Recent Happenings

Thanksgiving was a very fun, satisfying day! Sam and I slept in, had a bagel breakfast, got some coffee, and drove to Simi to visit my mom and family. It was also Papa's birthday, so I wanted to make sure to see them. It seems like most Thanksgivings in the last few years I've spent with my dad ... I can't remember the last time I was at my mom's! They are always very casual with dinner, and it was just the immediate family plus Sam and I. I made the stuffing (Stovetop, and it's actually very delicious) and we were watching Sleeping Beauty in the background- my favorite Disney movie! We ate early, around one, and then we were off to Sam's parents house for our second dinner! We had about 25 people at Sam's parents ... totally packed! I did finally get to meet his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Danny, of whom I've heard a lot about from Grandma ... they were all really nice and funny. After another huge delicious dinner we sat around reading Trivial Pursuit questions to each other.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see my dad or that side of the family this year. My dad loves to camp and the last few years they've gone out of town, either to the Malibu RV Park (GORGEOUS view of the ocean) or up to Flying Flags, in Solvang, which is where they were this year and last. Last year Sam and I drove up for the day and it was very nice ... if you've never had a camping style Thanksgiving you have to try it! Of course, the weather here in So Cali is usually sunny and warm which makes camping at this time of year that much easier. There is also the fact that RVing is very different than tent camping- you have a full kitchen so making dinner isn't much different than it is at home. I can say though, nothing compares to having a wonderful turkey dinner outside in nature, watching the sunset over the ocean, or just being outside in the sunlight all day- that's what makes me thankful to be alive!

This weekend was also busy at work! Work has been so slow lately- traditionally this is the slowest time of the year, but combined with the economic crisis and trying to cut back hours at work (as opposed to layoffs) I'm practically unemployed. Friday was my first fully booked day in months, literally. I was pretty happy about it! Of course, Saturday had slowed down again, but maybe things will improve after the holidays. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

As we roll into December, finals are coming on ... I have two this week and four next week (one of my classes has a two-week final) ... so unless you want to talk about Points or Herbs I'm afraid I'll be unavailable until December 11th!!

Gobble Gobble

Thanksgiving! It's almost my favorite holiday (second only to Halloween) ... why, you may ask? It's cozy. It's autumnal. It celebrates the finer sentiments of family, togetherness, harvest and, most importantly, thankfulness. We live in such a busy, hectic, fast paced world ... when is the last time you actually stopped to think about everything good you have in your life?? Though we may not be Pilgrims fresh off the boat, in a strange new world, close to starving, making a tentative connection with the Wampanoag tribe, and being thankful to simply be alive ... we still have plenty of reasons to give thanks now, and every day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Evolution of a Couch Potato

When I was renting a room, I didn't spend a lot of time watching TV. My roommates had cable and I had a small TV/VCR (yes, VCR!!) in my room, but I only got the most basic channels and I didn't watch any of the shows my roommates liked ... so I just stopped watching. When Sam and I got the apartment we decided that we didn't want cable, since neither of us watch much television, and we used my tiny combo to watch movies. Eventually we decided the old 13" wasn't cutting it and we got a bigger TV, placed on a rolling cart, since we didn't want to orient the furniture around a TV. We also got an Apple TV so we could buy the few shows we do watch on iTunes, and rent movies too.

When we decided that we wanted to stay in this apartment until May we felt compelled to rearranged our furniture. It felt so temporary, and we wanted to feel at home for the next six months. The room used to be wide open, with all the furniture pushed up against the wall. We decided to turn the couch to "float" in the middle of the room, and the TV moved off the rolling cart and into it's permanent place. We got a new bookcase, cleaned up our desk areas, and ditched the mini-fridge, all of which lent a sense of permanence and homeyness the the apartment. I mean, nothing says temporary like rolling the TV out every time you're going to watch a movie! We were still ok without cable ... and then most of Southern California caught on fire (again) and we found that the internet news we usually rely on wasn't very up to date on the local fire info, and had NO INFORMATION on freeway closures, causing me to be late to work and my chemistry midterm ... so we've caved. We got cable.

