Friday, September 13, 2013

That's IT!! I'm GOING to Pie Town.

These fabulous people are raising money on FB to complete their movie about life in Pie Town, or more specifically, the Pie Lady.  So if you want to give to something sweet, here's your chance.

Happy Friday, let's all eat pie!

If you click on the photo below it will take you to the Pie Lady website and this video has some really fun music in it.  I could not get it to post like the above one though.  It is well worth the click, it's so dang light, fun and yummy!



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The Pie Lady of Pie Town · Suggested Post
Just a few days left to raise funds for the film "Pie Lady of Pie Town" - every little bit helps. Please pass this on to anyone you think could help as well; link takes you to the "sizzle reel" as well as to the donation site. We are $2280 short of the goal and post production costs are rising. Thanks to all of you who have contributed. Peace through pie!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Publix and White Castle

Oh Florida, I did miss you.  We just got back from a whirlwind trip to see family in Orlando and S FL. It was so great to be back there.  I even missed the humidity!  It just feels like home to me.

I was seeing and enjoying my family in a whole new light as well.  It was a great homecoming.  Harley got to meet his far away family as a "real person" as one cousin put it who met him as a baby.  He will remember those characters now by God!  My aunt Phyllis scared the life out of him with her loud laughter, but he hugged her anyway.  (So cute)  She laughs when she is over come with emotion or showing her approval.   Actually, sometimes she just laughs because she likes to.  She's funny that way!

I also got to visit my most FAVORITE store on the planet, Publix.  Well, it is my favorite grocery store. Harley got his free cookie and all was right with the world.  When we landed in LA I over heard several of the passengers talking about Publix and White Castle burgers.  Things that they missed about living in LA.  I almost piped up, but I was too exhausted.  I just smiled and enjoyed listening to them and feeling a silent kinship.

I'm still jet lagged.  We arrived home last night around 8pm pacific time and Harley's first day of school was TODAY.  Oops.   A good friend says that she did not receive the religious gene.  I did not receive the good planning gene.

More Florida Shenanigans to come.  Please stand by...

Saturday, July 13, 2013

ARRRRRRRrrrrrrr!! and Shiver me Timmmmmmmberrrrrrs!

This is sort of the Ventura Pirate version of the Watermelon festival of Monticello...  I have an old post about that melon fest, and Ms Moon probably has several, but I am too lazy to create links.


They call it Pirates Day at the Ventura Harbor!  Our boy Harley, along with the rest of the town, was bopping about the place saying things like "Shiver me timbers!"  "AAaaarrrrr!" and "Matey!"  Of course I was saying things like "scurvy creatures" and "fine wenches!"  The boy entered a costume contest hosted by none other than Captain Jack Sparrow look alike.  Pictured here...  (Not too bad, eh?  Each kid got a tiny card board treasure chest filled with little goodies including one free ride on the carousel.  

The day was foggy, but a nice temperature, as always.  We got an iced coffee and proceeded on to the treasure hunt.  Yes, a treasure hunt!  How fun is this?  The next few photos are clues and other piratey sights we encountered on our journey to the treasure.

Harley with Captain Morgan and Stella the Parrot, who starred in Pirates of the Caribbean!
                                                                        (For reals!)

Harley in full pirate regalia pre-contest

Harley flirting with a mermaid.  She really had shells on her boobies.  She was awesome!

A clue!

Some scurvy musicians playing a drinking song!  I sang and danced along.
The old guy playing the trashcan base was the best.

There is a video of Harley going down the big slide.  I cannot seem to get Blogger to load it, but as he is sliding down this very steep slide he's shouting "SHIVER ME TIIIIIMMMMBERRRRS!" It was very funny.  We thought he should get a bonus slide for that one!

Then of course he rode the carousel and we sort of had to let him have cotton candy, which by the way tastes like coconut oil these days.  ick!  


Fare thee well ya scurvies!! 





Thursday, June 20, 2013

I'm always just a little late to the party. But I get there eventually.

The following are quotes  by Terence McKenna, someone I've just discovered.  If I ever met him, I probably would have followed him to the ends of the earth!  Enjoy... or not...?!

