Culture Shock.

I've been in California for over 3 years and I still find myself totally exasperated by culture shock. It's the silly little things that just make me want to pull my hair out.
For example, when I ask where the bathroom is, I am often met with a look of total confusion. I get frustrated because if you used common sense one might be able to deduce that bathroom is a synonym of washroom or restroom! It's not often that people can make that deduction, and it's so ingrained in me to say "bathroom". Another one is "toque", no one has a clue what a toque is, this totally drives me crazy! And to be totally belligerent I say toque whenever I am talking about a toque.
Even after 3 years my feathers still get ruffled when I thank someone for something and they respond with "uh huh". AHHHH! The correct response, the POLITE response is, "you're welcome"! Now I am sure that some people are going to tell me that I should adapt to the American way, but sorry (pronounced sO-rey, not sari) these are the little things that are totally in me, and I think aren't outrageous (okay I'll give you the toque thing) so it's unlikey that I'll change them.
Oh and finally, go check the mailbox, there should be a cheque in it!

I only have time for bullets.

I have a bunch of posts floating around my head, but I can rarely find the time to sit and compose a post so I don't, and then most of it leaves my head.
Here's what's left.

1. My friend ran a marathon yesterday. She rocks. It was really interesting to watch the marathon, oddly. The vibe was really supportive and upbeat. There were a lot of people cheering the runners on, many of whom were excited themselves, even when we saw them the first time at mile 16. A lot of the runners were running for Team In Training, and I think that they come with a large cheering section of their own. But still it was amazing the amount of support that was there. I may have been moved to tears a couple of times. (shh don't tell anyone that I'm a total wuss)
Watching the marathon made me feel bad about the time when I tried to train for one and quit. (my shin splints, ohhhhh the PAIN) anyhow I wondered why some people run and put themselves through the pain. Running isn't good for the body really, it's horribly jarring and mangles you, and yet there were 20000 runners yesterday. Perhaps they do it for bragging rights, perhaps just for self satisfaction, perhaps to raise money for charities like TNT. It's interesting, I think the last 2 reasons are totally admirable, the first isn't. Boo on braggars.

2. Trixie is always on my mind, I am always composing posts to talk about how amazing she is and how much I love her. I would write one everyday, but then I wouldn't have much to write in her monthly newsletter. But golly I love that baby, I knew I would, but I didn't know that it would be this amazing. A few weeks ago I was trying to figure out the amount of time I've spent with her since she was born. I would guess between 95-97% of her life she's been within arms reach of me. How amazing is that? My percent is so high because I wear her all of the time, I take her everywhere with me, I sleep next to her and I really love being with her. We're working on potty training with her, and I'll tell you more later in her newsletter, but she rocks! She had a watery tummy a couple of days ago, and even then she had only 2 poo misses, she made it to her potty every time. Yay for less poopy diaper laundry!

3. Politics. Oh this is a big one. I really hate that I can't vote. It's not fair, my husband pays taxes here, we own property here and I have an American baby, I should be able to vote! I actually care to vote as well! Anyhow I'm sure you would have figured that I would vote for Obama, (duh) but what's really frosting me right now is Proposition 8. It kills me to see ads on TV prompting people to vote yes on prop 8. Seriously, vote yes? As in deny a human basic rights? And this is supposed to be the best country on earth?
I'm so glad I'm Canadian.

So to summarize, Regan is a running goddess, Trixie is adorable and all people deserve basic civil rights, because what will be next? Taking the vote from women? Ugh!

The Ants Go Marching.

