

Watercolor pencils.

I also use these for my cards.

When I feel like experimenting.

They are a little more work than I like for the cards.

Shells.

About 15 years ago I went on a trip to Tahiti and Hawaii.

These are random bits I picked up on the
shores of places including Bora Bora, Moorea, Oahu and Kauai.

My favorite is the one with the tiniest little rocks stuck in it.

You cannot tell from these images,

But most of the shells are the size of a fingertip.

Beers.

This is a picture I took on my recent trip to Denver.

The walls of Falling Rock Tap House
were lined in beer bottles.

Yeah, that was a pretty good night.

Linking list:

Nancy - POSTED!

Nancy Luvs Pics

http://journals.aol.com/nhd106/Nancyluvspixs

Karen

Outpost Mâvarin

http://outmavarin.blogspot.com/

Carly - POSTED!

Ellipsis

http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com/

Sandy

Myanderings

http://myanderings-myanderings.blogspot.com/

Sarah

Charish

http://charish-me.blogspot.com/

Chrissie

Chrisseas-corner

http://chrisseas-corner.tripod.com/

Kiva

Eclectic Granny

http://eclecticgranny.blogspot.com/

Kat

In My Dreams I Can Fly.....

http://journals.aol.com/sunflowerkat321/in-my-dreams-i-can-fly.../

Tj's Photo Expressions

http://tjphotoexpressions.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Robin

Robin's Woodshttp://robinswoods.blogspot.com/

Wammy

The Ellis Family Cincinnati

http://theellisfamilycincinnati.blogspot.com/

Lisa Marie

Lisa's Chaos

http://lisaschaos.blog-city.com/

Monica

Family Affair Photography

http://www.familyaffairphotography.blogspot.com/

Marie

Photographs & Memories

http://journals.aol.com/mariebm56/PhotographsAndMemories

Annie

Pictures of Craziness

http://krspkrmmom.blogspot.com/

Suzanne R

Living . . . Suzanne R's Life

http://newsuzannerslife.blogspot.com/

Robinella

Robinella's

http://notastepfordwife.blogspot.com/

Angela

Chocolate Syrup for the Soul

http://angelas-craziness.blogspot.com/

Janet

fondofphotography

http://www.fondofsnape.com/

Jan

The Prytz Family

http://www.theprytzfamily.com/

Martha

Perception

http://journals.aol.com/lifes2odd/perception/

Jama Hameed

Sweet Memories

http://mummyjam.blogspot.com/

Momma - POSTED!

Sandcastle Momma

http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/

Swampy - POSTED!

Anecdotes, Antidotes, & Anodes

http://anecdotes.typepad.com/

Sahvvy

The Instantaneous Existence of Me

http://instantaneousexsistence.blogspot.com/

Gattina

Keyhole Pictures

http://gattina-keyholepictures.blogspot.com/

Kim

Nekked Lizard Lady

http://nekkedlizardadventures.typepad.com/

Vicki

Visions by Vicki

http://journals.aol.com/cmishvicki/visionsbyvicki/

Teena - POSTED!

It's all about me!

http://purple4mee.blogspot.com/

4.10.2008

Not that "Wilde" about this book

So before I left for Denver I wanted to get a book to read at the airport, on the plane, before bed... etc.

I found one at work in the freebie area. Usually if I take something from there I will read it and then return it in case someone else wants it.

So I found something called "The Wilde Women" by Paula Wall.

It was billed as a tale of sisterly revenge in Tennessee set against the Great Depression.

Cool. Mindless reading. I am down with that.

Overall it was OK. It did not make me want to seek out her previous book that was mentioned on the front and back cover.

It was a bit scattered, with so many peripheral characters. I wanted more about the sisters.

Anyway, it did open with this great passage:

The Lord giveth and most women piss it away. Perhaps this is why they lack the equipment to aim. Some women piddle their life away in a slow incontinent dribble while squatting in the shadow of a man. Others are so busy trying to overshadow men they miss the mark. Most manage to cover up their little messes like a cat scratching in a litter box, but a few always get caught with their pants down. For this reason, Lorna Wilde bestowed upon her daughters the wisdom her mother bestowed upon her, "Never wear holey underwear." Being enterprising young women, the Wilde sisters never wore underwear at all.

Yep. That was the whole opening paragraph.

It should have been my first clue to the rest of the book.

It was not bad. Just a bit overblown.

And she used the same phrases a lot. It was actually quite distracting.

But it was a fast read. I was half way through it by the time the plane landed in Denver and I finished it off before bed last night.

