Our Day Trip to San Francisco

Minnette and I decided to take a trip to San Francisco.  We took the BART train from the Fremont station to the Powell station.  It turned out to be a great idea.  We didn't have to worry about looking for parking and paying for parking fees.  The train ride took about an hour and as soon as we stepped off the train what greeted us was the hustle and bustle of city life.  Very different from the Silicon Valley environment that we are used to which compared to San Francisco I would consider very tame.  I loved it.  You could feel the energy in the air.  We went on a Friday so there were plenty of people going about their daily work schedule.  Men and women in suits carrying briefcases hurriedly scurrying around on their way to their office or to their next appointment.  Women in stilettos out pacing me in my flats.  How do they do it?  I know I couldn't.  I chuckled to myself, Minnette and I looked like tourists.  Me with my Lubitel camera hanging around my neck and my digital around my wrist.  Minnette also carrying her own digital camera.  From Powell we walked to Chinatown stopping along the way to take pictures at Union Square.  In Chinatown we explored the shops, ate lunch at a little Chinese deli type place (our lunch cost only $8.00 for two and could have fed 3-4 people).  We looked in on several other food shops because Minnette wanted to buy pork buns and rice cakes for her husband.  While she was purchasing her items I looked through a display of jade jewelry and purchased a jade ring to commemorate the day.  After purchasing the items we walked to Little Italy and had coffee at the cutest cafe (I forget the name but I would definitely recognize it if I saw it again).  The cafe mocha I ordered was the best one I'd ever tasted.  It tasted like chocolate without the bitterness of coffee.  Fabulous!  Little Italy is full of color and reminiscent of a European town.  Plenty of locals and tourists sitting outside cafes and restaurants idly enjoying their day with friends and family.  We walked back to Chinatown on the way to the Piers and we discovered a tea tasting store.  It's called "Vital Tea Leaf".  It's run by a man called, Kenny.  He prepared and presented the different kinds of teas for our tasting.  He is very funny, a natural showman.  We enjoyed our time there immensely.  We bought a couple of different types of teas from him.  I bought one that he swears is good for high blood pressure, cholesterol and several other ailments but it's the worst tasting tea I've ever tasted.  I also bought a tea that is suppose to be good for my allergies, this one tasted good.  I'm going to drink those two teas daily and we'll see if there are any improvements to my issues.  Wouldn't it be great if tea can cure my maladies.  After filling up with tea we walked towards Pier 1 to the Ferry Building Marketplace.  On the way we walked through a water fountain with water falls and took some pictures as tourists would do.  The Ferry Building is nice with stores, coffee shops and restaurants.  I found it catered more to tourists and business professionals.  A very commercial type of place.  I really enjoyed myself in Chinatown and Little Italy because you get a real sense of atmosphere.  We trekked back to the BART Powell station, got on the train and after drove back home to our realities.

 A mural in Chinatown.

A mural in Little Italy.

 Art work:  Open books with empty pages

Because all the words fell out.

Water fountain sculpture in front of the Ferry Building Marketplace.

He Knew He Was Right

I just finished watching a BBC period drama called "He Knew He Was Right" based on a novel by a Victorian novelist, Anthony Trollope.  The story is about a young newly married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Emily Trevelyan.  The first year of their marriage was blissful until an old friend of Emily's father, Col. Osborne, starts paying her regular visits.  Louis, her husband, becomes jealous of the friendship.  The jealousy turns into obsession when society starts gossiping about his wife and her relationship with the colonel.  The obsession becomes so severe it threatens his marriage and his relationship with his wife and young son.  Around them are other related stories of a flirtatious clergyman who leads two sisters to believe that he loves each of them, causing them to compete for his affections and a young woman companion to a wealthy, elderly, overbearing aunt who opposes her marrying the man she loves.
As I watched the story unfold I was incredulous to see Louis' love for his wife turn into something else, more like insanity.  The very rigid rules of Victorian society and it's effects on a man with a weak mind who couldn't or wouldn't stand up to protect his wife from the idle gossip.  I found the clergyman and the two sisters incredibly funny and the love between a young woman and her aunt very heartwarming.  From what I've read (reviews) it was a very good adaptation of the novel.  Personally I haven't read the novel but I am now very interested in doing so.  It's available on Netflix if you're interested in watching.