When we lived in the crappy assed house that we were renting before we moved here I envisioned homeownership to be Super Duper Amazing. Super Duper as in no stupid back door ladies to scratch my car with the garbage cans, a bathroom large enough for more than one person to be in it, reliable hot water, sweet, sweet air conditioning and no bugs. But alas apparently mother nature hates me, and although we have this amazing new house we have an ant problem. We learned in the other house to make sure that your counters are really clean and that you have no food out on the counters, and I've kept up these good habits. However I do have pets and they do have food and the evil little ants love dog and cat food apparently.
Today in the span of a couple hours there was a trail of ants across the floor coming from a little divot between the floorboards and where two hardwood boards meet to the container of dog food. The trail was about 3 feet long and 6 inches wide of solid ants. Nasty. Adam and I were able to wrangle them and we sealed the little divot with clear sealant, but there are still a couple rouge little buggers roaming around, just to further piss me off.
A couple days ago they managed to get into the cat food which we keep on top of the drier to keep the dog out of it. There was a line coming from the window (which was closed) down the wall, behind the shelving unit, behind the drier and up the back of it and they swarmed all over the top of my white drier, so they were really obvious. (I didn't sleep well that night) Rather than kill them all, which gives me such glee, I bought some ant poison bait stations and scattered them all over the area in hopes that it would kill the whole colony, or family reunion of the little buggers as it may be. But alas that was $7.99 or so well waisted. Chachi had a great time finding the ant traps and running away from us as we chided him for playing with them.
So here we are at a loss. I hate ants, I hate how they swarm and give me the creeps. I have these horrible dreams that I will wake up and find the baby covered in them.
I've taken to feeding the pets several times a day rather than just in the morning so I can leave them smaller amounts so there is less left out. But I don't see much of a difference in the number of the ants.
The one thing that amuses me about all of this is squirting them with our ant killer which is an organic all purpose cleaner, grapefruit scented. It's probably a good thing that I'm not Buddhist!

This post coming to you from behind finger smudged glasses.

Hello, I am in fact, not dead. Hurray.

I would like to say I've been busy, and I have been kinda. But the longer I waited to post, the more pressure there was, and then I knew I had to have the perfect post and ahhhhrg. Here it is, I'm sure it won't be perfect. I've already dealt with it, now it's your turn.

So my dad and Gay were here for 10 days. We went wine tasting, went to SF and did all of the touristy things and tooled around here commenting on the heat. Fun was had by all, most days. I've discovered my dad is a picky eater, and authentic cuisine isn't to his taste. Which I've noticed in other people who are from a very Caucasian areas such as the Okanagan Valley. Chinese food there is greasy, and to my palate, nasty. Here it's much more authentic and tastes different that Smith's Chinese Restaurant, found down town Small Town British Columbia. My dad didn't like it so much. Oh well, it was amusing for me to watch him eat a cheese burger at a Mexican place because he's adamant that he doesn't like roll-ups (burritos in Dad speak). All in all it was fun.

My little brother turned 28 2 weeks ago. Frightening.

The Murp is all Murpy. I don't have much to report. I have been having interesting bouts of wicked motion sickness in the car. I've resorted to having a puke bag nearby at all times while in the car. This development is strange and it sucks! Let me tell you though, this baby had better be really cute!

Adam and I have been looking at some townhouses. They are painfully expensive, but so pretty. After dealing with the possessed shower (which oscillates between hot and cold all of the time) and all of the bloody ants, a new place is so welcoming. The draw back? Our favorite place, which is a 3 bedroom 1600 square foot place is nearly 800K! Sigh. I don't think I can sell a kidney for that much, even if I gold plated it! Also in the past couple weeks the jumbo mortgages around here have tanked, which makes getting a mortgage hard. A lot of lenders are being extra cautious, so lending to non-permanent residents isn't their top priorities. So it looks like we're going to have to wait a little and see what the market does and how the rates react. Hopefully the market will drop a little, rates will stabilize and we can buy. Then the market will skyrocket and we will rejoice.

Bonsai turned 10 this month. In people years he's like 50, him and my dad seem to have a lot in common. Okay I am totally kidding. Bonsai, has much more hair!

Chachi is the same, goofy as ever.

Hmm well there is the post that people have been begging for. I actually have another post planned all full of insight, but I'm tired and my head hurts.

cheers.

Dog Park.

Yesterday Adam and I were invited to my friend Carolyn's daughter N's first birthday which was held at The Gym. Watching the kids play was interesting and really made me want to play in the ball pit too, but instead I behaved like an adult and chatted with some of the other moms.

When I first got there I had a quick conversation with Carolyn who was consoling an unhappy N.
me: So this is where you come for your classes with N? And she gets to play with all of this fun stuff?
Carolyn: Yeah, the kids play and all of the moms chat and stuff. A lot of the kids here we met in the class.
me: Oh so it's like a dog park for babies?
C: Exactly.

Patience

Dear The Impatient Jackass behind me at a light.