:-)


“We have to create culture, don’t watch TV, don’t read magazines, don’t even listen to NPR. Create your own roadshow. The nexus of space and time where you are now is the most immediate sector of your universe, and if you’re worrying about Michael Jackson or Bill Clinton or somebody else, then you are disempowered, you’re giving it all away to icons, icons which are maintained by an electronic media so that you want to dress like X or have lips like Y. This is shit-brained, this kind of thinking. That is all cultural diversion, and what is real is you and your friends and your associations, your highs, your orgasms, your hopes, your plans, your fears. And we are told ‘no’, we’re unimportant, we’re peripheral. ‘Get a degree, get a job, get a this, get a that.’ And then you’re a player, you don’t want to even play in that game. You want to reclaim your mind and get it out of the hands of the cultural engineers who want to turn you into a half-baked moron consuming all this trash that’s being manufactured out of the bones of a dying world.”


“If the words ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ don’t include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn’t worth the hemp it was written on.”

 “Chaos is what we’ve lost touch with. This is why it is given a bad name. It is feared by the dominant archetype of our world, which is Ego, which clenches because its existance is defined in terms of control.”

 “Ego is a structure that is erected by a neurotic individual who is a member of a neurotic culture against the facts of the matter. And culture, which we put on like an overcoat, is the collectivized consensus about what sort of neurotic behaviors are acceptable.”

“Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering its a feather bed.”
 “Half the time you think your thinking you’re actually listening.”
 “Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behaviour and information processing. They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.”

“Nothing lasts but nothing is lost.”

 “Matter is not lacking in magic, matter is magic.”

 “People are so alienated from their own soul that when they meet their soul they think it comes from another star system.”

 “Nature is not our enemy, to be raped and conquered. Nature is ourselves, to be cherished and explored.”

"We can begin the restructuring of thought by declaring legitimate what we have denied for so long. Lets us declare Nature to be legitimate. The notion of illegal plants is obnoxious and ridiculous in the first place.”



Friday, June 7, 2013

I got this from Seth's Blog

I just really like this guy for the most part and I like how he says what he says...  If you want to check him out he's at Seth Godin 
That's all I got for now.  Enjoy!


Reality is not a show

The media-pundit-advertiser industrial cycle has discovered that turning life into a sporting event (with winners and losers, villians and heroes and most of all, black and white issues) is profitable.
By turning our life into a game and our issues into drama, the punditocracy and the media-industrial complex profits. And the rest of us lose.
Politics get this treatment, but so do natural disasters, poverty and even technology.
How long does it take after an event occurs before the spinning starts? And because we've seen the spinning acted out on such a large scale, we begin to do it ourselves. We create office drama that replaces the real-life nuance of difficult decisions, and we seek out wins in our personal life when life is always about compromise.
This is dehumanizing, because it turns pathos into ratings and makes just about everyone into 'the other', not someone deserving more than clicks, linkbait and trolling.
It's so easy to boil whatever happened down to a finite number of characters, to engage in online debates with people we'll never meet and to gamify just about everything.
I'm not sure there's any number of Facebook likes that can replace a hug.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Not too shabby

This is what I got to look at today for approximately on hour and 45 minutes.

The feel of the cool breeze and warm sun....It sort of takes my breath away.

Today I was driving to see a doctor in Pismo Beach.  And for the first time since we moved here I felt at ease.  I'm not sure of the reason.  It may have been the incredible view almost the entire way of the Pacific Ocean, or maybe it was the music or the fact that I did NOT listen to NPR talk station at all.  Maybe it was the sunshine or the Louise Hay Youtubes I watched yesterday?  Who knows, but it was glorious.  I was actually kinda sorta giddy in a way that I have not been in a looooOOoong time.  It was soooo good!

The really odd thing is it was almost a two hour drive, and I do not really like driving much.  Also, I got a line on a job prospect, which sounds perfect for me.  It is working with developmentally disabled adults helping them to live more independently.  The pay is well, let's say I have not earned this little since before college, however, it is meaningful work, and I'm looking forward to incorporating my coaching into the mix and hopefully carve a better niche for myself and perhaps more pay!  I have a strong feeling that it will certainly lead someplace cool, and in the meantime, I get to help a rather disenfranchised population... this brings a sort of peace to my heart.  So that's what I'm hanging my hat on. 

