Breaking the Chain

So today is my 3rd year anniversary for me and my partner. We're going to the Etheridge concert tonight. We went last August '05 as well which was the first time she saw her. For me, this will be my 5th? ... nope, 6th and each time I've seen her I've been with someone else. The first year I was with my ex at Mesa Ampitheater. Very awesome show and venue as it's outdoors and extremely small so every seat is a good seat and it's on the grass everywhere so very bohemian sort of. The second was at a larger venue a couple years later with some friends that came into town. The third was in DC at the rally concert the night before the march with a co-worker acquaintance. The fourth time I was again at MA with another former co-worker and good friend, Doc M. The fifth was last August with my sweetie, my sister and her girlfriend.

The reason I point this out is it's never been by design to see this woman with different folks it just always turned out this way. I made a joke of it last year to my hon that this was always the case - which I think is rather odd/interesting. It was almost as though I HAD to make sure we both saw her again to break the cycle so that we'd be together forever kinda sorta thing. Going to the show tonight will be the first time in over 10 years (and 6 shows) that I've seen Etheridge with the same person. May sound trivial but it sort of signifies something for me. My aunt has never seen her either so we bought her a ticket to come with us. She's cool like that and so in some way the cycle may incidentally continue but more importantly my partner and I will be seeing her again as well, together.
I'm looking forward to the show as I always do and she is always entertaining and talented to watch. It's going to be a neat feeling standing there tonight holding my love and singing along to Melissa and feeling everything kind of settle into place :)

Beaver Creek and Sunsets

Just some pics of the trip. Tons of these buggers were found all over the foliage around the creeks and riverbeds.
This is a pic of the crawdad the kids had never seen, er "small lobster" as they called it. Sucker was fast, I couldn't catch it. Must bring a net next time...

Just some pics of the creek and this was after they'd all already fallen in - slippery rocks!!



On the way back to the truck - heading for another venture in another town.

This is leaving the Canyon and we pulled off to the side of the road to grab this shot. Pics don't truly do the scene justice but it give you the idea...totally felt like the only folks on the road. This was heading south from Valle towards Flagstaff on 180. Great route.

Fat smasher!

So I'm working on the first Phase of the Fat Smasher diet - as seen on TV (VH1 celebrity fit club something or other). It's been interestingly painful, shall we say? It's restricted to fruits and vegetables with little to no carb/protein items. No soda meaning NO CAFFEINE and I'm on day five - ENDING day five I should say. I cheated a little by stepping on the scale a couple days ago...and although I lost a few pounds I'm not feeling it and by 9 days end it better be a helluva lot more to make this torture worthwhile.

After this phase I enter phase 2 which re-introduces meat product (i.e. chicken, fish, and turkey). I'm really looking forward to this phase because I am also allowed two cans of diet soda. Oh blessed phase 2.

I'll let you know how it all turns out and whether I give it my proverbial thumbs up or down. The first two days was ridiculous - headaches, bitchiness(sp?), and all sorts of uncomfortables but I suppose that is why the phase is labeled as Detox!?!?! Duh.

This is to jump start my metabolism and shed unwanted weight and girth in a hurry as I'm really looking forward to getting out much more this autumn. We did another hike up north a couple weeks back with the kids; checked out Beaver Creek area and was heading towards Red Rock Crossing however issues with the water held us at bay. With mudslides etc, there was a nasty bacteria in the water that prevented wading and swimming so we opted for a mud drive through Williams during a torrential downpour - MUCH fun. Checked out the Canyon area and Flagstaff before heading home. I'll list some pics as well.

Anyway, Havasupai Falls awaits and I'm not one to dissapoint so I'm eagerly waiting through these phases to something fantabulous. That's my story and you know the rest.

What a change?!?!

Found this oldie, she's definitely lightened up; more of an ash colouring now. Still a cutie!

Baby pics

Showing off my latest baby pics at work so I have them handy. Been a while since I've blogged about her. Her name is Ella (Elvira) but she is always referred to as the baby. Spoiled and bratty, very much behaves like the baby of the household, much to my other pups chagrin.

