Silliness

My Favorite Season

Thanksgiving Humor

Wishing a very happy holiday to you and those you love.

Alone

Most of the time I'm a very happy person, but sometimes the world feels this way to me, but only sometimes.

La Lune

I see the moon,
The moon sees me
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.

-A nursery rhyme
I was born on July 13th, which makes me a Cancer, a moon child. Ever since I was a little girl, the moon has had a positive, calming effect on me. I recall late nights staring up at the sky, and having quiet conversations with that lovely beam of light. I would feel a soft, soothing glow fall upon my body. It made me feel loved. Many times I felt the moon was the only thing aware of my presence on this entire planet. Nowadays, I still smile when I'm under the dreamy moonlight. The hypnotic glow will always make me feel alive, and loved by something greater than anything on this little planet. The moon stills gives me hope that something incredible is heading in my direction.

Day of the Dead

The "Day of the Dead" (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st, and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl.

Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world; for example, it's a public holiday (Dia de Finados) in Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their loved ones who have died. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly-themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

Due to its time being close to Halloween, The "Day of the Dead" is commonly thought to be similar to Halloween, although the two holidays actually have little in common. The "Day of the Dead" is a time of celebration, where partying is very common, although this is not very well understood in the U.S. because they celebrate Halloween as a "scary" holiday, where people will put up scary decorations and have children knock on doors for candy. It can also be the same or vice-versa.

Source: Wikipedia

Photo taken by me at Muddy Waters Coffeehouse, Santa Barbara, CA. (2008)

(NOTE: The holiday was actually two days ago, but decided to post this anyway.)

I Like Dreaming

Dreams digest the meals that are our days - Astrid Alauda

Think Again

It didn't work. I want my money back!

Photo: Me

A Very Short Movie Review

I blame Vincent Price for the majority of the nightmares I had as a child. In this movie he plays host to a group of people invited to a mansion. If they make it through the night alive and well they will each be given $10,000! (I guess this was a lot of cash in the late 1950’s.) The group chosen are the typical bunch - let’s see, there’s the doctor, a pretty boy, the untainted virgin, a boozer, and a creepy old fool. Vincent is married to a bodacious blonde bombshell who is only with him for his fortune. This movie has some shocking special effects - hanging skeletons, vats of acid, bloody heads hidden in suitcases, creepy looking servants, and even pianos that play by themselves. This is scary stuff I tell you! Who lives? Who dies? Who cares? It's definitely a party movie. Invite your buddies over, blend up some margaritas, make some popcorn and get ready for some scary fun.

Click here for more information about this cult classic.

Honest Abe

Farewell to the Yangtze River Dolphin

Whenever I come across a story about a creature becoming extinct, a little part of me dies inside. I've had people say over the years, "Who cares? It's just a bug, or an animal. It means nothing to me." At that point I turn and walk away. If you can't see the big picture, I feel sorry for you. Here's the article:

The Yangtze River dolphin, one of the world's rarest mammals, is no more, a victim of China's breakneck economic growth and competition for food with one of the world's most common large mammals — human beings.

"We can say that the animal is functionally extinct," says August Pfluger, head of the Zurich-based Baiji.org Foundation, which in December co-sponsored a six-week, 2,000-mile (3,500-km) survey of the Yangtze without finding a single remaining member of the critically endangered species. The dolphin, one of only four exclusively freshwater species in the world, may have the unhappy distinction of being the first aquatic mammal to go extinct in more than half a century — and the first large mammal driven into oblivion by environmental degradation.

Nicknamed the "goddess of the Yangtze," and long considered auspicious by fishermen, the pale-colored, human-sized dolphins have always been rare: a 1997 survey recorded only 14 left in the river. (A captive dolphin died of old age in a Chinese zoo in 2002). But Pfluger says human pressure pushed the baiji past the tipping point. "The main reason is overfishing. The Chinese still use unsustainable fishing methods like dynamite. There's still a lot of illegal fishing, so the dolphins were competing with humans for food."

According to Wang Ding, a researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology and a leading expert on the baiji, damming on the river and noise from heavy boat traffic may have disoriented the dolphins, which are mostly blind and search for food in the sandy shallows using sonar. The confused and starving animals may then have wandered into boat propellers. Heavy dredging in shipping channels could also have made it harder for the animals to locate each other and hunt for increasingly scarce fish. "Dredging is a very serious problem," Wang says. "It destroys spawning grounds of fish. There are also too many boats. The baiji depend on their sonar ability to survive."

As top-level predators, dolphins like the baiji are an "indicator species" — bellwethers of the general health of an ecosystem. Their disappearance bodes ill for the Yangtze, which supports more than 400 million people, roughly 6% of the world's total population. Wang says the Yangtze is relatively unpolluted. But untrammeled commerce and massive hydrological projects like the Three Gorges Dam have dramatically altered the river's landscape. With as many as 60 boats per km of river in some areas, the Yangtze already looks less like a river than a highway during rush hour. "Baiji are at the top of the food chain just like human beings," Wang says. "If the river can't support baiji, someday it won't support humans either."