4.05.2008

Husbands are just too much work

I saw this yesterday on MSNBC:

Having a husband creates an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, tying the knot saves an hour of weekly chores.

“It’s a well-known pattern,” said lead researcher Frank Stafford, an economist at University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. “Men tend to work more outside the home, while women take on more of the household labor.”

He points out individual differences among households exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. “And the situation gets worse for women when they have children,” Stafford said.

Overall, times are a’ changing in the American home. In 1976, women busied themselves with 26 weekly hours of sweeping-and-dusting work, compared with 17 hours in 2005. Men are pitching in more, more than doubling their housework hours from six in 1976 to 13 in 2005.

Stafford analyzed time-diaries and questionnaires from a nationally representative sample of men and women over a 10-year period between 1996 and 2005. The federally-funded study showed that, compared with the single life, marriage meant more housework for both men and women.

“Marriage is no longer a man’s path to less housework,” Stafford said.
Single women in their 20s and 30s did the least housework, about 12 weekly hours, while married women in their 60s and 70s did the most — about 21 hours a week.

4.04.2008

Round Robin Photo Challenges: Captioned

The Round Robin this time around was to do
your one perfect scene with a caption.

I know I am early.

I am here Friday night and the posts go up Saturday.

But I am going to be too busy to do this tomorrow.

For days I have been driving by this empty lot.
It is crazy wild with flowers.

But there is a chain link fence around it,
so I figured it would not work.

Then I remembered a lovely saying I saw on a card.

Bloom where you are planted.

Which just goes to show you can find beauty
anywhere if you look at things the right way.

Then the problem became choosing just one flower.

I could not do it.

So my perfect scene is a collage.

Have a beautiful day.

Linking list:

1.Carly - POSTED! Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com/

2. Lisa - POSTED!Lisa's Chaos
http://lisaschaos.blog-city.com/

3. Karen - POSTED!Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com/

4. Wammy - POSTED!The Ellis Family Cincinnati
http://theellisfamilycincinnati.blogspot.com/

5. MarthaPerception
http://journals.aol.com/lifes2odd/perception/

6. Jan - POSTED!The Prytz Family

http://theprytzfamily.blogspot.com/

7. TJTJ's Photo Expressions
http://tjexpressionsblog.blogspot.com/

8. NancyNancy Luvs Pics
http://journals.aol.com/nhd106/Nancyluvspix/

9. Swampy - POSTED!Anecdotes, Antidotes, & Anodes
http://anecdotes.typepad.com/

10. Janet - POSTED!fondofphotography
http://www.fondofsnape.com/

11. Monica - POSTED!Family Affair Photography
http://familyaffairphotography.blogspot.com/

12. MariePhotographs & Memories
http://journals.aol.com/mariebm56/PhotographsAndMemories

13. VickiMaraca
http://mymaracas.blogspot.com/

14. Jennifer Robin - POSTED!Robin's Woods
http://robinswoods.blogspot.com/

15. Jill - POSTED!Letting Crazy Take a Spin
http://lettingcrazytakeaspin.blogspot.com/

16. KivaEclectic Granny
http://eclecticgranny.blogspot.com/

17. Suzanne RLiving . . . Suzanne R's Life
http://newsuzannerslife.blogspot.com/

18. MollyReturn of the White Robin
http://returnofthewhiterobin.blogspot.com/

19. Kim - POSTED!Nekked Lizard Adventures
http://nekkedlizardadventures.typepad.com/

20. Steven(sometimes)photoblog
http://sometimesphotoblog.com/

4.02.2008

Life, as I know it

I've been pretty tired lately.

I need to get off my big ass and move more.

I know that if I get up and go for a walk in the morning it will eventually lead to more energy.

Not to mention a smaller ass.

But I am tired.

Someone said I have no life because I blog too much.

I always feel guilty when I think I am not blogging enough.

Why is that?

It's not as if I owe anyone blog entries. It's not as iff I am getting paid to do this.

I just kind of like blogging. It's an outlet.

Why is seen as not having a life?

If I was sitting in front of the computer writing poetry would that be better?

Fuck 'em.

It's my life, I will blog as much as I want to.

3.22.2008

Photo hunt: Metal

---------------------

----------------------

I have not done this photo hunt before,
but I liked the topic.

I like photographing metal things.

Here are some from the Evergreen Aviation
Musuem outside Portland, Ore.

They are all parts of airplanes.

Round Robin: First Signs of Spring

The challenge this time around over at
Round Robin was First Signs of Spring.