They installed it this morning. I'm already in love with the HD HGTV channel ... I like home improvement shows. I don't think this will change much. Having a DVR always increases hours spent watching television ... of course, I'll always prefer the company of a good book!

Stop and ... take in the sunset!

The last few weeks have afforded some gorgeous sunsets. Partly due to the Los Angeles smog, partly due to toxic smoke from our recent brushfires, and partly due to low lying clouds on the horizon ... but all beautiful! Since moving out of the 'burbs I have noticed that it takes a lot of effort to stay connected with nature. Every day there is a sunrise, a sunset, a moon, trees, flowers, and everything that makes the world beautiful ... but how often do we really stop and take it all in? If you have not had time to really enjoy a lovely sunset, here are some of my latest photos, taken over Simi Valley.

He'll kill me for this ...

... but I don't care!

Happy Birthday Sam!

(I know I'm biased, but I think he's quite fetching.)

Continuing struggles with self control ...

My recent foray into veggie/veganism has sort of crashed and burned ... but I'm not giving up hope! My interest has kind of sparked an interest in Sam, and he is now the one prodding me along! We have decided that to live a healthy life we have to encourage each other [or shame each other ... not sure which is more effective!! lol] - and it's much easier when both people in a household are aiming for healthy living than just one or the other! We have our vices (coffee!!) but I'm trying to view this as a lifestyle change. Not just a diet. It's a slow transition.

First was the literature. Sam recently finished (and I'm just starting) The China Study, suggested by a raw-foodist friend, among others. Studying TCM and the body in general has also given me a good idea of how to live to my most healthy. In TCM food is viewed a bit differently than in Western society. For example- I know I would never be a raw-foodist because all that raw, uncooked, cold food would damage my Spleen/Stomach Qi. It's just not good for the digestion from a TCM perspective. [Of course, I'm not entirely sure vegetarianism is either, (meat is one of the substances that helps with the formation of Blood), but I'm still transitioning!]

My personal goal for this week is to simply eat at home, or bring a lunch. [Laziness is another thing I feel I'm always struggling with] - I just have to make myself a lunch and bring it to school. Not that difficult!!! I'm also going to try baking bread more. I found a recipe for a sourdough starter- something I've always wanted to try! :)

Man ... every day, I'm closer to being a hippie.

Halloween Party Pics

This year I was invited to help plan/decorate the annual Halloween party that Elisa and her HS friends throw ... this was very exciting for me! I had only heard of the years past, and they are so into the decorations-- it's all very elaborate. Unfortunately, my camera flash ruined our natural ambiance so I have recreated the photos to look like a colorized classic horror flick ... enjoy!

Architecture in Helsinki - Like It Or Not from helsinkids on Vimeo.

This is way cool!

Odds & Ends

I can't help myself- I had to change up all my colors and whatnot, now that Halloween is over ... and I found this beautiful photo of fall leaves on another blog, and just fell in love with it.

My NaNoWriMo aspirations have sort of fallen to the wayside. I have far too much school work this month! :( I'm still writing ... I'm always writing! I will not be making the deadline though ... and that's okay.

After my nearly disastrous midterms week I was really afraid that I had screwed up the entire semester. [I was having some extremely stressful personal "stuff"] Lo and behold ... I passed every exam!!! I was so shocked, you could've knocked me over with a feather! It did remind me though that I have a lot of had work and studying to catch up on, and I want to make sure I'm building myself a strong foundation instead of just flying by my coattails. I really need to channel my inner Hermione Granger ... because this studying thing is not my favorite way to spend time!

I'm glad the election is over (and personally very pleased with the results, heh heh) ... at work we've been hoping the major slump we've had is due to pre-election stress. I know that we're in a serious economic disaster, but I hope some of the good people of Agoura can find it in their hearts to loosen the purse strings a bit and get a massage! Stress kills you know, and you can't take it with you, so enjoy life while you can! I'm also pursuing other methods of making some extra cash, since I'm practically unemployed ... one idea is to put more effort into this Party Psychic plan that Sadie and I had, and hire ourselves out to party planning types. We actually worked a party on Saturday (Nov. 1) ... it was so much fun!

