Schnoogs Captures the Moment

As promised...here is an action shot of Holly as she films the game and halftime show during homecoming for TOHS.

Note the skilled way in which Holly handles the camera and gives direction over the headset. Total pro. I am sure that my presence when I popped into the booth, did a stage whisper, "Hi Schnoogs!" and then snapped two pictures really added to her professional image!

Thousand Oaks won, beating Simi Valley's Royal High 21 to 7.

Thank goodness we had Holly there to capture the moment!

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Tour de Pumpkin

Happy Halloween. Fellow Unemployment Friday attendee Jonathan and I celebrated with a 26 mile ride on the Ventura River Trail out towards Ojai. It has been some time since Jax did a bike ride outside of any length, so he had a fair amount of trepidation around the journey. A player all the way, Jonathan set out on the ride and admitted when we finished up that he enjoyed the whole biking experience far more than he thought. A favorite part was the return - there is a fair amount of incline all the way out, so once you turn around and head back towards the beach, there is a great downhill slant for about 10 miles.

There are no real Halloween stories to share today - for some strange reason I never received the 'Halloween Excitement' gene. Call it a defect. It isn't for a lack of trying on the part of my parents - we carved pumpkins, dressed in costumes (I was a ballerina for 7 consecutive years, I clearly lacked imagination on this topic), attended carnivals and did extensive Trick or Treating. Nothing. I didn't really enjoy it then and I don't now. It seems rather blasphemous to many, including Holly who is the primary reason that we even have any decorations or acknowledgement around the house that it is Halloween. We do have candy...I remembered to purchase some and both David and I sampled a few of them just a few minutes ago. The chocolate/caramel mix was a good choice if I may say so myself.

Holly dressed up and left for school before I had a chance to take her picture. She is at the school filming the homecoming game for a piece that her mass media class is presenting next week, so I don't know if I am going to have a chance to capture her Halloween spirit or not. I will search her out and snap a photo, even if it is of her from the behind the scenes vantage of recording the game...go T.O.!!

It will be a busy weekend with a trip to Denver for myself and a stint on a TV show for the newest celebrity in our family - Shadow! Stay tuned, we are a lively group over here!

Home Ec

When I was in the 7th grade, I opted to take the full range of electives. This meant that in semester 1 I took sewing and cooking, then in semester 2 I took wood and metal shop. I didn't cut off any digits or limbs working the saw in wood shop, I can still solder a mean joint, I sew only when I have to and I love to cook.

We realized when I was visiting with my parents this week that some of our best and favorite recipes to this day came from the 8 weeks of cooking class that I had, and I made one of the recipes - Lemon Jell-O Cake - for a tasty trip down memory lane. My mom even has the original index card that I wrote the recipe on in my curly little junior-high writing. Here is the recipe (minus the curly writing) just in case you are now craving the cake yourself:

Lemon Jell-O Cake
Jell-O mixture:

1 6-oz pkg lemon Jell-O

1 cup boiling water
Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix

4 eggs (or eggbeaters)

1 T lemon juice

1/2 cup oil

Icing:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 T lemon juice

2 T butter (melted)

Oven at 325. Mix Jell-O and boiling water; set aside. Mix together cake mix, oil, eggs and lemon juice. Add Jell-O/water and mix well. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. Mix together icing ingredients until smooth. Puncture cake with toothpick holes; pour icing over cake while still warm.

I had it going on when in the 7th grade...the Pineapple Supreme cake was another favorite too. Add to that my soldering and metal engraving skills and you can now see why I am the well-rounded person that I am today!

The Secret Life of Mees

I seem to be having a creativity block. That is the only valid excuse that I can think of for the title of today's blog. It is supposed to be a twist on the book-now-movie The Secret Life of Bees but somehow doesn't translate as well. There is not a whole lot of secret to my life if it is all out here on the blog, but I liked the book and the movie, and it at least got me moving in the direction of a post, so there you go. I have also been craving honey of late, but I suppose that is a different issue.

My Mom and I saw the movie together on Tuesday while I was visiting in Hemet - it is always nice to have an excuse to have some soda and popcorn in the middle of the day - and it is interesting to me how civil rights even today remain something that aren't a given for everyone. I could probably wax on poetically for quite some time on how wrong I feel it is to deny any person their fundamental rights as a citizen, so suffice it to say that I am indeed the product of a very liberal upbringing and in that I have zero appetite for ANY group of people being oppressed or denied privileges afforded to any other US citizen.

With that said, I rather enjoyed beating my Mom at her own odd humor game. We were talking about how things were back in the 60's and early 70's when I was a kid and she commented that my grandparents were not very enthused about the fact that my mom and dad took my younger brother and I to rallies and demonstrations. She said that she could understand now why they didn't like it because she would have been uncomfortable if I ever took Holly to such an event. With razor-like timing (naturally!), I said, "She did OK at that NRA gun-rights rally I took her to when she was 3." Dead silence. I got her good!!!