Michelle Obama's Advice for Women on Relationships

Advice for women on relationships with spouses and with each other: "Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts ... good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don't hurt. They're not painful. That's not just with somebody you want to marry, but it's with the friends that you choose. It's with the people you surround yourselves with. And that's just as important as the school that you choose. Who's in your life, and do you respect them, and do they respect you? And are you respecting them. Right?
"And we as women in particular—and this is such an important message—starting today, you all have to be supportive of each other. You can't be jealous, and push and trip, you know? It's hard enough."
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"Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down."  Very important advice from the First Lady.  We've all heard it said in many different ways but no matter how you say it, it's true.  I learned that lesson later in life, I wish I would have learned it sooner.  I'm doing my best now to keep negativity away from me because it's no one else's life but mine.  And I'm living it.  I'm doing what makes me happy and I don't care what anyone else thinks because at the end of the day I'm the one that has to look at myself in the mirror, I'm the one that pays my bills, and I'm the one that takes care of me.

Echolocation

Did you read that article on Live Science?  They have found that some blind people, not all, can echo locate like bats!  Amazing!  I find this shit fascinating.  Coming from me, a woman with the shortest attention span ever.  Isn't that something though?  Humans that can echo locate is another step up the evolutionary ladder.  They are also in the process of trying to find out if non-blind humans are able to echo locate.  Wouldn't that be cool.  That's like a Batman skill without the use of gadgets.  Awesome!!!

http://www.livescience.com/14327-blind-people-echolocation-brains.html

Bad Allergies This Year Have Led To...

Hey All, I'm suspecting that my bad case of allergies this season have led to the skin issues on my FACE!!!  I've been suffering from them for several weeks but I haven't written about it because I thought it would eventually go away but it hasn't yet.  It's taking it's sweet time but I am seeing some improvement.  It looks a lot to me like eczema (which I've never suffered from before).  I did some research and apparently oil-based products and petroleum jelly work well to diminish the dryness.  So last night I slathered my face with my Watt's Moroccan Oil and after it soaked in I put Vaseline petroleum jelly all over my face.  I'll continue to do that for the next few days and monitor the results.  If I notice positive results, I'll continue and hopefully my skin will be back to normal in no time.  I'll keep my fingers crossed and keep you posted.

Medicare (GOP Plan DENIED)

The G.O.P. proposed a medicare overhaul plan that says that everyone under the age of 55 will no longer have medicare benefits at retirement age and that we would have to go to a private medical insurance carrier.  Really?  Do you really think that is the way to go?  So, not only are we paying a large amount of our income during our working careers to insurance companies but also we are now going to have to pay part of our retirement monies that we've slaved most of our lives to save to the insurance companies, as well.  That is their plan.  I'm in the wrong business...I should have gotten into the insurance business from the start because that sure is where the money is, either that or banking.  So does that mean if Medicare is removed from our future will that be reflected on our checks?  Will we be compensated with more income in order to save for medical care in our waning years.  I doubt it.  Wow, so for many people who didn't manage to save any retirement money due to circumstances, job loss that took their home and ate up their savings for example, are going to be dependent on Social Security, what is going to happen to them?  No medicare, no insurance, so if they fall ill they will just rot in their homes waiting to die basically.  Great!  That is something everyone of us can look forward to.  I truly believe that the United States is not a country for the retired.  In order for retirees to live a half way decent life in their remaining years they have to go abroad, where you can get medical care either at a low rate or even free.  I think that will be my plan or like my boyfriend said we can live 6 months here and 6 months abroad.  I like that plan too.  This place is just getting ridiculous.

I just read on USA Today that the G.O.P. Medicare Plan was DENIED!  I do agree that we need to make changes but lets start first with reducing government spending.  I don't think we need to sacrifice the elderly.  Maybe they should look into welfare reform, not Social Security or Medicare.  There are plenty of young able bodied Americans choosing to be on welfare rather than getting an education to eventually find a job and be a contributing member of society just because it's easier for them to be on welfare.  I'm sure they consider it free money but really what sort of lifestyle do you live.  You can't get rich off of welfare checks.

