Pacific Ocean

I took this photo a few weeks back on a Friday when we had strong rains. The lighthouse is Pt Vicente Lighthouse here in Rancho Palos Verdes. I was able to spend enough time near the edge of the cliffs and then come back just as the rain started. The lighthouse is active and you can see the light if you walk far enough along the trail.

I love the ocean, but not like many beach-goers here. Beach and ocean are two different entities. I don't ever go into the ocean here in California. Too cold. WAY too cold for me.

Funny. The Gulf of Mexico never commanded my complete, undivided attention like the Pacific Ocean does. This is an understatement. I told a friend of mine once that I can't stop looking at it-like I was mesmerized. I feel sometimes like a whaler's wife walking the widow's peak watching for her husband to come home. I wonder what or whom I'm expecting?

Boring Girl

I am boring. I'm cool with that. I think I have boring hobbies. When I'm in uniform, I'm a little braver and therefore, more exciting. But after work all I want to do is work on my puzzle, or read my book, or look at my plants, or the sky, or my kitties, or the ocean.

No parties. I really don't like them. Too loud. No real communication.

I've always been this way. When I was a little girl, I used to come home from school and draw or walk or bike to a place and look at all the little things. Minnows, rollie-pollies, banana leaves, lizards.

Now, I will look at the moon for a minute and go to bed.

A Few of My Favorite Things

With all due respect to Rogers and Hammerstein, brown paper packages tied up with string could hold something nefarious.

So I have been compiling a list of MY favorite things, but the list is soooo long - as I love so much about this planet - that I am publishing the list of favorites for today, March 17, 2010.

Here it is:

-sitting on my patio at 0400 looking at the stars while I eat vanilla yogurt

-watching the evening sun crawl back into my living room and onto my drawing desk after its winter absence

-listening to my son laugh while he watches AFV

-knowing my car is paid for

-thinking my cats really seem to love me and not the fact that I can open treat bags (this is totally subjective, but I don't care)

-watching the sun set on the ocean

-watching the wind move palm leaves

-listening to the little starlings that live in the grand old ficus that stands outside my window

-macaroni and cheese (my co-workers will attest that I was singing about mac and cheese - like a 5 year old - when I ate my food. But it made me happy... so I sang about it.)

-hearing about a friend who is now in a new relationship

I'm a lucky girl. There are so many happy, little things on this planet. You will know when I-the soul of me - is not here on this earth when I am not moved by these little things. I hope the people who are near to me never see me in that state.

Goodbye Computer.

My computer died while I was on TDY. The drive is fried. There is no bringing him back. Sure, I have a backup disc, and I could buy a new drive, but the soul of him is gone. The ghost in the machine is gone.

I won't be able to watch AI or BladeRunner for a while. :(

San Clemente

I returned last night from San Clemente Island. I was incommunicado for about a week. (Thanks for the stills Gary!)

The island was beautiful and relatively unspoiled. I was even able to spy a few endangered species. The scenery reminded me of Ireland.

Funny. When I close my eyes I still have ghost images of the people and activity I saw on the island. It'll probably take a fair bit of REM sleep (if I get it) to process everything.

Now the editing begins. (Actually almost done.)

Chinese New Year

I am a Monkey. Monkeys are curious. I am pretty sure that fits me. My son is a Rat. That fits him, too.

This will be the Year of the Tiger. I think Wally and I will make the trek to Chinatown and watch the festivities.

When I was at DINFOS, I took the Metro to the Chinatown station and spent a very chilly DC winter day watching traditional dances. Washington's Chinatown has become smaller over the years, after the Convention Center overtook much of the property.

I was happy to come back to LA and lose myself in our Chinatown. I love the rows and rows of loud little shops and booths, surrounded by frying food and little live turtles in bowls.

Surfers

I don't surf. I always wanted to, but I can't stand cold water.

I do, however, love to watch surfers. Wally and I drove past a surf spot on the way home from school. I don't think he's seen people surfing before. He seemed very amused and maybe impressed.

On of my nicest memories of watching surfers was when I drove out to San Luis Obispo for a few days. I drove out to the coast and parked at an elementary school that was right on the beach. It was foggy and cool, but I stayed to listen to the waves. I sat down and just stared into the fog. It was grey and uniform and set everything in slow motion. Then, very queitly, a trio of surers just emerged from the fog and walked past me, boards under their arms. They didn't say anything to each other. They seemed spent. It was like observing another species.

Of course they were physically beautiful...