Tennis Schmennis!

This is me every time I go to watch LOCI on the USA Channel and find that tennis has pre-empted it!!!
We want Bobby! We want Bobby! We want Bobby!

Charmed, I'm sure

My good friend, Mele, took this photo of me, right before we left California to move to Washington, in May of 1999. Charming, ain't I? This is when I still had my natural hair colour and before I had to wear glasses full time. Here's one of me and hubby, taken the same day, in front of our townhouse in Fairfax, CA. Yes, I'm very short and he's very tall.

Photos on EDO's blog

Just wanted to let my fellow VDO blogging buddies that they should head over to Elizabeth D'Onofrio's "photo album", at http://donofrioe.com/family.htm for some great candids she shot while visiting the LOCI set. I will, of course, not post any of her photos here. But there is one photograph in particular, taken in Vincent's apartment which caused me to giggle a little bit.....Vincent's not in it, but in the background, you can see his toilet paper roll in the bathroom. Elizabeth even makes a comment on her blog about wishing it wasn't in the picture. Nothing like bringing a person back to reality when you realize that your idol wipes his ass just like the rest of us!! Elizabeth's son, Hawk, just got hired on to LOCI, I think somewhere in the production department, so that is cool as well!

Um, OUCH!

Yes ladies and germs, it's that time again....time for the yearly "squeeze-o-gram". And let me just say, OW!!! Clearly a man designed that machine. There was an article in the Vancouver paper last week that said a study was done with children who were allowed to watch TV while undergoing a painful medical procedure, such as drawing blood, and the kids didn't respond very much to the pain. So I'd like to pitch this idea to Medical Imaging Northwest: Put TV's in the mammogram rooms that show LOCI on a continuous loop; I'm sure I wouldn't feel the pain either if I'm allowed to watch sexy Bobby/Vincent during the exam. Better yet, can he just perform the exams on me? This cartoon cracks me up:

San Vanciscouver? Nah....

Got back from my trip to Vancouver, BC yesterday. Everyone told me that they think it's like San Francisco, moreso than Victoria. I can see why they might see a resemblance because of the way the streets are laid out and how they look. But the shopping I found to be more like maybe New York or Boston. Very trendy, not much in the way of what I call "cool stores", which are stores that cater to people who like dragons/beads/hemp items/tarot cards/pentacles/locally made jewelry & crafts/antiques/crystals/tie dyes/batik/incense, etc. So in that respect, Vancouver is nothing like what I was expecting, except for the locally made jewelry. It is, however, under a great deal of construction, or as I like to say, suffering from an "ediface complex". There are so many steel & glass buildings going up that it could be nicknamed Cranetown. Then I realized that the city is getting ready for the 2010 Winter Olympics, as evidenced by the vast amount of Olympics souvenirs already being sold; they are getting a lot of mileage out of showcasing the First Nations' Inukshuk figure. Well I have a newsflash for them, they need to spend more money sweeping up the vast quantities of cigaret butts all over the streets and sidewalks. It's not as clean a city like Victoria.

I'd scored a room at the Westin Bayshore Resort for $75 a night on Priceline. Wicked nice hotel, right on Coal Harbour and at the entrance to Stanley Park. My room was obviously not the best in the place for that price, but it was very comfortable and I had a partial city view. I used the outdoor pool one day but it was much colder than it looked. And of course the most important thing, one of the cable stations showed "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" at 5 pm so I still got my Vincent fixes. I had great meals up there, but I found that I had to seek them out because I'm not very adventurous when it comes to ethnic food, am allergic to shellfish and don't like seafood. The best meal I had was at Bojangle's Cafe - a fantastic salad and quiche.