That's all, just a mundane update on life ... Happy Wednesday! :)

Election Day

My vote has been cast ... has yours? I really hope everyone got informed and got out there to the polls this year, no matter who you're voting for. I really think it's an important right that not enough people exercise!

Ahh, now we can settle in for the night and watch the results rolling in ...

If you're still on the fence ...

I'm not usually one to start a political conversation- in fact, I usually avoid them. However, I want to tell you, my fellow Californians, why you should vote NO on Prop. 8.

Proposition 8, according to the California Voter Guide:

ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME–SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

• Changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.
• Provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

If you go to the Yes on Prop. 8 site they say the following:

"The Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not just overturn the will of California voters; it also redefined marriage for the rest of society, without ever asking the people themselves to accept this decision."

I'd like to point out that the Supreme Court deemed the original ban on same-sex marriage as a violation of Constitutional rights. You know, there were a lot of people who supported racial segregation for a long time, but that doesn't make it right.

"This decision has far-reaching consequences. For example, because public schools are already required to teach the role of marriage in society as part of the curriculum, schools will now be required to teach students that gay marriage is the same as traditional marriage, starting with kindergarteners."

This is a blatant LIE! Firstly, there is nothing in the actual proposition that mentions education at all. Secondly, Jack O'Connoll, California Superintendent of schools says "There is no requirement, no mandate for any school in the state of California to have this [gay marriage] required as a course." Thirdly, California has very strict laws about the rights of parents- a parent will ALWAYS have the option to opt-out of classes on health and family issues that they disagree with. I know this to be true; my friend was opted out of every health and sex ed class that the school offered, because her parents wanted her to learn about sex through bible study.

"By saying that a marriage is between “any two persons” rather than between a man and a woman, the Court decision has opened the door to any kind of “marriage.” This undermines the value of marriage altogether at a time when we should be restoring marriage, not undermining it."

I'm not sure how this has opened the door to "any kind of 'marriage' " as a marriage between "any two persons" will still be a marriage between two consenting adults. This doesn't mean that you could marry your cat, dog, horse, pumpkin pie, or any other ridiculous thing. We are talking about human adults here. And two loving people, be they a man and woman, a man and a man, or a woman and a woman are all capable of creating a meaningful, lasting marriage.

A marriage is based on love, commitment, trust - all things that every adult is capable of, not just those in male/female relationships. A 'traditional' marriage is not more valid because it can physically produce children- what a ridiculous notion. If that was true then we'd also have to ban marriages between older couples, couples who don't want kids, infertile people, and mixed families. Children can be raised by same-sex couples. To say that the lack of a mom or dad is so detrimental to a child's upbringing also suggests that all single/widowed parents should be re-evaluated since they are probably incapable of raising healthy children under the same criteria.

And on the religious side, remember we have a separation of church and state. It will be up to every individual religious establishment to decide whether or not they will perform same-sex marriages, and it is within their rights as a religious institution to deny that. However, not every religious group opposes same-sex marriage! And we should not let personal religious beliefs stand in the way of law-making and Constitutional rights, because this is no theocracy. It is not right to ban a union that, in the eyes of many valid, recognized religious sects is acceptable. That said- any person who wishes can go to the courthouse and get married in a civil ceremony- no religious experience necessary.

Do the right thing. Vote No on Prop. 8!!

Happy November ....

November is here ... we're now in the thick of fall, the weather is finally starting to behave - here in So. Cali we've had hot summery weather all through October, but it's kind of cool and rainy today! I will miss wearing flip flops every day, but it's nice to get into the seasonal spirit. Thanksgiving is coming with all it's stuffing-sweet-potato-pumpkin-pie-cranberry-jelly goodness ... Sam's birthday is soon (I'm planning a little surprise for him ... shhh!), and people will start thinking about the holidays. I'm not exactly rich so I'm planning on making a lot of gifts this year. NaNoWriMo is upon us ... and I'm already behind since I won't have time to write much today (it's a busy day!) ... but I can make up for it tomorrow. Elections are soon, and hopefully the world will feel calmer once we see the results.

I also want to say,

Happy Birthday Marcy!! :)