I'll have to take some pics of the other pooches about the house for equal "air" time. Obviously this little princess gets a lot ( and I mean A LOT ) of attention. Being the smallest helps.

the test again...

So my parnter was reading over the Number Test from prev post and we did it together giving each other what we thought the answer was for us. She did change my number but it was cool because we got most of it right from what we thought for ourselves. Cool little exercise. I had one question I waivered on and it made the number difference. When I chose my number it came out as six however when she did the responses I ended up with five - which was what I came up with previously on my own depending on that one question I had two different answers (both correct) for.

There you have it. It was a lot of fun and her number changed also - we both agreed when we worked on them together they seemed more fitting. You should try it.

You Are 5: The Investigator

You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker. You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does. Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations. You are open minded. A visionary. You understand the world and may change it.

What Number Are You?

NY Trip

Okay, so it's about a month overdue. Got some of the pics back, finally. Took forever for me to bring the rolls of film in so I thought I'd post what I have. The other three or four rolls I didn't get disc?? So, the GOOD stuff I'll have to scan in which I haven't gotten around to. I may have those done before Christmas...LOL!

This first pic is in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral - huge Catholic church that's truly gorgeous. In front of the cathedral is a pride poster for the week and weekend festivities.

What a great location for the advertisement!?


The next pic is one of 15 or so rows of candles - tried several different settings but this one was my favorite. Surprised I got out of there without a strike of lightening.

These were a couple of labs some guy came down to the park with. We were hanging out at the fountain in Central Park and they just came jumping in. You can tell they were really enjoying themselves just having a good ol' time. I enjoyed them too; they were so much fun to watch; made me miss my babies.


This next picture shows an interesting invention. The contraption we're hanging out on is called the Party Bike.

You sit 6 people around the "thing" and you have a main driver controlling the brake...the Party Bike Host. This brake is tight and the four of us when cruising down Times Square amongst the traffic.

We were in between buses and cabs and craziness. It was a huge blast and I'd do it again and again. One of us (not me) in the group was very ... scared you might say and kept screaming as we got near other vehicles...this just fed our host all the more so he kept playing dare devil. Never laughed so hard in my life. Great fun!

This shot has the host jumping off the bike with our camera (yes he returned it) getting a great shot with the square behind us.

And on the last day of sight seeing we went to the seaport village and at Fulton Market they were holding the exhibit of Bodies, The Exhibition.

This is the exhibit of cadavers stripped of skin, ligaments, muscle, veins, and in some cases all tissue down to the skeletal frame.

There was every possible dissection variation possible displayed and there was a section with all stages of fetal development including a fetus IN the womb at 24 weeks which was incredible. They also had cancer riddled breasts, lungs, and various other organs. It was very educational and incredibly fascinating. If you get a chance in your town, see it.

The way it's done is incredible and the process used to preserve the bodies and specimens, they all appear plastic.

"Once dissected, the specimen is immersed in acetone, which eliminates all body water. The specimen is then placed in a large bath of silicone, or polymer, and sealed in a vacuum chamber. Under vacuum, acetone leaves the body in the form of gas and the polymer replaces it, entering each cell and body tissue. A catalyst is then applied to the specimen, hardening it and completing the process."

That is until this one display of a woman who was planed lengthwise into 5-layers showing the entire body with skin and all. Still fabulous!

U2 fan?

Like U2? Like remixes? Check out this site and watch the clip...WOW, clever!

wow ... shocker ...

Borrowed from Leesa :

You Are 6: The Loyalist

You have strong relationships and are intensely loyal. People find you easy to love and care for. You like your world to be stable and secure, no surprises. You're cautious. You prefer your inner circle to the outside world.

What Number Are You?

Marshmallow Mentality

So I've been gabbing on for quite some time on this blog about my dreadful job #1. I hate it, it's true. But lately I've come up with my own personal mantra (for you, doc!) and that is, "I'm waiting for my marshmallow!"