North Vancouver was definitely the best part of the trip. I'd had very cloudy weather the first two days I was in the city, and I was unable to see the mountains to the north. But I woke up to clear blue skies on Friday, with temps in the high 60's to mid 70's. I believe the first words out of my mouth were "Whoo Hoo!" as I leapt out of bed and threw open the drapes!! I drove over to N. Van. to see the Capilano Suspension Bridge which was so amazing that words can't even describe it. Or describe the feeling of being on a swaying bridge that high over a gorge! But I felt totally safe. It's very sturdy and anchored. When you get to the other side, there is "Treetops Adventure", which are more suspension bridges built up in the trees, about 100 feet off the ground. The way they are constructed is very eco-friendly, with no harm to the trees at all. Truly a sacred place....and I'm glad I got there at 9 a.m. while it was still quiet enough to enjoy the peaceful setting.

I next drove up to the foot of Grouse Mountain, and took the Skyride up to the top. Man alive!The view was incredible. I was hiking on a trail, came around a corner and my jaw dropped when I saw Mt. Baker in Washington State right there on the horizon. I expected that I'd see it, but it still took me by surprise because I forgot how big it is. It's not a mountain that we see regularly, like we do Rainier, because it's way up north, so we forget that the other volcanoes are extremely large as well. I could have stayed on the summit all day long, but as it was a Friday, I wanted to get across the Lions Gate Bridge back to downtown before traffic got too heavy (and I'd read that Critical Mass had another "event" planned to screw up rush hour traffic). The helicopter rides were all booked so I was unable to do that. Oh well!

The only thing that infuriated me was on one of the trails, I came upon a bench in the woods, and next to the bench were 2 discarded coffee cups. I could not believe it, and the first thing that came into my mind was, "probably left by an American." I don't understand how people can just discard their trash on the ground like that. So I carried them out and tossed them in a trash can. Reminded me of the time we went to Yosemite with my parents in 1992, and Brian & I picked up trash as we hiked along the trails. Pop cans, fries boxes, napkins.....what the hell is wrong with people? What must their homes be like?! How can they have absolutely NO respect for the earth?

I shopped in Gastown, which was quaint, but every single store was a tourist trap. So from that standpoint I was disappointed. The really great shopping was on Granville Island. I bought 3 pairs of earrings made by different local artists. I saw A LOT of stuff I wanted to buy, but our house is already pushing maximum density when it comes to knick knacks, candles, glass, window crystals, posters, memorabilia and other bric-a-brac, so alas, I returned home from 3 days in Vancouver with a tshirt, a ton of postcards, the earrings, and a cute stuffed toy Husky dog dressed like an RCMP officer (I named him Diefenbaker). Chinatown was sketchy....I wanted to see the Sam Kee Building which is the narrowest building in the world. But most of the buildings were boarded up and there were some hinky looking people walking around so I hoofed it back to Gastown. I mean, I have a giant purse, a back pack and a camera. No, that doesn't scream "tourist" at all.

Had no problem with the border crossings. They didn't even look at my ID going into Canada, just asked me where I was staying and what my plans were. Coming home they at least looked at my drivers license, asked what I bought and sent me on my way. Of course I didn't mention the Cuban cigar or the hemp-related, but entirely legal, novelty items I brought back for the hubby.....

I'm glad I got Vancouver out of my system, but I don't see myself returning there any time soon. I will return to Victoria in a heartbeat though; hopefully next summer. Victoria is more my kind of city and there's still so much to do and see there and on Vancouver Island. Victoria is familiar, and I feel about Victoria the way I do about San Francisco: It's my home away from home.

I'll try to post some pictures I shot on my blog later on, once they are developed. I shot 7 rolls of film, but no digital. I stuck with what I know best.

What a great show!!

I have to admit, I wasn't sure what to expect from David Cassidy, after all these years, but the concert on Friday was outstanding! I was so afraid that the show would be lame and I'd kick myself for ruining the fond memories of my youth. Boy was I wrong! The only thing missing from the show was my 2 cousins, Sharon & Diane. I wished so much that they were there with me, singing along like we used to when we were 7 & 8 years old. I nearly called them on my cell and held up the phone, but they are on the east coast and probably would not have welcomed a call so late at night.