Dorothy: Locked & Loaded

I found this blog a few days ago and I've become hooked.  I've just started reading the story and it's good.  It's about Dorothy but not the sweet Dorothy of old.  She's the granddaughter of the old Dorothy and this one, nicknamed Dot, is a tough, gun totin', ex-military ass-kicker.  She named her gun, a Browning .45 caliber,  Toto which she carries holstered on her hips.

http://dorothylockedandloaded.blogspot.com/

When I'm...

When I'm in despair
The words flow through my fingers
I see them floating in air
When I'm anguished
They come unheeded
I could not stop them if I wished
When I'm happy
There is nothing but silence
I may become sappy but
No letters no words just absence.

She Rows

I see in front of me I do not know
From where she came to where she'll go
She looks behind at what she tows
Bravely forward she rows and rows
The length is long the going slow
She holds tears that overflow
Memories flood of her last beau
Looks up to witness the first fall of snow
Sparkling crystals like a picture show
She smiles a smile of woe
Bravely forward she'll forever row.

Intelligence

Another awesome, very well done show cut off at it's prime.  I'm so sad.  The show is a crime drama based in Vancouver, Canada and it's main characters are on opposite sides of the law but due to circumstances must work together.  One of the main character's, Jimmy Reardon, is kinda hot.  He has that bad boy/good boy thing going on.  He owns a strip club where he does most of his business dealings as well as a shipping yard and a few illegal enterprises.  It's a must see.  I discovered it on Netflix of course.

Hats & Musings

You know what I was just thinking while I was ironing...I was thinking they should bring hats back in fashion.  Well, I've actually thought about it before, I went so far as buying a sunhat which I haven't worn yet but plan on it this summer.  This coming from a person who very rarely wore hats in the past.  But really, they should bring hats back in fashion and I'm not talking about berets or pageboy hats but the big wide brim "Hello Dolly" hats (I loved that movie by way when I was a kid), the Kentucky Derby hats.  Wouldn't that be awesome.  If I wore something like that today people would laugh and think I belong in a loony bin.  I think they had it right back then when people wore clothes, I mean really wore clothes.  Of course it was for different reasons, morally or otherwise.  Back then it was taboo for a woman to expose an ankle. (Oh dear, did you see that.  Everyone saw her ankle.  Honey, I don't want you associating with that sort.)  Hahaha...can you imagine a prissy woman of that time being transported, by time travel of course, to Venice Beach, CA in the middle of summer.  She would probably have a heart attack from shock as soon as she arrived.  Die right there on the spot bug eyed.  But seriously, skin cancer was probably unheard of back then with women wearing layers upon layers of material that covered their entire body, wearing wide brim hats and carrying a parasol.  Those women were protected.  The same with men, they wore trousers with long sleeve button shirts, jackets and hats.  The ozone layer was in tip top shape and global warming was nowhere to be found.  Today, with us destroying the ozone layer and causing global warming we are wearing less and less clothes.  We have absolutely no protection against the UVA/UVB rays that we are more and more exposed to.  So, I was thinking this summer I am going to buy a collection of hats and wear them all summer long.  Just a little experiment I want try and maybe I'll actually like it.

I Was Once a Sun Worshiper

Yes, in my younger days I used to sacrifice myself to the sun god.  I would lay out at the beach or poolside wearing bikinis that make me blush today just at the memory, my body slick with baby oil.  Boy, talk about baking or roasting however way you want to say it.  That was of course before all the research into skin cancer (malignant melanoma) brought on by a surgence of the cancer found on previous sun worshipers from the 60's and 70's.  I could be wrong but that is my opinion since in my youth I heard no mention of it anywhere.  There were no warnings or commercials of the importance of sun protection, so like many people we went about our day ignorant of what was happening to our skin as soon as we stepped outside.  Now we are bombarded by information.  Which is a good thing for the next generation.  You know what amazes me though, for all the information available to us, there are people who still insist on not protecting themselves.  I don't know why that is.  Is it laziness?  Is it denial?  Is it the unrealistic assumption that they are invincible?  Dream on baby, dream on.  Wearing sun protection today can save you a wrinkle tomorrow.  That's how I see it.  Sometimes I'm in such a hurry in the morning that I barely have time to put sunscreen on but I do it.  I pour a glob in my hand and rub it on my face while I'm walking out the door and sometimes I get to work and I crack myself up when I happen to glance in a mirror and I have streaks of white across my face.  Oooops, I missed a spot.  Hahaha...but honestly I don't care if anyone thinks I'm strange when they see me like that because I always feel I will have the last laugh.  (Well, I'm sympathetic to other sunscreen wearers and if I see someone with a streak of sunscreen on their face I would inform them.)  I take comfort in the knowledge that in ten years I'll still be wrinkle free and whom so ever laughed behind my back will not.  Well, that's my personal solace anyways.  So, take heed people, wear sunscreen every day for a beautiful tomorrow.