I say it at least once a day if not more and it simply refers to the true gold at the end of a very long and winding rainbow. If you aren't familiar with the Marshmallow Test then click on it and read further. In a nutshell it refers to a test of grade schoolers and how they handled instant gratification regarding a marshmallow which then translates to how they cope with life as an adult. It's truly a fascinating little experiment and I had read about it decades ago and it just stuck. Well my present position leads me back to that article and where I want to be and how long I am willing to wait for it.

My partner and I attended a yoga class a couple weeks ago; while we ended the session and was just sort of meditating out she spoke about instant gratification. Another sign (no I really don't believe in them). But it did reenforce what I was already thinking. I've been itching to go car shopping and get my Saab, really really bad. But I refrained knowing that in good time and with a bit of patience, I will be in a better position to ENJOY the vehicle if I don't rush it. For several reasons this will be true; 1) financially in an even better position, 2) having waiting and covetted the car it will be more of an impact when purchased, and 3) I will have earned it because I prioritized instead of jumped for the instant grat.

The big marshmallow, the one I am actually chanting for is the overall change pending at work. I was out-tasked 5 years ago as of next May. Company A handed us over to Company B and then contracted us to still work for Company A. Got it?

The contract expires in March of '07 and is currently in negotiations. There have been several layoffs since the transition in 2002 where I have unfortunately watched many colleagues and friends go. I sat and stayed with other co-workers and we took on additional work, more demand, and of course, less appreciation. Moral has never been lower and we're ALL waiting for something to happen in March.

Rumor mill has it there will either be additional layoffs in October and/or March or perhaps the originating company(A) will bring us back?! All of these are possible, likely, and somewhat hoped for. THIS is my marshmallow; to in some way, shape, or form - leave the present company(B) I am with. If it's due to layoffs I have about 5 months of severance so that's pretty cool and job #2 is nearing it's apprenticing end. If we return to "parent" company that would be awesome as well as vacations, seniority, and overal employee satisfaction would be excellent!

So I sit waiting patiently for October or March ... possibly MAY for the guy to come back into the room to grant me my second Marshmallow.

Should it arrive, I'll probably want chocolate and graham to go with - LOL!

Montezuma's Well

My partner and I took a quickie road trip north last Saturday to check out some areas to bring the kids before school starts(YEA!). We stopped off I-17 to Montezuma's Well. Great history and interesting vanishing of the Sinagua people.

The well was created by a "sink hole" to simplify the process and is a constant 76-78 degrees all year round with millions of gallons processing daily from a spring.

There's an outlet that runs out the back side and the indigenous people 900 years ago(?) developed canals to irrigate crops etc. which runs along the Beaver Creek that you may catch glimpses of in the photos. The water from the well and in the canal is actually crystal clear and the ruins are amazing especially on the lower path into the cave dwellings. The temperature difference was staggering AND appreciated.

If you are a local and have never gone or it's been a while or if you are visiting; it is a nice and mellow hike into some of Arizona's history (which as I age I appreciate so much more).

Tagged?!?!?!?!

I got tagged, me? Thanks, Doc!?
5 weird things about me. This was much harder than I had anticipated. Not that I'm not odd in aspects of my life but to identify them? I did have to ask for help because I only came up with two.

1) When using the microwave/alarm I have to end the time in a 2 (8:12 or :52, etc.)

2) I cry after many times after my partner and I have sex ( in a good way, lol). Just this overwhelming release and power thing. It's pretty cool.

3) Grocery loading, I have to load it on the belt in categories as I want it bagged: cold with cold, boxes with boxes, cans with cans and so forth and then only I can load the car so that heavy stuff goes on the bottom and the lighter goods don't get crushed. It's just logic?! DUH!

4) When I eat I can't mix food, it's just gross the whole mash potato and corn thing, NO WAY! And I don't drink until after I've finished eating or come close to.

