Friday, November 28, 2008

Carlsbad Photo Blog

Here's a smattering of pictures from last week...

Welcome to Seaport Village sign. I hadn't been there in years.
Flight deck of the U.S.S. Midway, moored across from the village.

Decent photo of Seth and I. :-)


This picture was taked around 1:00, and the ocean really is out there.
The majority of the week looked like this.


Point of view shot: crabs-eye view!

Seth really liked how this turned out. It was chilly by the water.

The next two pictures were taken from the jacuzzi. I haven't photo shopped them at all.


Las Vegas has arrived...next door??

For the most part we have very nice neighbors. We aren't exactly 'close' but wave at each other, pick up mail when we're on vacation, you know, that kind of thing. But then there are the neighbors next door. Somehow they missed the concept of the standard, accepted definition of neighborly. To me that means being friendly, helpful, and most of all, respectful of your fellow man. I mean, if you have a party, isn't it polite to move it in side, around 10:00-10:30 so as to not subject the houses surrounding yours with undue loud noise? If the city ordinance says parties should cease at 10:00, doesn't that mean something? But no, we endure at least one wild party a year complete with live (and VERY loud band) a year. (where they attempt and fail miserably at recreating Led Zepplin's Star Spangled Banner, I might add) In the summer they have multiple get-togethers on the weekend, which in and of themselves wouldn't be negative, except they are usually drunk/buzzed and very rambunctious into the wee hours of the morning. You get the idea.




Which brings me to Christmas. A most joyous time of the year, and one they go waaaaay overboard on. Once again, every single inch of they roof, lawn, trees, and open space on their house is covered with lights galore, a blow up snowman, a blow up snow globe, candy cane archway, plastic trees, snowflakes, a moving train, etc, etc. And, I am not kidding! The light is so intense I think the power they use for it could generate enough electricity for a third world country! This years theme is blue since they recently had their house painted that color and they added the candy cane archway. It's so much an so overboard, the rest of the neighborhood looks pitiful in comparison. I know its fun to enjoy the Christmas spirit, but how about doing it with some taste and style. Just a thought. I'll try to take pictures so I can prove I am not making this up!!!!


P.S. I almost forgot about the Christmas music they play until midnight and the cute, little Santa and Mrs. Claus costumes they use. What if I wanted to go to bed before midnight!!!!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

A little of this & A little of that

Why in the world am I using Thanksgiving of all days to catch up on blog entries?? Well, maybe because I actually have some free time this morning! Last week we spent a week in Carlsbad with numerous family members going back to Orange County for various reasons (Adam and I for work, Seth for class, etc). Regardless of all of the comings and goings, it was nice to have some time away from it all, even if I did have to spend a couple of days working remotely. We had a great ocean view (on the days it wasn't foggy) and some nice walks at the beach. I also went to Seaport Village for the first time in years. It looked much smaller than I remember! I'll post some pictures of our Carlsbad adventures later. The week before we left I finally finished my graduation scrapbook. It certainly took long enough! The good news is I had just the right amount of protectors and decided to end it where I did so I didn't have to go buy more. I am feeling a little scrapbooked out right now. I suppose it's time for me to get busy with my day. Photos will follow before next week!

All for the love of coffee


Yesterday I had a plan. Since it was the day before Thanksgiving, and we all had to work a full day, I thought to myself why not ring in the holiday season with my favorite holiday beverage: a peppermint mocha from Starbucks. Great idea right? To sweeten the deal, CSUF just opened a full-service Starbucks in the new business complex and provided 20 percent off coupon for trying it out. So, I arranged the details. I would save the coupon for the 26th and get myself a nice cup of joe. Everything was working out perfectly: there was no traffic on the freeway, I made it to work in plenty of time to buy the coffee and walk in at 9:00, I found a parking spot close to Mihaylo Hall, and headed in for my holiday treat...only to discover they closed the Starbucks for the entire week. My plans were dashed. Now, I know Fullerton keeps food services on a limited schedule during student breaks, but why, I ask, would they promote a new business with a coupon that expires during a week they aren't even going to be open?? Someone made a big error, and since I didn't have any more time to drive to the nearest Starbucks I headed for work without my peppermint mocha. Somehow I made it through the day. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Calling all Streisand Fans

Regardless of your political affiliation, I thought this was hilarious! (and, yes, I knew all the words, of all the songs, and knew where he messed up on the notes!!!)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeocOXQx_iU