David's still extremely hot. For a 56 year old man, he still has all the moves that made young women scream and faint in the 70's; as it is women were screaming, "I love you David" and passing him their phone numbers!! He's an excellent entertainer, and really knows how to work the crowd. He was funny and self-deprecating, yet sincere in his appreciation for the fan support all these years, which endeared him to the crowd immediately. You just can't not like the guy. David opened the show w/ Deep Purple's "Hush" which was amazing, then he sang a whole bunch of great Partridge Family songs, as well as 2 Beatles covers and some of his solo stuff. He played both acoustic and electric guitar, and paid a lot of attention to the fans in the first 2 rows. I suppose I could have edged up myself and perhaps gotten a hand shake or hand slap, but I just couldn't make myself do it. Hopefully my photos turned out!!

I'm off to Vancouver on Wednesday. Catch up to everyone later!

Guilty or innocent?

So this is the guy who is confessing to the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. At first, I thought he was the right person, but after the past few days of hearing the additional information, I don't think he is the murderer. Obsessed with her, definitely. And if I was facing jail time in Thailand, I would probably confess to any number of crimes in the USA just to get me out of Thailand. Prisons in America are no picnic, but I hear they are hundreds of times worse and more brutal in SE Asia.

I've thought all along that the family had something to do with JonBenet's murder. Even if they didn't, prostituting her in beauty pagents like that was bordering on abuse. Sexualizing any child, especially a 6 year old is just plain wrong. It's bad enough when 10 year old girls go around dressing like hookers!

What do you all think?

Hurray for Friday!!

I hope everyone has a groovy weekend!! I'm off to see David Cassidy at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma tonight.

Thanks to Eliza for the above pictures. Who wouldn't want to lick those wonderful fingers?! Be still my beating heart. You are never too old to have a celebrity crush.

Rene Magritte

Belgian artist Rene Magritte has been my favourite artist since I was in high school, when my best friend, Liz, showed me a book of his paintings. These are some of my faves.

The third painting I posted, of the lion and the man with wings, "Homesickness", is Liz's favourite by Magritte; at least it used to be! My fave one is the first picture, of the train in the fireplace, "Time Transfixed". I used to have a poster of the 4th painting of the 3 spheres, which name escapes me. My friends and I used to refer to it as the "Geffen balls" because they look the logo for Geffen Records.

Finally!

My boss has left for his annual trip to see his family in Detroit so my schedule has eased up slightly. Don't get me wrong, I love both of my bosses, but the days before he leaves can get pretty frenetic. He seems to think I'll be sitting around playing computer solitaire while he's gone so he's left me with about a million projects to do before he gets back. Well he's wrong about the solitaire. I'll be blogging instead. lol Thanks to the VDO Vault for these pictures.

The Rick Mercer Photo Challenge

Rick Mercer is a Canadian comedian and does a lot of political comedy, in addition to producing one of my fave shows ever, "Made in Canada", about the TV/film industry. I've been a huge fan of Rick's for years, as he is very, very witty and his show, "The Rick Mercer Report", keeps me in stitches. Of course it helps to know a little bit about what's going on up there to get most of the jokes, but he takes a lot of shots at Bush too.

He recently hosted the Photo Challenge, where he posts a photo on his website and lets the viewers/bloggers take over and submit their versions. Here are a few of the idiot in the White House, which cracked me up. The first photo is the original post by Mercer, the rest were submitted by, in order: Kyle, Cindy Green, Mark Telfer, Maurice Motut, Cindy Green again and Bob. I like Cindy Green's visions best.

The 4th picture shows conservative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, lurking behind Bush. Harper was voted into office during the winter and replaced about 10-12 years of liberal rule. Harper wants to make nice with Bush.

Gallopin' Gertie....

You've all no doubt seen the famous film of the bridge that is undulating in heavy winds and then collapses into the water. That was the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge. It was eventually rebuilt (photo #2 - those are the Olympic Mountains, not the Cascades), and now due to the population growth, a second bridge is being constructed. The bridge decks are being lifted into place right now, and they hope to have it open in a year. There's also a bar in Lakewood called "Gallopin' Gertie's".