Neither I nor Holly have ever attended an NRA rally by the way...not even in my most secret of lives!

Playing it Cool

Scooby has the right idea in the picture above as she splits her time at the beach between chasing the birds on the sand and chasing the birds in the water. Daphne is game for chasing the birds on the sand but doesn't like the water and Shadow doesn't bother chasing anything but certainly enjoys the water!

I am currently in Hemet visiting with my parents, which is a very lovely thing indeed. Being smack dab in the middle of the desert (or so it seems) AND during yet another hot/dry spell leaves me a bit wistful of cooler surroundings like the beach. More on the visit and activities tomorrow.

I owe you a Conejo Crusher update...sorry to say that a win did not occur for our favorite softball team last night, however they did have some bright spots. Most noticeably was Holly's solid batting performance which contributed to two runs on the board! Also impressive were the fielding efforts of the entire team as they worked against the sun for the first 4 innings. Maybe next week it will all come together with a win!

And hopefully some temperatures in the far more seasonable low 70's range!

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I Love Lucy

Just a quickie this morning - there is a big Conejo Crusher softball game tonight, so naturally another post will follow! We sat around for about 30 minutes this morning after returning from the big beach outing with the dogs and watched an episode of I Love Lucy. The episode that we watched was from 1955 - Lucy Gets in Pictures - and it totally cracked me up!

She was absolutely brilliant at the whole physical comedy thing. Kind of goofy, very silly and a slight bit ridiculous, but it makes me laugh out loud almost every time. Have you watched an episode lately? Check it out at TV Land if you need a refresher - there are tons of 2-minute clips that will also make you laugh out loud...at least they did for me! Holly and I got a good chuckle off of the "Where's the Beef" clip!

For our next bit of entertainment, Holly will perform the "VitaVeetaVegamin" routine word for word, a skill that she mastered at 9 years old - we really focus on the important life lessons in the Newton household!

One Big Basket

Holly and I got up early this fine Saturday morning, arriving fresh-faced and eager on the campus of CSUN to learn all about the campus and exactly why every eligible student in California would want to attend. Having spent 6 hours or so on the campus listening to different people speak and also getting a chance to chat with some of the students as well as scout out the facility...I have to say, it looks to be a great option.

I was at first surprised that Holly would seriously consider applying to a school that has 35,000 students. My little lamb will get lost in that mob! I have come to learn that what appeals to her about this university is the college of arts, media and communication. They have taken the bigger university and chunked it out into 10 different colleges that all fit under one umbrella that is CSUN. In addition to this more tailored approach, this is one heck of a facility; including the specific department of Cinema & Television Arts, which seems to have struck a chord with Holly. Dial it down even further to one of six different degree options and you have a customized, tailored and comprehensive program.

We sat through several of the general sessions which were somewhat informative but lacked any real pizazz. One speaker in particular spouted out great statistics about CSUN, but did so in such a fashion that the Schnoogs leaned over and said, "I think that he is much more impressed with himself than we ever could be." I can not deny the fact that I snickered at that...where does she get that sarcasm?

Once we were cut loose from the rigid programming and moved into finding out more about the CTVA (we quickly learned that to be the acronym for cinema and television arts), things really started to fall in place. The facilities are amazing...anyone even remotely familiar with what a TV sound stage or film editing booth looks like will know that this is some state-of-the-art equipment...the people are friendly and the students seem genuinely pleased with the experience and education that they are receiving. The faculty will naturally brag about their curriculum, but if you can get some students alone and away from their instructor and just drill them with questions, they will give it to you straight (not that I would know anything about brow-beating some nice junior and senior CTVA students, mind you).

During the walking tour of the overall campus, our somewhat naive tour guide replied when someone asked how long it took most students to complete their degree at CSUN, "Oh, there's no pressure to finish...you can take 6 or 7 years if you want." One might imagine how very quickly I pointed out to Holly that there WAS some pressure coming from the source of college funding to finish in 4 years...namely, ME!

As we walked the campus on our own after surveying all of the different workshops and classes, Holly looked around and said, "I can see myself here." Not too bad, given she didn't even want to discuss where she wanted to go just a few short weeks ago. I think that having a clear first choice is great, but having a back-up plan is important too. Nope. Miss I've-made-up-my-mind informed me that she isn't going to apply anywhere else because she is confident that she will get in and if she doesn't, she will go to Moorpark College (a local JC) for a semester and transfer in.

That is one big basket to be putting in all of the college eggs, but for some reason my kid is stubborn.

I have no idea where she gets that.