Sir, I understand that the light turned green a millisecond ago, and I apologize that I haven't peeled out of the intersection fast enough for you. However I must implore you not to honk your horn at me exactly half a second after the light changes. (Yes it was half a second, and I'm being generous.) I will explain why I don't jump on my accelerator when the light changes. First there are still cars in the intersection, I don't want to hit them, call me crazy, but I don't want to be in an accident. Second squealing out of an intersection is lame, I try not to do it. Third, it's surprisingly easy for me to squeal on out, you see I drive a hemi, and if I jump on the accelerator from a dead stop there will be squealing. Finally I care about my car, if I floor it out of every intersection I will need new tired ever 20,000 miles. (The last guy that owned the car owned it for 20, 000 miles and the back tires were bald, he was the original owner.) So Mr. Late-Model-Civic just wait. You will have noticed that once I get my tires rolling I quickly make my way down the street. (After all I do enjoy the hemi). In any case if you care to debate this further, meet me at the next light and I will demonstrate just how small your penis is, 'cause a Dodge Magnum with a hemi will always beat a 4 banger. Every. Time. Just like rock beats scissors.
So in order to save your masculinity, let the girl in the really hot car drive responsibly, and you, be patient.

Thank you,
The girl in the smokin' hot Magnum.

Happy Canada Day

No really it's still Canada Day. I haven't gone to bed yet. (work with me here, 'kay people?)
Anyhow blogger and me have broken up, Nicole and Paris style, and it appears that we have rekindled, perhaps we'll be able to squeak out another bad television show. Or not.

Today Adam and I mourned not living in Canada and not being in Ottawa, we vowed that sometime on this day in the future we will be in Ottawa. It's so strange to be somewhere that doesn't even recognize the importance of today. Even when I was in Korea I was able to celebrate Canada Day. Oh and celebrate my friends and I did. We went to a party being hosted by the Canadian consulate. They shipped in Big Rock beer, Alberta beef and BC shrimp (I think there was some BC salmon too, but I was all about the beef). If I hadn't been as hung over as I was then perhaps I would have been able to enjoy more good ol' Canadian beer. In any case the party was fantastic, many drunken patriotic Canadians and just as many drunken American army boys, who were very polite and tolerated me drill them about Canada. (My favourite question was "What is the Canadian capitol?" They always got it wrong, but I was determined to educate them all, one drunken conversation at a time.) A good time was had by all, and I promise that I didn't irritate too many of the boys with my questions, mostly they played along, laughed and answered my questions, asked me some of their own and stared at my boobs.

Back to today, no fireworks, no hearty "Happy Canada Day!"s and no Canada birthday cake. Sigh. It's a little sad for me. It's all good though, I did get a promise out of Adam that someday I will get to be in Ottawa for Canada Day.

T minus 12 minutes.

So technically I should be on my treadmill sweating away getting all warmed up for my trainer. I should. However my blog calls to me.
I have all of these posts planned to write, one about fraud, one about credit counselling, one about Kyle Brandt and also the usual drivel. But I only have 10 minutes, so I will talk about my house.
My house is a disaster. How can 2 adults and 22 pounds of pet make so much of a mess? Why do I hate cleaning so much? I am a wife, shouldn't I love it? Did I forget to take the housecleaning pill? Damn I knew I was forgetting something the day I said "I take you Adam...".
We're getting ready to go on vacation to BC. We leave Thursday after Adam gets off work and we're going to drive until we're bleary eyed, then we will sleep and drive until we get there on Friday. I'm not looking forward to the driving. Although I am a Berkan in name now, I have not yet assimilated the love of the open road. The Harker in me pukes and gets grumpy. It's going to be a fun ride!
So today I must pack! I am packing for the dog, who requires a crazy amount of stuff. I also am packing various gifts for various children I need to see while I'm there. Also I need to pack clothes for me and Mr. Berkan. If left to his own resources he would be really stinky after 2 days on the boat. I don't like sleeping with the stinky man, I like the Kenneth Cole* version of that man. I'm also a cleaning maniac today. I want to take everything off of our counters and give them an extra good scrub to ensure no little ants come and infest our house. They've been the bain of my existence for the past while and I don't want to come home to find them everywhere. I am hesitant to get ant bait because of the small beastie we have who eats everything. I think one very expensive vet bill a year is good, and we're one past our limit already this year.
So that's me lately.
Oh yes I must remember to pack vats of sunscreen. I've declared that I won't get burnt on this trip, but now I'm worried. Adam and I went to a festival on Sunday and I was in the sun for 3 hours and managed to get burnt, and I was wearing properly applied 70 SFP. So I guess I should reapply every 2 hours. I wonder what the long term affects of sunscreen is?
Well I have one minute.