Indeed, baiji aren't the only animal facing extinction. Wang says the finless porpoise, another large cetacean native to the river, has also seen its population plummet because of shipping and hydrological engineering. When Wang surveyed the river in the early 1990s, he found about 1,200 of the porpoises; 15 years later, there were fewer than half that number left. But Wang says it may not be too late to save the species. Galvanized in part by the baiji's disappearance, Chinese scientists are taking aggressive steps to rescue the finless porpoise, including breeding the animals in a lake preserve. In fact, Wang believes it may not even be too late for the baiji: there may be a handful of baiji dolphins left in some isolated backwater of the Yangtze. If they can be located and captured, he says, breeding might yet save their species. Pfluger, however, is not so optimistic. "Maybe one or two are left," he says. "But they don't have any chance to survive."

Source: Peter Ritter / Time.com

Get Out of My Head!

Drink too much coffee - see dead people!

January 20, 2009 - According to researchers at the University of Durham , drinking too much coffee can cause hallucinations with the presence of 'dead people". Subjects who consumed a daily equivalent of seven cups of instant coffee or more were three times more likely to have extra-sensory experiences. Those taking high concentrations of caffeine often reported "seeing things that were not there, hearing voices, and sensing the presence of dead people".

Source: coffeechemistry.com

This study doesn't surprise me at all, but instant coffee? That's for babies! Imagine what I've seen after a triple Depth Charge, with heavy cream and raw sugar? (Trying to resist the urge to insert a smiley face or a "lol" here.)

I've been telling people for years that caffeine is the BEST drug. I don't need anything else. Coffee is legal, full of nutrients, helps get my creative juices flowing, and so much more. I'm not one of those people that quickly gulps down a cup of joe on their way to work. No way. Coffee needs to be savored, so I prefer to drink it at night. It relaxes me and gets me mentally prepared -- whether it's diving into a good book, doing a blog, studying, or even surfing the Internet. I love flying on a caffeine buzz! And yes, I'm sipping the evil black brew while writing this. No big surprise, right?

Keep Smiling

I Like Toast

I thought I'd share some silly morning humor while eating some toast for breakfast.

Science Is Fun

See-Through Frogs, Alien Salamanders, and Spiny Bugs...Oh My

by Vera H-C Chan

A salamander that looks like E.T., a micosized frog smaller than a fingernail, and a spiny-crested grasshopper. Who says the age of exploration is dead?

It's definitely not for Conversation International (CI). Their scientists have come back with some startlingly vivid images of endangered and never-before-seen critters from a whirlwind trip to the Nangaritza Protected Forest in Ecuador, near the Peruvian border. CI researchers came across at least 15 species of creatures and plants "unknown to science."

One of the most remarkable creatures is the Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum, also called a glass or crystal frog because you can see through its transparent flesh (right down to its guts). This guy's not new, but he's definitely endangered, so the find is heartening for environmentalists.

The purpose of the three-week biodiversity study was to identify species and make conservation recommendations for ecotourism possibilities, which the Ecuadorian locals are entertaining. It also turns out that frogs and insects yield medicinal properties, and a proper population survey is needed to see what else is out there in the forest.

According to Bloomberg, out of 14 million plants and animals in the world, human beings have been acquainted with only about 1.8 million. For more information visit Conversation International (CI).

Source: Yahoo! Buzz

Keep Your Sunny Side Up

Life is hard at times, but you have to try and stay positive. That's the best we can do during these troubled moments. Never give up on yourself, or on others. Stay strong. Life will feel good
again.

Brain Power

Interesting fact: to be most effective at optimizing the flow of the chemicals oxytocin and serotonin - which boost mood and promote bonding - hold a hug for at least six seconds.

Life

Memory Lane

Drawn by Mike T (12/2003)

Pink Leaves

Artist: Unknown

Plant Life at the Old Mission

On July, Friday the 13th I celebrated my 53 birthday. The Old Mission is one of my favorite spots in the city. I decided to stop and enjoy its beauty before heading to my birthday dinner. After 40+ years I still never get tired of this lovely place.

(Please click on each picture since blogger cuts off the end. These are only a few of the pictures taken that day. More shared at a later date.)

Mission Santa Barbara is a Spanish Franciscan mission near present day Santa Barbara, California. It was founded December 4, 1786, the feast day of Saint Barbara, to evangelize the local Chumash (Canaliño) tribe. The mission grounds stand on a rise between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, and were consecrated by Father Fermín Lasuén, who had taken over the presidency of the California mission chain upon the death of Father Presidente Junípero Serra. Mission Santa Barbara is the only mission to remain under the leadership of the Franciscan Friars since the day of its founding. Source: Wikipedia

(This was originally posted on flickr.com in 2007.)