Making Good Choices

It is late October...a time when the thoughts of many high school seniors turn to...college applications!! It is no different at the Newton household. Ignoring the fact that I have been talking to Holly about making good choices for her life and college since about 1993, selecting the right college has been a topic of significance around the house for the past 18 to 24 months, most seriously in the past 3 months or so. Admittedly, it was a trifle overwhelming for the Schnoogs when we first started discussing it - I am not sure that she could really imagine leaving home when she was only 15 years old.

A couple of years into the process and things are finally starting to settle in. Even the preferred course of study is changing and really taking shape. We started back in about the 2nd grade as a veterinarian (and her friend Rachel - the one she plays softball with - was going to be her assistant), moved into middle-school math teacher territory by the 7th or 8th grade and now it is shaping up to be some kind of film arts degree. Quite a diverse journey in interests, but it is a part of the growing-up process and watching it happen while asking questions to understand the thought rationale remains a very interesting element of it for David and I.

I walked into the office tonight to see Holly working intently on the computer and was pleased to realize that it was her first on-line college application! I also learned that it was for California State University at Northridge and they are holding a 'preview' day for prospective students and parents on Saturday - as in tomorrow - and she had RSVP'd for both of us. Well, I can't argue here, it isn't as if I have had a very full schedule of late!

Looks like I am going to learn all about CSUN tomorrow!

WHO gave me Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans??

This is a quick entry because it is amusing to me. I am not really a caffeine person, as has been reported more than once in this blog. I get kind of amped up, sweat a bit around my hairline and start speaking far too quickly for most people to really grasp or understand. We all know this and for that reason I typically go decaf or just skip it altogether.

One time about 14 years ago when I was still pretty new at Cinnabon, I agreed to help shoot a training video that had to be filmed at night so that we could take advantage of using the bakery while the mall was closed and we would not have to compete with customers or other foot traffic. As acknowledgement of the upside down schedule, Kathie the training director (still affectionately referred to as 'Girlfriend Kathie Shaw' or GFKS to this day) made a little care package for each of us and included some chocolate covered espresso beans, all of which I ate in the span of about 15 minutes.

Shortly thereafter, one of my general managers who was also at the shoot figured it out. You could hear her shouting throughout the mall, "WHO gave Jan chocolate covered espresso beans???" I am not sure that it translates as well, but that still comes up every now and again in conversation when GFKS and I recall something silly that we did in the 'earlier' and less refined days of our career.

Now that you have all of that context, you can better understand the horror on David's face when he saw a partially-eaten tin of the same offending beans on the table when he came home for lunch and then he began to piece together why I was talking a hundred miles a minute. I had some. They are tasty!

I think that David put me in my place and killed the espresso/chocolate induced buzz when he was watching me review my blogs and asked, "Does anybody actually read that?"

WHO asked him anyway??

Petite - for a Sumo Wrestler

I had the dogs out for their walk on Tuesday night and was perplexed by the number of off-leash dogs that came up out of nowhere and charged us! Imagine if you will yours truly cruising along the side streets of Thousand Oaks with 3 dogs, just minding our own business when up charges some crazy (and rabid, for all I know!) dog, inciting a near riot with my pack.

In all cases I am happy to report that no blood was shed but my arm was about ripped off in the process as that Scooby can be quite an ox when she wants to! None of our dogs are particularly aggressive, but when approached in such an unexpected fashion, they come a bit unglued. It looks something like this: Scooby does the kangaroo jump in an attempt to dislocate my shoulder and break free. Daphne follows it up with a leash twist around my legs in an attempt to take me down and break free. Shadow stands and barks in an attempt to distract me while the other two break free. Somewhere in the midst of all of this an inappropriate-for-this-G-rated-blog word (or two) comes out of my mouth. It is pandemonium at best!

After the third round in one night I was almost ready for it and wondered what the scene would look like with someone far smaller and not nearly as freakishly strong as I can be. Seriously. I am not petite by any stretch - except maybe in the sumo wrestling community - and I can hang on pretty tight, but with the collective horsepower of our 3 dogs, it can get a bit dicey...I have even seen Scooby pull David flat down on his face at the beach (and I must admit that I laughed too, because it came out of nowhere).

It's not so funny when on the other side of the leash!!

Getting Back into the Groove

What is this? It has been something like 5 days since my last post? How have we all managed? For some odd reason, I have been blogging in my HEAD, but have failed to translate it to the actual site itself. Crazy. The good news is of course that there are plenty of things rattling around in my head...the question is going to be whether or not any of this is really relevant.

Let's start out with a Conejo Crusher update. The Crushers had another game this past Sunday and it started off well - the first inning was all about great fielding and scoring runs - I think that they scored 4! Everyone looked sharp and was making it happen. I am not sure exactly where things went south, but I am sorry to say that it was somewhere in inning 2 and things never really came back again. The Crushers did not win and while their final score was 5, most of that excitement came during their first at-bat as I indicated earlier.