* it's his cologne

My Big Fat List of non Grievances (Edited)

To counter the one below this.

1. I remember that I have a block of 70% cocoa solids chocolate bar in the freezer.
2. My nurse today said that a year is a long time to try to have a baby, and I don't need to qualify it when I say "I've ONLY been trying a year." (I almost started crying when she said that.)
3. Chachi is doing a lot better, he's really playful and close to 100%. He still can't jump up on to things, but it's okay. He gives me the puppy dog eyes and I help him. He's also loving his new chew toys, which is good.
4. It's Friday.
5. Adam and I bought a tent yesterday, and we're going camping next weekend in the Redwood Forest in the north part of California.
6. One of my friends here is very close to giving birth and I haven't seen her online all day, so I think she might be having her baby today. (edited to add: I was right, she had her baby, and she's just the prettiest little baby!)
7. I'm making spaghetti and meat sauce, with black olives in it!

My Big Fat List of Grievances

Okay, so I'm at a point in my cycle where I am super grumpy. I need to vent and I'm going to do it here, in hopes I spare some random, unlucky Californian my rage, and mostly to spare Adam.
1. I can never find my glasses and I can't see the screen without them.
2. There isn't enough chocolate in the house.
3. Drivers here are convinced that a yellow light means "gun it".
4. I'm covered in an annoying hormone induced heat rash which is driving me crazy with the itchies.
5. My body isn't responding to the hormones and I have to increase the dose again.
6. I told the doctor that I should start with a high dose!
7. There isn't enough chocolate in the house. (this one bore* repeating)
8. I bought a juicer attachment for our Magic Bullet and it's not all that great.
9. I have a killer headache because I had to get up really early so I could get to the lab early and have my blood drawn.
10. My fridge isn't big enough to hold a big watermelon.
11. My car is dirty, and the stupid pollen won't go away!
12. I'm tired of feeling bitchy all of the time.
13. This is the 12th cycle** we've been trying to get pregnant. It's starting to wear on me.
14. Dog poo, cat poo.
15. The grocery store nearest to us doesn't have tahini.


Okay I guess that is enough for now. I have more, but I can't think of them now and I need to make dinner.

* What is the past tense of bear?
** I swear if anyone says that 12 months isn't a long time, I'll magically fly through the computer and strange said person with some random computer cord.

On buying Costco gas....

Tonight we went to Costco and then we bought gas. We only bought it there because Maggie-Car needed gas, and conveniently there were gas pumps there. However, as we were sitting in the gas line up for an insane amount of time I wondered if Costco gas is really a good economical choice.
I rationalize:
An average car holds about 12 gallons.
Costco gas is about 10 cents a gallon cheaper.
Therefore, you save about $1.20 per fill up.
However, if you are in line to fill up for over 15 minutes (like we were), leaving your car idling, I am sure that you have wasted close to what you will save just waiting. Furthermore, I am adamant that my time is worth more $4.80/ hour! So unless I need gas, (like tonight) I won't wait in line at the Costco gas bar to save a little money.

I also wondered about the people who are waiting to buy cheaper gas. If they are like any other Costco shopper they went with a list comprised of frozen chicken breasts and toilet paper, which would come to a grand total of maybe thirty dollars. However they left with the chicken, the toilet paper, a bouquet of sunflowers, a giant watermelon, a package of Costco sized muffins, a movie, a camping stove, a infrared garbage can (we have that one, it's great), a carton of Twix and a carton of Trident. Grand total $200.00, net over spending, $170.00. I can see why saving $1.20 at the pump is so worth it!

Moving on to bigger savings. When we bought Maggie-Car the dealer told us the price (which was in the tens of thousands) and then when we began the haggling process he dropped a couple hundred dollars. To which I replied that a couple hundred on tens of thousands isn't really anything to be proud of. I told him that we needed to talk in terms of thousands, or we would leave. He gave me an utterly blank stare and went to "telephone his manager" to see what he could do. He came back with another offer of a measly couple hundred. I countered again saying that it was an unacceptable offer and that we couldn't even consider it. He went again to speak to this manager and came back, sullen. This time I asked if I could speak to the manager, as I saw this back and forth continuing all day and I didn't have the patience for it. The sales guys was shocked that I would suggest it and had no idea what to say. Apparently no one has ever asked to explain their argument to the manager before. So long story short I got my way. My theory was that it's a waste of time to haggle over a small amount relative to the total amount. Much like a couple cents on a gallon is a small amount, hardly noticeable in the grand scheme of things. Now a couple cents on a litre would be more noticeable, but only barely.