Go For It

Bon Appetit

I've always loved to cook. My Great-Grandma Hicks and my Grandma Mamie began teaching me the family recipes at the tender age of three. I was fortunate to live with both of them for the first 5 years of my life in Columbus, Ohio. Then our family moved out to California when my father got transferred to Vandenburg Air Force Base (about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara, CA). That's another story I'll share someday.

The first dish is chicken breast with red peppers and leeks. It was seasoned with 5-spice powder, sesame oil, some fresh ginger, white pepper, and minced garlic. Serve with some wild rice and a simple green salad.

The second dish is my Pork & Garlic-Pepper Tofu Stir-fry (with fresh ginger and leeks). It's pretty basic - sesame oil, minced garlic, some sesame seeds, 5-spice powder. I usually cook with plain firm tofu but thought I'd give the favored one a try. The taste was ok, but I still prefer it plain. This allows me to do my own experimenting with the seasoning. I served this dish with Thai Jasmine rice and with some Wasabiyaki sauce on the side.

For me, the kitchen is the heart of a home. Some of my fondest memories are of my grandmother's kitchen. The smells, the chatter, the laughter, the radio slowly playing in the background. Such wonderful memories, and as I think about it, both my grandmothers prepared our food without using a cookbook. It was always a pinch of this or a handful of that. To this day I cook the same way, even though I own over 50 cookbooks. I'll follow a recipe for the most part but I definitely make it my own.

There's nothing better than breaking bread together with family and good friends. Toss in some board games after dinner and you've got a wonderful evening full of laughter, good conversation and yummy food in your belly. Life is good.

I Need A Rainmaker

Santa Barbara is covered with ash. The firefighters are worn out. My little city could use a nice cool downpour today.

Redhead in Coffee Cup

I love paintings like this. What's up with that robot?

Artist: Unknown

A Brief Suspension of Consciousness

The Battle of Puebla

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

We celebrate it here in Santa Barbara, CA because of our large Latino population. Let's be honest, any holiday in this city is a reason for people to get crazy and party. You should see the crowds of people downtown on Groundhog Day. Just kidding!

Bliss

The Waiting

La Couleur Rouge

Red has never been one of my favorite colors - until I saw this painting. I've changed my mind. (Artist: Unknown)

Happy May Day

Photo: Will Merydith

Cutie Pie

This awesome artwork is my Facebook friend Susan's user picture. She lives in China.

I Need A Notebook

Bye Bye Fear

A Good Feeling

Cuteness

Sunday Humor

Innocence Lost

This is my class picture of me in the 2nd grade at Franklin Elementary School. I was 9 years old and life seemed so sweet and innocent back in 1963. About a month after this picture was taken President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I heard the new from our principal who came into our classroom and told use our President had died. Then he told us all to go home. No details about how he dead or how it happened. It was the first time I ever experienced such loss and sadness in my life. When I got home my mother and father were watching the shooting and never discussed his death, even though they showed the murder - over and over again. I always found it strange that my parents didn't take the time to talk to me about the event. It was so upsetting. It was my first real encounter with death. We didn't even have a discussion at school. It's like my great-grandmother Hicks said, "Children should be seen, but not heard." That's truly the way kids were treated back in the early 1960s. How sad is that? I continued to watch the television footage for the next few days crying silently to myself, and listening to the only voice that seemed to try to help me understand, Walter Cronkite, CBS newscaster. That man truly was "the voice of America" back then. He was the only one who took the time to try and explain this tragedy to me.

After awhile we learned what happened on that horrible day, or at least what "they" wanted us to believe. There have been so many theories (some crazy, some that made you think) but honestly, I don't think we'll ever know why my favorite president was gunned down.

My innocence died on November 22, 1963, and that was just a preview to future assassinations and shocking murders to assault my young mind before the 1970s began.

Greetings from France

This wonderful "Happy Easter" picture was drawn for me by sweet little Max, my dear friend Celine's son. See the pretty Easter eggs at the top of the page? And him in the right corner?

They live in Picardie, France. I can't wait to visit my European family someday.

Snail Mail

POSTCARD ARRIVES IN OHIO -47 YEARS LATE

HUDSON, Ohio - A woman's postcard bearing greetings from Montana has finally arrived in northeastern Ohio — 47 years later.

Insurance agent Dave Conn opened his post office box in the community of Hudson last week and found the mailing sent from Helena, Mont., in 1962.

It was sent to Marion White, the previous renter of the box, who had died in 1988. The writer signed the postcard "Fran" and mentioned having "had a marvelous time in Montana."

After asking around, Conn says he determined the card must have come from White's well-traveled friend Frances Murphey, a longtime reporter at the Akron Beacon Journal. She died in 1998 at age 75.

U.S. Postal Service spokesman Victor Dubina says the postcard may have been stuck in equipment or lost behind a mail chute.

Source: Yahoo! News

Down Below

Here's another painting that intrigues me. I often wonder what's going on underneath my feet. I felt this way as a child. Even more these days as an adult. Having some X-ray vision would be fun. Oh wait, I might not want to see what's actually lurking around down there. (I wish I knew who painted this.)

Karma