It is important to note that Holly had her best batting effort to date, getting on base once with a walk (good eye, Schnoogs!) and twice with a base hit. Solid ones too, not weak little bunts that just dribble along the baseline (not that there is anything wrong with that!) We had a bit of a lesson in the rules of a pop-fly when Holly was the unwitting participant in a double play for the other team twice (ouch) by not tagging up at first before trying to advance to 2nd.

Oh well, we do this for the sport and fun of getting out on the field, never mind that crazy person up in the stands trying to coach on the fly!

Here is a nice shot of the family plus teammate Rachel after the game. This was as good as it got in terms of getting the dogs to face me, it appears that I am 0 for 3.

A Public Transportation Snob No More...

I mentioned in a previous post that I have discovered the solution to dealing with traffic into LA - for anyone who has ever had to the trek from the west end of the Valley into Los Angeles proper - I know that you feel the pain! Due to some interviewing that I recently did in Universal City, I have happened upon one of the best-kept secrets in Los Angeles County...the Metro!

For $5 round trip and about an hour total time invested, I can take the Orange Line from Victory/Canoga to North Hollywood. I then switch to the Red Line (it runs underground) and in no time I am in the throes of the city without having to make the commitment to drive and park! It is brilliant and clearly makes me happy!

I have always been a fan of the public transportation dating all the way back to my pre-driving days in San Diego when I went to a High School out of district. Admittedly, I didn't enjoy the 3 different buses that I had to take or the transfer time - it was not the most convenient trip ever but it did get me from point A to B effectively (albeit slowly) enough. Once I started traveling for work, I learned my way through Chicago's CTA and their color-coded trains. It was a pretty easy and very efficient way to get back and forth from the airport to the city, especially when I was traveling on a budget! I spent the last 5 years on BART in the Bay Area and with exception of the inefficient step of AirBART between the Oakland Airport and Colisseum BART station, often praised it as the best way to get around versus fighting the traffic.

I provide all of that context to validate the fact that I am willing to do public transportation, but must admit that when it came to LA, I have been a bit of a snob. My assumption was always that the buses were slow, dirty and somewhat unreliable. I am here to tell you that in my experiences thus far, that is not the case. In fact, I will go so far as to say that it is probably one of the best transportation deals that you can get. Based on gas alone, I would spend something like $14 each day doing a commute to LA, but can ignore all of the hassle of traffic for almost one-third of the price.

I am a convert and a public transportation snob no more. Try it out for yourself and tell me what you think, plus you can call yourself a 'green' traveler as an added bonus!

Lucky Devil

Today turned out to be a bonus Unemployment Friday for Jonathan and I (you might recall that we did our big Westlake walk on Wednesday because I had a community service project planned for this weekend). I am sorry to report that the event was cancelled due to a limited number of participants, so I suddenly have 3 days without any plans.

Not to be left just sitting around, I called Jax and invited him down for an 'LA Day'...I have recently discovered some pretty exciting transportation options which I will share in greater detail on a future posting, but for now just understand that the drive into LA on a Friday was not a deterrent so we decided that this was the day to make it happen!

The highlight of the entire trip was lunch (isn't that always the case with food and yours truly??) at a place called Lucky Devils. It came on high recommendation from my friend Sue 'The Playah' and for good reason! In her words, 'I dream of the toasted pecan milkshakes'. SERIOUSLY!! I will now dream of them too! The meal was sooooooo good that Jonathan and I really just wanted to order one more beer (they have an amazing selection of micro brews on draught) and stay for the rest of the day. The milkshake was definitely a highlight, but the sweet potato fries rocked, as did my grilled cheese sandwich (three cheeses plus I added avocado), Jonathan's Rosemary Turkey Burger...it was all fantastic. Add into that a cool decor and great service, five stars for our friends at Lucky Devils!

After gorging ourselves on our spectacular meal, we opted to do some walking along Hollywood Blvd to see the sights, the people and of course the stars! Check out some of the quality photos that emerged from the day. I have to give a shout out here to the characters at Hollywood & Highland. This is the mecca for people watching - both the tourists AND the people who make a living off the tourists. We must have stood in the courtyard at Mann's Chinese Theater for a good 20 minutes, just watching the way that people reacted to the characters and the what a racket the celebrity photo business is! Jonathan has a theory that the two Marilyn Monroe's were a mother/daughter team...I don't know if we have ANY theory on the Wonder Woman scenario, other than Jax refused to take a picture even when I offered to pay for him to pose with her. Something about not wanting to encourage her.