Maybe when our parents were younger and gas was under 40 cents a litre or $1.50 a gallon a couple of cents was a much larger portion of the total. I think that we've picked up budgeting from them and have it ingrained into us that a couple cents really makes a difference, when in reality not buying the carton of Twix, Trident, the flowers etc. is what will make the difference. But now I am getting onto another subject for another day.

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Today is Cinco De Mayo. It's a crazy big party here, like St. Patrick's Day at home. (which is also a big party here) I spoke about it last year here.
Adam and I had grand plans for this weekend. First we made plans to go camping in Yosemite, but it's still below freezing overnight and we want to bring Chachi. Our first plan nixed. The we decided to go to Monterey Bay Aquariaum, but then Chachi ate something that made him really sick.
Chachi spent all day Thursday barfing and being really pathetic. Then Friday we was listless and refused to eat or drink, so I took him to the vet. They pronounced that he must have eaten something and he should be okay today. They gave him sub. q. fluids, medication and a sedative. Today he was barfy again and would not eat or drink, so we took him back. The vet took blood, x-rayed him and gave him more fluids and medication. Once home he puked on Adam, then again later, this time a lovely shade of green. My poor puppy has been poked several time, been probed anally to check his temp. and been manhandled to see if there is an obstruction. It would be an understatement to say that he's in a bad mood. Even sick he has a lot of fight in him. When the vet tech. took his blood it was a 3 person job, which is a little funny considering he's only six pounds, and he was muzzled! Hopefully he is a little better tomorrow, because he's cleaned us of all of our couch savings, which is really unfortunate because the place he chose to barf on was the couches! *have I ever mentioned how much I love Oxy Clean?* I do think that is feeling a little better; someone came to the door and he was able to muster enough oomph to bark at them, very convincingly, then took a nap.
My poor little puppy.
So next weekend we are going to go camping and perhaps the weekend after we'll go to the Aquarium.

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone!

Monday's Mumblin's

Wouldn't it be a great idea if I had 7 new blogs, one for each day of the week? Like Monday's Mumblin's, Titilating Tuesdays, Weird Wednesdays, Thrillin' Thursdays, Friday's Forcast, Sloshy Saturdays and Sober Sundays? Good idea? No?

Anyhow, Adam and I had a great weekend! We were invited to go to a SF Giants game, which thrilled Adam because he's been wanting to go, but I've been dragging my heels because I'm not a baseball fan; rugby: yes, hockey: yes, football: yes, baseball: yawn. But the person who invited us had a suite to watch the game in. So to recap, baseball: not so much, suite at a sporting even: yes please!
Once there I quickly realized that I would be ruined for any sporting event ever again; sitting in second bowl seats at the HP Pavilion to watch the Sharks get beaten by some Canadian team will never be the same again. I'm okay with that. The suite was amazing. It opened up onto a balcony with an amazing view of the field and the harbour, since AT&T Park is built on a pier. The balcony had two rows of roomy seats and plenty of room to walk around and not get dead leg from sitting still for so long. Also there was a roof to the balcony, so when all of the people in the stands were breakin' out the plastic bag jackets as the rain started, we were all dry and cozy, livin' the life.
We arrived just as the game was about to start, so Adam and I took a seat on the balcony and settled in to watch the game. I decided that I would try to enjoy the game, even though I just wanted to marvel at the suite. The game started slow: swing, miss, swing, miss, ball, strike, blah blah blah.... Then Regan came to tell us that she was going to get food and so Adam went with her to get us something. This left me alone on the balcony with someone I had just met a couple of minutes before. I shrugged off my shy girl routine and struck up a conversation.
So he's a baseball fan and was shocked that I had no clue who Barry Bonds was. (Some baseball powerhouse who was rumoured to be all jacked up on 'roids) I had a quick lesson on Bonds and some baseball trivia as we discussed the merits of major league sports. (For the record I think that they are just a giant money making machine, and I don't get that wrapped up in the hoopla, I figure there are better things in life to be passionate about, like the Flames!) So we were watching the Giants who were now up to bat, swing, miss, blah blah blah. Then Barry Bonds came out to take his bat. The crowd hushed as the pitch came. He swung, and connected! The ball soared high into the sky. High, as in straight up, it was a pop fly, and a foul ball. Some fan caught the ball and everyone around him congratulated him. He is now a minor celebrity with his friends and family. Then the next pitch, he swung and BLAMO! The ball rocketed across the field, the centre field guy tried to catch it, but it was above his head. He did make a valiant effort running and reaching, but alas the ball was a home run. The stadium erupted into a massive roar and Mr. Bonds took his bases, reminiscent of a NASCAR winner taking a victory lap with the checkered flag. Bonds reached home base and the Giants had the lead in the game with one to zero. The game ended and the only score was Barry Bond's 739th home run, which is only 16 away from Ruth's record of 755.
After the game ended the stadium emptied in break neck speed, but we opted to enjoy the suite a little longer rather than rush for a train that would be packed with excited Giants fans. Instead we watch the field crew come and repair the field. We watched them groom the pitchers mound and then cover it with a custom made tarp, which fitted exactly. Then they did the same for the spot where the batters bat. Finally they rolled out a huge tarp which they covered the dirt part of the field up with. (Which Adam has reminded me is called the diamond.) It was interesting to watch them do this, and they were equally amused by the crazy people in suite #49 (us) who were cheering them on. (My favourite was the guy in the cowboy hat who was clearly the leader, and also the guy who wasn't wearing the yellow jacket and was clearly the rebel!). Eventually we were asked to leave because they needed to clean and we went to catch our train home.
Fun was had by all.
Once we were back in Sunnyvale, Adam and I went to a local pub for a really amazing dinner, a perfect end to the day.*