Here's a short history of the bridge from Ketchum.org. Many thanks to them and to the people who shot the above photos. One note - the newspaper guy quoted below didn't take his dog with him when he got out of his car, and he let the poor animal plunge to its death. That part of the story always pissed me off.

The original, 5,939-foot-long Tacoma Narrows Bridge, popularly known as "Galloping Gertie," opened to traffic on July 1, 1940 after two years of construction, linking Tacoma and Gig Harbor. It collapsed just four months later during a 42-mile-per-hour wind storm on Nov. 7, 1940.

The bridge earned the nickname "Galloping Gertie" from its rolling, undulating behavior. Motorists crossing the 2,800-foot center span sometimes felt as though they were traveling on a giant roller coaster, watching the cars ahead disappear completely for a few moments as if they had been dropped into the trough of a large wave.

The original bridge was a suspended plate girder type that caught the wind, rather than allowing it to pass through. As the wind's intensity increased, so did Gertie's rolling, cork-screwing motion -- until it finally tore the bridge apart. For the next 10 years, Tacoma and Gig Harbor/the Olympic Peninsula were once again unconnected by bridge. Then after 29 months of construction, a new, much safer Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened on Oct. 14, 1950.

The new bridge spans 5,979 feet -- 40 feet longer than "Galloping Gertie" -- and is part of Hwy. 16. The sunken remains of "Galloping Gertie" were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 to protect her from salvagers.

An eye-witness account of "Galloping Gertie's" demise was graphically provided by Leonard Coatsworth, a Tacoma newspaper editor:

"Just as I drove past the towers, the bridge began to sway violently from side to side. Before I realized it, the tilt became so violent that I lost control of the car... I jammed on the brakes and got out, only to be thrown onto my face against the curb. Around me I could hear concrete cracking. I started to get my dog Tubby, but was thrown again before I could reach the car. The car itself began to slide from side to side of the roadway. On hands and knees most of the time, I crawled 500 yards or more to the towers... My breath was coming in gasps; my knees were raw and bleeding, my hands bruised and swollen from gripping the concrete curb... Toward the last, I risked rising to my feet and running a few yards at a time... Safely back at the toll plaza, I saw the bridge in its final collapse and saw my car plunge into the Narrows."

Thank you Jerry

Today marks 11 years since Jerry Garcia died. Brian and I miss him so, so much, and we miss the Grateful Dead and the caravan of trippy, dippy, tie-dyed, long haired freaks of which we were proud members. Below the photograph, are the lyrics to one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs, "Brokedown Palace". It's a slow song, and very beautiful. Makes me cry nearly every time I hear it. I wanted to have it played at my dad's funeral, but I figured my mom wouldn't be on board.

Fare you well, my honey. Fare you well, my only true one. All the birds that were singing, have flown except you alone.

Gonna leave this Brokedown Palace. On my hands and my knees I will roll, roll, roll. Make myself a bed, by the waterside. In my time - in my time - I will roll, roll, roll

In a bed, in a bed, by the waterside I will lay my head. Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul.

River gonna take me, sing me sweet and sleepy. Sing me sweet and sleepy all the way back home. It's a far gone lullaby, sung many years ago. Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come since I first, left home.

Goin home, goin home,by the waterside I will rest my bones. Listen to the river sing sweet songs,to rock my soul.

Gonna plant, a weeping willow. On the banks green edge it will grow, grow, grow. Sing a lullaby, beside the water. Lovers come and go - the river roll, roll, roll.

Fare you well, fare you well, I love you more than words can tell. Listen to the river sing sweet songs, to rock my soul.

I'm getting old....

I saw this comic yesterday in the paper and, as a former punk rocker, it really cracked me up.

Hello there, mah lovey!

Thanks to Eliza, whose archives I browsed to come up with these wonderful piccies!!