Our stomachs still full and feeling rather drowsy from the hot sun (and probably also the beers wearing off), we jumped back onto our fabulous public transportation and made the trek back to Thousand Oaks/Oxnard. Although we did not really keep to any real physical activity, this is going on the list as one of my favorite Unemployment Fridays thus far!

Determination

I am always learning things about life in general from the dogs. In fact, there was a string of books back in the mid '80's started by Robert Fulgum's essay (and subsequent book), All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten which then launched a slew of "All I really needed to know" books including, naturally, Everything I Need to Know I Learned From My Dog. (Richard Smith authored it in 2007 for those of you keeping score at home). The point in all of this context setting of course, is to confirm the fact that the simplest and most basic of truths is our life are right in front of us every single day, ready to be realized and discovered.

This morning for me it was up on the hillside where David takes the pups every morning for their 3 mile jaunt through the canyons (there is even a portion that we call cardiac hill; aptly named due to the steep nature of the incline and pretty impressive workout that anyone walking to the top of it will incur within the first 25 yards or so). Scooby and Daphne (7 and 8 years old, respectively) trot up the hillside sniffing for critters and evidence of anyone or anything that may have dared to tread on their ground since the previous day's visit. David and I trudge right along...and then there is Shadow. 14 years old next month (I'll do the canine math, that's just about 98 dog years!) and fighting arthritis in her hind legs, Shadow plods along every single day...not so much to keep up with the other two dogs, but more to be out there, enjoy the fresh air and exercise and say to us, "See?? I can still get around pretty well for an old lady!"

I must admit that we often refer to Shadow as "Turbo" when we stop at certain points along the walk to wait for her to catch up. Today, when I looked back and saw her just moving right along at her own pace, it was clear determination that I saw on her graying little muzzle. She may not be fast but she has enough determination for the entire pack, and when is all said and done, that is what everyone needs to really get through their days to feel accomplished.

Pretty impressive how a dog who will spend the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon sleeping (she has to rest up and prepare for that evening walk) inspired me to attack cleaning out the closets in the master bedroom with a true determination and conviction to get it done before the day is over...even if I do stop several times to browse through some of the long-lost treasures that I may uncover!

Fine Luxury Livin'

Unemployment Friday arrived a few days early this week because I have a community service project this week from Thursday through Sunday and we certainly can't be cheated out of the famed UF! Deciding to brave the 90 degree heat, Jax and I opted to do a new route - one lap around Westlake plus the aptly named frog walk (there are TONS of those little hoppy creatures in the spring time) for good measure. All in all, about a 7 to 7 1/2 mile jaunt.

It is enjoyable to cruise Westlake to find out how the other half lives. It is some fine luxury living, let me tell you! Lots of nice cars, boats and beautiful houses. The neighborhoods are pretty quiet (probably out working to make the payments!) and the traffic minimal - all perfect elements for an enjoyable walk.

Thanks to some well-placed trees, judicious walking on the shaded side of the street and a light breeze, the temperature was comfortable and the walk (as usual) very enjoyable. Westlake could stand to install a few sidewalks on some of their busier streets, but with that one compliant aside, it is a great place to get out and enjoy the fresh air.

We capped the afternoon off with a visit to the Westlake Pinkberry (you know that you are humming that song now) and I ventured into new territory - a crunchy topping rather than just fruit. Typically, I get a small with mango and pineapple and congratulate myself for my fine food choices. Today, I was feeling adventurous (and hungry) so I went for a medium 3-topping combo. The dilemma...what to do for the 3rd topping? I opted for Cap'n Crunch and was not disappointed. That could get a girl into some trouble if I made a habit of it!!

A very good day if I may say so myself, a touch of the luxury living even if from the sidelines while walking by!

There is something in the air

October can be a weird month in So Cal. If the Santa Ana winds kick in, there is hot air, crazy gusts of wind and a crazy fire-starter or two who seize upon the 'red flag warning' for extremely dry and dangerous conditions for fire. It has sadly been without fail for the last several years that multiple fires start on or around the first day of the Santa Ana winds, and burn crazy out of control for sometimes up to a week.

We've got 3 fires of note last I checked that are blazing and threatening communities. The Marek fire is about 20 miles away and was noticeably visible in the neighborhood by about 2 pm yesterday - witness the view from the front yard as shown above! I feel very badly for the residents of these areas that are suddenly overcome with smoke and fire and can't help but be a LOT frustrated by the crazies who set these fires just to see them burn.

There is no witty observation on this issue, just a profound sense of sadness for anyone who would think that setting or even watching a fire burn is cool.

A crowded cheering section

Whoo! I was lucky to get a good seat tonight to cheer on the Conejo Crushers in their softball game. As you can see, the fans really press in...doing the wave is naturally lots of fun.