Things are finally starting to look up a bit and I'm doing my best to bask in that and let in more.  Hope all is going well in your worlds too.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Lyme anyone?

Just a brief update for all my friends.  (she said, hoping her friends would recognize the Barfly reference) Things are looking up here in sunny Cali.  I have changed my diet drastically for the better. (That about killed me.. I am a creature of habit) and I am working out.  ME. Working OUT?  I should have done this a long time ago.  Well, in fact I did.  The first time I was diagnosed with Lyme disease.  Then as the years passed and I was asymptomatic, my old ways began creeping back to the fore.  So all of the reflux madness and other crazy maladies I've been experiencing since our cross country move and turning 50 may all be somehow connected to reoccurrence of Lyme.

I thought this from the beginning with the drastic and sudden weight loss and loss of muscle mass, however I was reluctant to go back on antibiotics without the supervision of a QUALIFIED Lyme physician.  Yes, if you suspect you have Lyme, get yourself a Lyme literate physician or you could end up very sick debilitated or dead.  You can read all about that here.  In any case I was sweating a bit because it did not look like there was a qualified doc in the area, and well there isn't.  So out of network we go... AGAIN.  The good new is that I DID find one who is not too far away and he seems very competent and the bonus is that he is an NP and an MD, which means he practices natural medicine as well.  I am hoping to go that rout since my stomach is rancid with this reflux and the thought of introducing antibiotics to that mess just makes me want to shrivel up in a ball and hide under the covers.  So, we may be able to treat it in a way that is much less harsh than antibiotics... and we may go broke again, but the upshot is that we FOUND someone, someone good.  (It's amazing how your whole perspective shifts when you are in capable hands).  The other good news is (and only California people will immediately relate to this) is that his office is north on the 101 from here.  That is the opposite way of traffic flow in this area, which is so very relieving.  So I've got that going for me too! woot!

I am not absolutely certain the Lyme is connected to other physical maladies going on with me, but it would shock me if it weren't.  And it will be good to BE certain and get rid of it!  Or at least get it under control again.  Can I just say, FUCK all these auto immune diseases and FUCK FUCKING TICKS!

That felt good.

In other news Harley has adjusted to his school environment and made some friends.  He now LIKES his school and has stopped begging me to home school him.  Thank the tiny baby Jesus for that.  He seems to be doing well, although we are still hoping to get him into his new school next year.  We figure that will be a cleaner break after summer vacation.  Both schools have merit, but when it comes to organization and feeling confident sending your child on a field trip alone without you chaperoning, there is no comparison.  For this and many other reasons, we believe the charter school is a better fit for us.  We are too scattered ourselves to be able to successfully deal with other scattered people!  We need boundaries, consistency and reliability in our learning center.  It takes the stress and guesswork out of it all.  For me there is way too much of that in life already.

My mood/mental state is stabilizing quite a bit and I am feeling less like an alien.   I do still feel like this is someplace I am visiting and that it is not home or even where I live.  It's where I'm staying for now.  We'll see.  At least I'm not feeling like it's a death sentence, and I'm actually able to enjoy some of the benefits of being here.

So that's it.  Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend with many blessings, fun and relaxation.
xo

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Girlfriend

So, my son has a best friend in California.  He also has one in Tallahassee.  However, his best friend is California is the one I want to mention here.  Her name is Kaya.

Kaya is a lovely, sweet and articulate little girl.  She is somewhat introverted by nature, which I like.  She is not exactly shy, she is outspoken and goofy as any kid her age, but she has a sort of inner quietness that I like.  She is the first child that he has befriended since we got here, and she chose him. (Oh, did I mention she has good taste also?)

She pursued him in the form of asking for play dates with him every time I saw her... which was every day!  This was a blessed thing, because Harley was overwhelmed by his new found classroom experiences.  There are more kids in that small classroom than there were at his entire old school back home... and the majority of them have not been in a classroom setting and are shall we say socially challenged in that regard.  All the activity and rambunctiousness and volume were really hurting him (he has sensory integration/overload stuff)  So it was great that she reached out to him.  Since that very first play date, it was all over.