I don't want to say we don't get spring in Los Angeles.
But it's really not that dramatic a change
going from season to season here.

But there is one thing that does change here in spring.
The daffodils come poking through.

And they just look so happy,
stretching toward the sun.

This was a bit of a lazy effort for me.
I will try to do better next time.

Here we have a daffodil in my yard.

Daffodil Lament - The Cranberries

Holding on, that's what I do since I met you.
And it won't be long. Would you notice if I left you?
And it's fine for some 'cause you're not the one,
You're not the one there... There...
there... there... there... there...
All night long, laid on my pillow,
These things are wrong. I can't sleep here!
So lovely, so lovely, so lovely.

I have decided to leave you forever.
I have decided to start things from here.
Thunder and lightning won't change,
What I'm feeling
and the daffodils look lovely today,
And the daffodils look lovely today,
Look lovely today.

Ooh, in your eyes I can see the disguise.
Ooh, in your eyes I can see the disguise.
Has anyone seen lightning?
Has anyone looked lovely?

And the daffodils look lovely today,
And the daffodils look lovely today,
Look lovely today...

Here is the linking list:

Nan
Life is Like A Lunchbox
http://shawnanigans.net/

Steven - POSTED!
(sometimes)photoblog
http://sometimesphotoblog.com/

Carly - POSTED!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com/

Karen - POSTED!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com/

Lisa - POSTED!
Lisa's Chaos
http://lisaschaos.blog-city.com/

Gattina
Keyhole Pictures
http://gattina-keyholepictures.blogspot.com/

Suzanne R - POSTED!
Living . . . Suzanne R's Life
http://newsuzannerslife.blogspot.com/

Janet - POSTED!
fondofphotography
http://www.fondofsnape.com/

Kiva
Eclectic Granny
http://eclecticgranny.blogspot.com/

Sandra
Strong Chemistry
http://strongchemistry.blogspot.com/

Martha - POSTED!
Perception
http://journals.aol.com/lifes2odd/perception/

Jan - POSTED!
The Prytz Family
http://theprytzfamily.blogspot.com/

Monica - POSTED!
Family Affair Photography
http://www.familyaffairphotography.blogspot.com/

Momma
Sandcastle Momma
http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/

Kim - POSTED!
Nekked Lizards
http://nekkedlizardadventures.typepad.com/

Chrissie
Chrisseas-corner
http://chrisseas-corner.tripod.com/

Celeste - POSTED!
Ragracers
http://ragracers.blogspot.com/

Vicki - POSTED!
Maraca
http://mymaracas.blogspot.com/

Whammy - POSTED!
The Ellis Family Cincinnati
http://theellisfamilycincinnati.blogspot.com/

3.18.2008

A face for radio

Do I have an accent?

As a native Californian, I think I do not.

And no, I do not sound like a Valley girl.

Apparently, according to yet another useless but fun Internet quiz, I sound like I am from the Midland.

Wherever the fuck that is.

Good thing to know I have a voice suited to TV. Too bad I have a face suited to radio.

Ha. Just kidding. Just a little joke at my own expense. My face is OK for TV, it is my big fat ass they would find problematic.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
North Central
The South
Boston
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

3.08.2008

Round Robin: A Nice Place to Sit

The challenge this time around at
Round Robin is "A Nice Place to Sit."
I am lucky enough to live in a place where we have many
nice places to sit outdoors pretty much all year long.
So I headed toward the water.

All the pictures were taken Thursday, March 6, 2008.

The following two pictures were taken along an area in
Redondo Beach, Calif., known as The Strand.

The next two photos were taken
at The Neighborhood Church
in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

I don't go to this church for services.

But they have such a nice garden and this
beautiful seawall built into the bluffs.

Sometimes I just like to go here to wander around,
have a sit and think for a bit.

It is quite peaceful during the week
when no one is around.

On my way to work Thursday I decided on take the
scenic route through Long Beach, Calif.
I was driving past the art museum there
and decided to stop in for a look.
I was in no hurry to get to work anyway.
I found that they have a lovely little cafe with patio dining.
It was a beautiful day.
If I didn't have to get to work,
I would have stayed a while longer.

I do like my new dining room set.
And the chairs are pretty comfy.
Apparently George, my behemoth cat, thinks so also.
He likes to hide on them, tucked under the table.
He also loves to sit in the window and watch the world go by.

Finally, I leave you with the last place I sat
Thursday night before heading home for the night.

I met some friends and former colleagues
at a dive bar in Torrance, Calif.
At the end of a long day, it was most
definitely a nice place to sit.
With a pint.