I didn't set out with the intention of being a one-woman cheering section, but the absence of other rooters, the cold temperatures setting in (45 is chilly enough to call it cold in my book!) and a close game, it naturally evolved. I am sorry to report that even though the Crushers had a great rally in the 5th inning, time ran out and they lost, this cheerleader thinks that they were robbed!

Not to worry, though. The Crushers are a hearty bunch who focus on having fun. They don't need a win to prove that they are good or having a good time, they've got each other AND their very own cheering section to remind them of what a cool team they are!

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It takes me away...

The Christopher Cross song that automatically pops into my head when I look at this image aside, seeing sailboats on a clear day is pretty soothing. BEING amongst the sailboats and on the water is even better, which is where I spent my day on Saturday...as evidenced by the live action shot above.

Mark (known as Mr. Eddy Faddah, but he will only allow me to call him that - special privileges!) Is quite the philanthropist and attends a slew of charity events every year, often purchasing cool trips and events through different silent or live auctions. It's fun to go on the outings AND all of the proceeds of the sale benefit 'the childen' (there is an intentional omission of the R in children...we entertain ourselves saying it like that, it is interchangeable with the equally amusing 'yoot' versus youth). I have digressed, as usual.

Yesterday's trip was a 4-hour cruise on a private boat through the San Diego waterways. Mark, Eric, Karen and I were the fortunate recipients of the honor and we lived the life of the Rich & Famous (or so we liked to pretend). Mark cracked out a 1999 bottle of Dom Perignon and then an outstanding signature bottle of White Cottage...I think that it was a cabaret...that was tasty too!

We returned to the dock a complete pile of putty...VERY relaxed...and rolled ourselves over to a great pizza place for an outstanding meal and another bottle of red wine...I think that I had my dose of antioxidants over the course of the day!

Thanks to Mr. Eddy Faddah AND to Mother Nature for providing all of the ingredients for a fantastic day. Here's to our next outing to benefit ourselves and the childen!!

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This is my ONLY complaint about So Cal

I had to drive in and out of LA today...I started dreading it at about 5 pm yesterday. Going there wasn't too bad and while I had to navigate the infamous 101-405 interchange, I moved through virtually unscathed and only took 45 minutes to cover the 41 miles. I had built a lot of cushion time into my commute, so I even had an opportunity to read my book while hanging out at a local Starbucks. That in itself was a relaxing 45 minutes or so until I realized after driving about a mile away that I had left my wallet sitting in the overstuffed chair that I had planted myself in!

By some great grace, I made it back in record time and the wallet was still sitting there, looking rather lonely...whew! That would have been no one's fault but my own had I left it there and it would have been a mighty stupid way to lose my license, credit cards, cash and the like.

With the wallet drama behind me and still right on time, I went to my appointment. I wrapped up at about 3:15 and hit the road back home. I foolishly tried to convince myself that it wouldn't be too bad since it was still just a bit after 3. Ah, the tricks we try to play on ourselves! Naturally, the roads were packed because it is Friday and if one doesn't clear the freeway by about 2pm, you can add an easy hour if you are going in any direction for 15 miles or more. As big a fan as I am of the whole Southern California lifestyle, this is my only complaint...traffic is miserable and the public transportation options are limited!

I did make it home after a grueling and painful 2 hours - there was definitely nothing done to help ease congestion or pollution issues in my activities of today...anyone know of any great alternate modes of transportation to take into the City of Angels???? I can think of thousands of other people that I sat on the roads with this afternoon that would support such a venture too!

Space Mountain ROCKS!!

Although it is a 'picture of a picture', it is pretty clear that the group above (including yours truly) is having a heck of a good time. Enter a new addition to the unemployment club...Hooky Thursday!

Jonathan, Eric and I have been talking about going to Disneyland since they both decided to move back to California...yesterday seemed to be the right day to do it. Holly had the day off from school and then Briana wanted to go to, so after her first 4 classes of the day (the more academic ones versus PE, lunch, etc.) we pulled her out of school and headed for Anaheim.

Here comes the 'Hooky' part. Meeting us at the Mouse were Gabe, Elizabeth, Craig, Bettina, David and Rachel plus Rachel's friend Brittany...all admitted 'Hooky Thursday' participants! We did not all move en-masse through the park, but did take an opportunity to meet up in front of Pirates and have a random stranger snap a group photo...I will post some of the most entertaining versions when I am back at the computer and can upload.

Besides starting a new activity day, we had another milestone...Briana's first ride on Space Mountain. She was a bit unwilling at first, but we really gave her little choice. There was much angst going through the line and even getting on the ride, but once it was over the verdict was, 'that was pretty fun'.

Try SUPER fun - we ended up riding it 3 times! We got expert enough to know when the photo was coming and pose for it!!! Everyone needs a fun Hooky Thursday every now and again!