5) The kids make fun of my paranoia about their friends coming over and getting hurt either in the pool or walking down the stairs. Don't know that's weird but they think so - so I'll include it.

There.

Morning show madness

Interested in feedback here!!!

So I was driving to Job #2 Friday morning and for some crazy ass reason I have the radio on. I NEVER listen to the radio especially in the mornings because there is never any good, if any, music on them anymore.

So anyway, there is this discussion that I missed the tip of and all I am hearing is this screeching woman (Carla of 104.7 in AZ) one of three of the morning DJs yelling at the caller about how ignorant she is being and how she's giving her a headache from her idiotic thought / question / comment? The two guys that work with her (John Jay and Rich) are trying to defend the caller by supporting whatever it was that was said. They can't get a word in edgewise and I don't quite know the subject but Carla sounds like a complete lunatic who is blowing up emotionally.

The caller was wanting to know why musicians/artists use offensive language in their songs that gets the audience in trouble if they sing it. Sounds confusing? The example given was, Kanye West had a song out (which I really F*KIN hated) last year about a gold digger. The N* word is in this song. The caller was upset because she is white (that's not why...) and when she's in the club singing that song or in her car whatever, she apparently was told or read somewhere that white people can't sing that word in the song because the black community finds it offensive.

Carla is evidently African-American (AA) and said if she sang that song in a club she would get her ass kicked and she better not sing it. She was getting really pissed at the caller and not listening to the point. The caller didn't argue she'd get a beating; she wanted to know why? It's a song written by an AA man who understands the history behind the word yet chooses to use it anyway knowing the public who he expects to PAY for this song will sing it - regardless of colour, creed, etc. Caller is asking, why in today's times is this still an issue?

My problem, 1) Carla is a small minded, big mouthed nonstop arguing without listening left a lot to be desired. She was a complete turn off 2)Caller had a very valid point, don't use the word in a song if you find it offensive; that's being a hypocrit and 3) this song, with every single lyric, is offensive. It's offensive to women of all nationality, it's offensive to men who are good father's etc., it's offensive for lack of sexual education - no mention of using protection just who's getting who pregnant and if it's yours mentality that you find on Maury "Who's your daddy" Povich!?

The word is VERY offensive; I agree. I never use it and cease listening to a song that does as it is not an appropriate word to be tossed about lightly including within the young, black community.

What I did find astonishing was Caller made an excelled point (among several) that referred to the song as if it were a poem. It's a form of art, and if you're reading a poem, wouldn't you read it in its entirety? As it was meant to be read? Carla retorted, not unless you want an ass whoopin'. Well put, Carla.

And they pay her for this?

When you gotta go...?

...you gotta go

At least he went behind the bushes.

On the *higher* side...

Cute little new addition to a sherrif's office. Meet the 6lb police drug dog.

Name is Midge. An officer purchased the dog from a co-worker's relative and began training Midge to sniff out marijuana.

Adorable little bugger.

Worked so hard, needed a nap!

Fight Club (s) ?!?!?!

Check this out. New way to pass time among the youth??? Problem is, the 'new' fight club scene is involving not only underage participants but also unwilling victims. Crazy story - must read the article.

Happy 25th MTV!!!

How many can YOU name????

Still Camping!!!

Read this; great little story on how your camping experience(s) define who you are.

Of course I searched the recesses to recall my own experiences. I loved it. Absolutely didn't want to ever leave and return home. My cousin, on the other hand, cried pretty much the entire week. Was homesick and I had to hear about it. Me, I was box-hockey champ and learned how to dive...I was nine, a late bloomer.

Still remember Kumbaya, Baby Bumble Bee, and Little Rabbit Foo Foo sung around the camp fires. Ghost stories and the couselor in our dorm telling us to shut up already. The magic show held in the auditorium one evening after dinner. And, of course, Brownie Delight, this gooey warm fudgy ice cream and browine (duh) desert. I loved the smells, the sights, the sound, the fun, the laughter, the crafts; all of it.

If I could live like that, I'd do adolescence again but no other way.