Relationships

Why do people enter in relationships?  In today's society it's becoming very hard to trust your significant other.  I don't blame anyone for not trusting their mates at all.  With politicians and high profile individuals getting caught with their pants down it's hard to not look at the one you love and wonder if he/she has been unfaithful.  Especially in this day and age with social networking sites, match making sites, sites, which shall remain nameless, that promote special secret encounters with other married like minded people looking for an exciting one night rendezvous. It's so easy.  So very easy to meet people and be tempted.  So I ask, "Why bother?"  Why bother with relationships and marriage.  It's so disappointing.  No one wants to get hurt.  No one wants to destroy families.  But it's happening all over the world.  I think committed relationships are few and far between.  Couples in those relationships can consider themselves very lucky and should not take it for granted.  But what about us singletons?  (Ok, I'm not exactly single. my boyfriend got kind of upset when he read that.  Sorry darling.)  What do we do about the mistrust?  Maybe it's a better idea to stay single, to not take a relationship too seriously and just have fun.  We've all heard this before...The only thing guaranteed in life is "death and taxes".

I Would Like To Talk About Bidets. Yes, You Heard Right Bidets.

As you well know, we Americans have been raised to use dry, very dry toilet paper to clean our down under so when we travel to foreign countries who are not use to this concept we gasp in horror.  Oh, the nerve!  But if we look past our snobby noses and used our little gray cells (as Hercule Poirot would say) we would agree that washing that particular area with soap and water is so much cleaner and more sanitary than scraping dry paper between our cheeks.  When I went on vacation to India in the middle of summer a few years ago, arriving at the same time as the monsoon season (it came early that year), oh the bathroom adventures I had.  No toilet paper to be found in any of the public and private restrooms that I visited.  Thank goodness I had bought a travel size bottle of body wash at the airport for freshening up in between flights.  I carried that little bottle with me everywhere.  In India they have faucets next to the toilets or at least within reaching distance and that is what you use to clean up after yourself.  Sometimes soap was available and sometimes not, so that little bottle of body wash was a godsend in those types of situations.  I found after a few days I had become accustomed and actually really liked the feeling of being fresh and clean after a bowel movement to where now in my tiny little apartment after doing the deed I have to wash myself in the shower.  Very inconvenient...which brings me to bidets.  I am definitely purchasing one.  I have a bidet frame of mind.  When my lease is up and it will be up sooner rather than later and I decide to move to better accommodations, a bidet is definitely at the top of my list of "Things to Buy".

Let's Make This Official

About my weight, I have gained weight steadily over the last few years and as the years roll by my dreams of seeing me, myself and I wear cute little white shorts are quickly going down the drain.  It's all my fault, really.  I just haven't had the motivation to do anything more than walk my dog daily.  (By the way, my Talon is recovering nicely although the antibiotics is making him lose his appetite.  Which is fine because he can stand to lose a little weight himself.)  Well a few months ago  I decided I needed to start getting serious about the weight loss.  And I've been successful, so I've been told but these last few days with my dog's illness and my serious allergy attacks have kept me unmotivated.  So, starting tomorrow I am going to get back on that weight loss bandwagon and I'm going to write about it.  I'll post my daily physical activities but not my diet consumption.  I'm not too fond of diets, you see.  For one, I don't think they work and for another it's just a temporary fix, for me anyways.  I'm an eater.  I love food.  Which means eating good food.  I'm not a calorie counter either so you won't be seeing any of that in my writings.  Let's see how long I can keep this up.  My posts will be on my "My Weight Loss Journey" page.  I won't torture you with before pictures but if I'm successful I might just post some after pictures.

Mansions Again? WTF!!!