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Schnoogie's got some WHEELS

Well, it was bound to happen. Holly has hit a significant point in her illustrious youth - she now has her own car. No more asking to borrow the Lexus or Little Toyota. Nope. As of tonight she now has her own car to care for...and it is the 'newest' in terms of model year too! She has a 2004. David's work truck is a 2003, my car is a 2001, and the Little truck is a '97!

I must admit that this snuck up on me somewhat. David had scouted this particular make and model after doing some investigating with Holly, and then the great waiting game began. This is intended to be an 18th birthday gift (which is just 8 weeks away). If given the chance, I might have brought it home and held it or surprised her a bit, but David was all business on this venture and so it has been gifted early.

I am sorry to say that I was not privy to witness the purchase or see the maiden voyage home, but I will have plenty of opportunity in the coming week to chronicle, photograph and blog the adventures of Holly and her wheels.

If anyone has seen my little 2-year old daughter, please let me know. She was just here a week or two ago, I could swear!

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Great Expectations

The Newton dogs lead a pretty good life. Walks in the morning AND the afternoon, hikes in the mountains and beach every weekend, premium dog food and they get to cruise around in the truck with David for the better part of the day. In the summer or when days are hot, they come home in the afternoon and lounge about in the house with the room air-conditioners that David bought this year. While we certainly benefit from them, it cracks me up that we went without A/C in this house for 15 years, but got it this summer for the dogs.

During daylight savings time, I walk the dogs in the evening when I am home, which is more and more often of late given my current status of 'unemployed/temporarily retired'. The plan is that at 6pm I load them up and we go out on one of 5 or 6 different courses that we (let's be honest, I get lost in my neighborhood - DAVID did all the work!) have mapped out, anywhere from 3 to 5 miles in length. Mondays are the 'Frog Walk', aptly named for the frog serenade that you can hear in the wash as the sun sets and well into dusk.

These walks are programmed into these dogs - I think that Scooby knows the days of the week, can tell time and knows exactly which location she is going to. It is without fail that at about 5:50 she comes over to me and just gives me a look - she doesn't want or need anything, doesn't bark or make any noise, I think that she is giving me the 10-minute warning. If I do not wrap things up and hustle them out the door by 6, then she starts to pace and sigh with exasperation...it can really put a lot of pressure on a person if they are trying to finish up a task!

Once we get loaded in the car, each dog has their own little routine; Daphne jumps into the passenger seat and pesters to be petted, Shadow sits in the back with her head on the console, looking up at me and Scooby couldn't care less about anything until we are within about a mile of our starting point and then she becomes very animated and attentive. The picture above is my attempt to capture the very excited pack as we roll up and I let everyone out to do up the leashes; unfortunately the photographer in this situation (ahem, that would be me) did a poor job of having the Blackberry ready and Scooby (who is no fan of the camera) jumped down to try and hide. Just pretend that all 3 have eager faces, ready to set out on their Monday adventure. I'll keep trying to capture the moment, but trust me when I tell you that these dogs have great expectations for their evening walk.

Schnoogie is a....CRUUUUSHERRRR!

It is a bit embarrassing to admit that I have spent far more time writing about my activities and events and not nearly enough of the NEWTON FAMILY adventures, as the title of this blog might lead one to believe the topic might be. With that, Schnoogs and her softball team take center stage tonight. Holly and her friend Rachel play in the Newbury Park & Rec softball league in a division designed to encourage players of all ages and all skill levels. Neither Holly or Rachel would really describe themselves as jocks (although Holly did play in the 12 and under softball league for 2 years because her mother made her - it was that or soccer!) but they are good sports and are enjoying playing together as well as with the rest of their team.

The name of their team is the Conejo Crushers, which immediately reminds me of a Looney Tunes cartoon called Bunny Hugged where Bugs Bunny wrestles this big bulky guy known as.....THE CRUUUUUUUSHERRRRRRR. The Crusher is very intimidating and strong, but naturally Bugs overpowers him with sheer brilliance and cunning - Bugs Bunny is good like that!

Back to the Conejo Crushers. I think that their record is 1-4, but they play like champs every week. I sadly missed their big victory last week, but have it on good authority that Holly played rather well. This week I was once again present (camera and all) and did my part to cheer and encourage the team. Holly had 3 at bats - her first two were (If I may say so myself) excellent hits that were fielded well, resulting in her being thrown out at first. Her 3rd at bat was met with a forced walk, but that was all that was needed for the Schnoogs to demonstrate her very fine lead-off and base running techniques. She milked every opportunity to advance a base and before we knew it, she was coming home! Hooray for Holly! (I am a very encouraging cheerleader in the stands, much to Holly's dismay) It should also be noted that the Schnoogs was styling at 2nd base for two innings, a nice change from her usual right field position.