They have been best buds every since.  This year is the first time ever that I, mommy, did not receive the first Valentine from Harley.  He has made 3 for Kaya and one for his teacher!  This is bittersweet, mostly sweet.  He is growing up.

Yesterday while walking to recess Kaya and Harley were holding hands.  Then, they put their arms around each other!  Kind of how you would see a middle school couple.  I was blown away!  They are so funny!  Then we had a play-date with Kaya later that day and the two of them were discussing whether or not to go to the park first or to come to our house first.

Harley: "What do you want to do first?  Our house or the park?
Kaya:  "What's your opinion Harley?"
Harley: "Whatever you want Kaya."
Kaya: "Lets go to your house!"

It was just sort of nauseatingly precious.  But precious none the less.   I strive to be that mature in my exchanges with his dad... minus the nausea.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

My son the hoodlum

I stopped smashing my head against the crazy wall sometime this week...  So while things are notably better, I am still a bit outer body and not really sure what the hell I'm doing here.  I'm told that will take some serious time.  Like maybe a year or more.  Yea, things are more familiar and I'm glad to get out of the traffic and stimulation and back in our little hovel at the end of the day, but it's not home... It's more like a temporary refuge.  Kind of the way you feel when you're on vacation and you've been out gallivanting all day, and then you get back to your hotel room where you can let down.  It's good to be back in your temporary space, but it ain't home.  That's how it is.

So last Sunday we went over to a friend of Marc's house.  A guy from work.  He makes his own beer... and apparently drinks a lot of it too.  But that's another story.  Anyway, we went there to hang out and let the kids make pizzas and play.  Long story short, my angel-go gooder son was spear heading the committee ding and dash.  (That is ring the neighbor's doorbell and run).  WHAT?  Harley?  To my knowledge, he has never done that caliber of blatantly naughty activity before.  Certainly not in my presence! The good news is when I confronted him, he fessed right up.  (One of his cohorts was busted and she turned dime on him.) When I asked why he thought that was a good idea, he said he thought it would be fun and he liked hearing the dog bark.  I'm half way kidding when I say, this may be a bad omen!  He didn't get in real trouble and I didn't take it too seriously, but it was odd seeing a side of your kid that you have not ever been introduced to.

I am having an endoscopy next Friday.  Well, I guess it's this Friday now.  I've never had a "procedure" before, unless you count getting wisdom teeth extracted.  I'm not freaking out, just mildly dissociative is more like it.  The doc skipped over the risks like a stone over water.  I did catch the one about perforating something or other, maybe the stomach?  I don't know.  Anyway, he assured me he's done thousands of these and nobody has ever been injured.  We are fairly certain that what I am suffering from is acute acid reflux, but they also want to be sure I do not have a hiatal hernia or cancer on top of it.  I'm pretty sure I don't.  But can I say, the diet I am on, while it may be healthy as all get out, is a pain in the ass and boring as hell.  I'd give my left pinkie for a burger or a slice.  All I've been eating are vegetables, soup, fruit, gluten free bread sandwiches with no condiments or tomato, bland cereal with almond milk, goat cheese, nuts, and fish  None of it spiced the way I like either. (I'm a hot sauce lover and I'm dyin without my Liquid Summer, a local panhandle favorite) Can you imagine?  I'm Italian for Christ's sake!  My kid is now lactose intolerant too, so there is that.  Welcome to California!

Seriously, I'm getting used to it, I just thought it was so outrageous I had to mention it.  I mean yea, my diet has never really been the best, but I NEVER eat fried foods and I hardly drink.  So I ate a lot of processed food stuff and I smoked and drank coffee and hot sauce.   I know guys that have been doing WAY more for longer and they're still doing it!!  I'm not so much mad or even surprised by this... it just doesn't seem right.

That's the news from here.  I'm finding things to be grateful for, and honestly, there is a lot.  Thank the Great Spirit for Ms Moon, who often puts up lovely photos of home and her beautiful yard and younguns and others I love.  It helps me feel connected somehow to the piece of my heart that didn't make the move. Thank you Ms Moon.

Hope ya'll are having a happy new year so far.
xo