Do you know what really irks me?  And it's been bugging me for months.  I don't know if you've ever noticed but Yahoo writes an article about mansions, million dollar homes and upscale high rises on a friggin' weekly basis.  In this effed up economy with thousands of people losing their homes to foreclosure and just as many losing their jobs, they're writing about homes only billionaires (bankers anyone?) can afford.  Absolutely absurd.  They should write as a headline "AND HERE ARE MORE PICTURES OF HOMES YOU WILL NEVER OWN IN YOUR LIFETIME!"  Pretty catchy eh?  I'd buy that for a dollar.
I also read that another one of the "The Real Housewives" women lost her multi-million dollar home because she was trying to keep up with the Joneses but couldn't afford it.  Did you see the size of that thing?  Its was huge!  She should have negotiated a better contract.

Beauty

What is it about beauty that drives us women to torture ourselves with needles, chemicals and brillo pads!  I admit I'm guilty of at least 2 of the above.  I haven't resorted to needles yet but I've definitely thought about it.  I can see it happening in my foreseeable future.  And it costs money...tons of money to keep it all up.  I've tried almost everything out there and has it helped?  I don't know.  Honestly, I don't know.  I look at myself in the mirror and I don't know if I would have looked the way I do regardless if I did anything about it or not.  I should have taken a before picture 10 years ago so I can compare of course I was thinner then and I have to admit, I was more attractive.  I'm 10 lbs. heavier now.  Ok ok, I lied more like 20 and I hate myself for it but we'll discuss that another time.  The one thing I do see as really beneficial/necessary to the skin is regular exfoliation.  It has to be done.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  It has to be done.  If I don't exfoliate my skin for a month, I look like a horrible mess.  My skin is lined and very very dull.  I look like I've aged 10 years!  I do one exfoliation treatment and 'voila!' my skin looks smooth and radiant.  Amazing!  (I sound like a commercial.  Hehehe...)  And exfoliation doesn't have to be expensive.  There are all kinds of homemade recipes out there on the internet world that you can try and may save you money and look great at the same time.  I've tried most of them.  Although, I have become very fond of the chemical kind (glycolic, lactic acids).  I've become hooked to those because it's instant gratification.  The effect is almost instantaneous and I love it.  So, like I said we women will do just about anything to stay beautiful and we'll pay just about any amount if we have it.  Does it really work?  I think to some extent it does but is it worth the amount of labor and money we invest in it?  Who's to say.

Veronica Mars

You know, I watched the entire series of Veronica Mars and I'm so disappointed in Rob Thomas that he ended the series the way that he did.  Now I'm curious as to what happened to Veronica.  Did she enjoy her internship with the FBI?  Did she graduate?  Maybe study Law?  Her father...what became of him?  We'll never know....

I didn't watch the series during it's airing but I discovered it on Netflix and once I started I couldn't stop.  It was refreshing to see a young teenager who was smart, witty, strong and independent.  She has qualities I wish I had at her age.  Kristen Bell did a great job portraying her.

Keith Mars, played by Enrico Colantoni, was a great character.  Very supportive of his daughter even knowing that she was too smart for her own good.  He stood by her till the end.

The other characters in the show were fascinating albeit stereotypical.  Kristin Cavallari (Laguna Beach & The Hills) made a guest appearance...very stiff performance.

All in all, I loved the show and I really wish they had completed it.  It's like reading a great one of a kind novel the last book in existence and when you get towards the end you realize the last few pages are missing.  (Sigh)

Talon

So, my dog's name is Talon and for the last couple of weeks, or longer, he has had some sort of skin rash.  I didn't notice the hair loss until I gave him a bath and to my surprise patches of hair just fell off his body.  Now, for how long that had been going on I don't know (maybe 2 - 3 weeks is my guess) because I bathe him about once a month, so I never really noticed anything wrong.  He's an indoor dog and only goes outside when he has to do his business and I'm with him the entire time, of course I turn my head to give him his privacy, so I know exactly where he's been.  Where he could have picked up anything is my guess.  Well, anyhoo, I took him to the vet and she says he has a bacterial and yeast infection, double whammo.  Poor little guy, he's on antibiotics (twice a day) and I have to bathe him twice a week with medicated shampoo.  He and I are not happy campers.