Silly doggie

So the other night, Brian decides to grill up some bratwurst for himself for dinner. He tells me that the coals are red hot, so if there's any meat I want to cook, to go for it. I dug out some boneless pork chops and 4 chicken breasts. They grilled up really nice. Since I am not a griller, I let Brian take over after he was done eating. He put all the meat into 2 glass dishes and finished them off in the oven. Boy the upstairs sure smelled good! I was so excited at the thought of having all this food pre-cooked, since I usually end up scrounging a bowl of cereal for dinner every night. Later on, I went upstairs and Brian had taken the glass dishes out of the oven and left them on the counter to cool, covered w/ tin foil. I went back down and said to him, "helped yourself to the chicken I see?" and he says, "I didn't eat any chicken!" I said, "well there are 2 pieces missing and the foil was lifted off the dish!" Then we looked at Sagan....who was innocently licking his chops and looking at us as if to say, "Who, me?"

What did we do before computers?

Well my home computer is still at the shop, and Blogger won't let me upload any photographs so this will be a fairly boring entry. Ho hum.

It was weird not to be able to go upstairs and check in on all the Vincent blogs I like to visit every day. I hope that the computer is ready today. The damn thing is costing us more to fix than buying a new one. This is the last repair. Next time it crashes, we're pitching it and getting a new one! What did we do in "the old days"? Remember the old days? Before cell phones and fax machines? Before debit cards and cable TV? When you actually had to get up off the couch to change channels? And when you had to just deal with waiting in line at the store because the cash registers weren't electric, and the credit card machines were manual?

How much time are we really saving anyway by having things go faster and faster? I'm extremely guilty of being impatient, especially waiting in line at the store.

To my Molly.VDO pals - hopefully I'll be back soon but I am keeping up with all of the entries.

Later!!

The Butchart Gardens-A Pacific NW Must-See

The Butchart Gardens are located in Victoria, British Columbia. I've heard several different pronunciations of the name, but the widely accepted one is "Boo-shart".

A former gravel pit owned by the Butchart family, matriarch Jennie Butchart had a vision to create a beautiful garden where once was scarred earth and stone. I visited the Gardens last year on my trip to Victoria and they are absolutely breathtaking!! There is an Asian-themed garden, one with native carved totem poles, an Italian garden (4th photo), ponds, gazing balls, fountains, etc. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Many thanks to Google Images and the people that shot these pictures. My computer is still down at home, and so I have not been able to scan any photos I have taken of my various travels. I hope to be back on the Molly.VDO site next week to catch up w/ my friends!

The black and white photo is a "before" shot, and the photo directly under it is what that same area looks like now.

Too much of everything is just enough

Things of which you can never have enough photographs:

The first photo needs no introduction.

Next up we have the TransAmerica Pyramid in San Francisco. I have about a zillion photos of it from different angles, streets and hills. It's gotten to be a running joke with friends & family.

These two photos are of The Empress Hotel and British Columbia Legislative Buildings, in Victoria, BC. The last thing my hubby said to me before I left for Victoria last summer was, "try not to take a thousand rolls of film of the Empress and Parliament!" OK, so I was in Victoria for 24 hours and I shot 8 or 9 rolls... Both buildings are architectural wonders and lend themselves to both colour and black and white photos. Parliament is a wonder all lit up at night. I have sat on the wall at the Inner Harbour and looked at both buildings for hours.














I never get sick of looking at the Golden Gate Bridge. Even after we moved up to Marin County and I continued to commute to San Francisco by bus, I never stopped noticing what a beautiful bridge it is, especially when you emerge from the Waldo Tunnel on the Marin side and the bridge is looming in front of you. By the way, the colour is "international orange". The bridge is constantly being retrofitted for quakes and painted to guard against the corrosive salt air.









Majestic Mt. Rainier. The cloud "hat" on the summit is called a Lenticular Cloud. They form over and near very high mountains and have often been mistaken for UFO's. Seriously. They are huge and saucer shaped, sometimes grey and white.

Happy Birthday Jerry!

Today is Jerry Garcia's birthday, which I nearly forgot because the day he died, 8/9/95, sticks in my mind more. We sure miss you, man. We miss the Grateful Dead and the whole Dead scene so much. Thanks for everything, Jerry.

"Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there...."