While the Crushers did not win this game, they played great and I for one am very proud. Watch for more news and pictures next week!

An Abundance of Choices

I have found that I am fortunate enough to be given lots of great opportunities and choices, and often they all come at once. That is something that is going on right now and while exciting, I am not going to lie when I say that it kind of freaks me out a little bit too.

Living life in the unemployed lane is rather enjoyable, although it is not going to last for long. I have been contacted by two equally different and great concepts to come work my magic with them and I am not sure which one is the right one to do at this time! Additionally, I have an opportunity to pursue a project that is going to stretch my writing skills (I use the phrase rather loosely here, as the reader you can agree or disagree as you see fit to the word 'skills' used to describe my writing). I obviously can't take on all 3 and therefore have to make a choice - a decision...and fast.

I am excited about the writing project and feel confident that I will integrate that into my routine no matter what I end up doing. I will be working with a newly formed group called Maverick Photographers who have set out to enrich their lives and the lives of others through art and photography, ultimately making a difference in the world. The first project that they are taking on is the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in San Francisco. Straight from their website...Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy is a small, public alternative elementary school located in the heart of the Castro District. We are dedicated to achieving academic excellence, teaching tolerance and nonviolence, celebrating diversity, and building a strong family - school - community connection. This is going to be an awesome project and I am really happy to be a part of it!

Now if only I can have that same clarity on what is the best fit in a job for me now!

Begrudgingly, I am a Fan

As a pesco-vegetarian (I eat fish but no other meat...oh yeah, and I LOVE me the dairy too!), I am not a real member of the fast food nation. It is inconvenient at best to get something to eat in most burger places and even what options I do have do not rank on the healthy side, so I usually just skip it. I do the McDonald's deal every now and again for breakfast (that McGriddle is darn tasty with just the egg and cheese) and if faced with the need to do a meal there, I end up ordering the cheeseburger with no meat - it always messes with the production cook's minds to get that order (and it only comes out right about 60% of the time unless I repeat it multiple times). With all of that context, I would not describe myself a very loyal fan or advocate of McDonald's...until now.

You have likely seen the big push on coffee that the burger behemoth has launched over the last 9 months or so. I had heard from a few people that the iced coffee was good, and while I believed it, never had any reason to check it out for myself. Some of you may have seen the effects that coffee/caffeine can have on me. While entertaining to many to watch me wind up, start talking very quickly and sweat just a little bit around my hairline, it is not something that I strive to do too often because then I feel kind of shaky afterwards (it should be noted that this is not psychological, it was 'proven' a couple of years ago by a friend who swapped my decaf vanilla latte with Karen's caffeinated version. I showed up to a meeting amped up while she just about laid her head down on the table with zero energy)

Back to the coffee. I don't remember the occasion that finally made me try the stuff, but I do remember that I drank it down fast and thought, "HEY!" It is darn tasty. I assumed that it was being made with heavy cream or something equally unhealthy, but when I checked out the nutritionals, I quickly calculated that the sugar-free version was pretty decent and from there, albeit somewhat begrudgingly, I must proclaim the news that I am a fan.

If only I could convince McDonald's to bring back the Gardenburger!

Mr. Paulucci is Grounded

As a regular coast-to-coast flyer, as well as making regular trips to Chicago, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida, Eric has become well-acquainted with many different airports and is (WAS) a regular with Jet Blue. No more. The counter agents are weeping in NYC tonight because Mr. Paulucci's days of weekly travel are over...he is being grounded now that he has safely landed in Oakland with $100 worth of 'excess' baggage (that is $25 for a 2nd bag and $75 for the 3rd that was checked). It is evident from the picture above that Eric is really broken up about this (the $100 in baggage wasn't that exciting, but the sarcastic comment is in reference to no more regular flying!).

My trip into the lovely Burbank airport was an uneventful and therefore very successful venture - Jet Blue does have the clear advantage of easy non-stop flights and those handy little TVs at every seat. I started out on CNN and "The Situation Room", but must also admit to watching several episodes of 'Jon and Kate plus 8' on The Learning Channel and then stumbled across an episode of 'Pop-up Video' from 1999 on VH1 Classics. I loved that show when it was on, not just because I am so incredibly cutting-edge and current with my music video knowledge, but also because I think that the writers who gathered and organized the facts for the videos are brilliant! They start innocently enough with a reference to someone or something that is relevant to the music video at hand but quickly digress to something that has nothing at all to do with the original video, but through a strand of thought ultimately connects back! I always thought that would be a fun way to do a training video back in my Jamba days. Maya allowed me to ramble on about how we could do it but I don't think that she was ever really hip to the idea!

Perhaps I can construct my own version of pop-up blogging!