Yesterday we had some friends come over and we played lots of games. I lost most of them, which I am fine with since it was the first time I had played most of them. Also, I've come to the realization that while I am crazy competitive in sports and anything physical, I don't care really if I win a board game, because it's just that: a board game. Except when we were playing Settlers last night and I came out of nowhere, all stealthy and totally screwed Adam over. Yes Internets, there is nothing better than humiliating my husband at a board game. Ahem, I mean, I don't have to win, it is a game after all.

And now it's today. How was your weekend?

*I would have taken pictures to document it all, but everyone had such nice fancy cameras and we only have a wee little digital which is so puny. I didn't want to bring it out and subject it to camera envy.

Hello world.

I know I've been remiss in my blogging duties, I have no excuses, or apologies.
Now on with the show!

Adam signed us up for the Netflix's beta program which allows you to watch movies directly off of your computer. Initially I was not to excited about it because the movies were clearly B rated, but lately they have been getting some much better movies. I'm most excited about the range of Jane Austen movies and the workout ones, which personally, I think is brilliant on Netflix's behalf to include them. You see, you are granted one hour of watch now time per dollar you owe per month on your membership. Adam and I have the 4 at a time membership which is $23.99, so we get 24 hours of watch now movies a month. If you watch a workout video a day, that would take you over your limit. See? Brilliant marketing Netflix!

Also I've discovered this new product that I am all a-rave about. It's castile soap. (I would link to a definition, but my linky abilities are a little disabled at the moment.) Anyhow castile soap is a pure vegetable product soap, no animal fats in it, so that's great for vegetarians. I love it because it's a pure soap, not a detergent which is loaded with other stuff which are irritants. Castile soap can literally be used for EVERYTHING in the house. I use it for laundry, and it's been making my towels fluffier! I love it. I prefer it over detergents because I have crazy sensitive skin. Last summer I used a national brand which comes in a bright orange package, and it left me so irritated, I itched and itched until I bled. Bad news internets! So I try to buy sensitive kinds, but they still have the "stuff" in them, which bothers me. You can also use the castile soap to clean everything in your house (with a few exceptions). If you search it online you can find lists, I won't bother here. Some marketers sell it as a body cleanser or a shampoo, but I am a little leery about that because it has a higher PH than your hair and can be drying. So be warned. Also I've found it in peppermint and lavender scents, we have the peppermint and it's nice.
Oh and we mustn't forget that it's much more environmentally friendly than other detergents.

So that concludes my consumer report for today.

Onto other notes, I finally got all of the weeds pulled from my back yard which is nice. The citrus trees are blooming and the yard has this wonderful smell, it reminds me of jasmine tea. The past few days have been really windy and there are petals all over the yard from the flowers, and it kinda looks like a light snow! The neighbour has a tree that has flowers that grow in a ball, and several of the branches hang into our yard, it's really pretty. I'm really enjoying spring in California, although it's getting quite hot.
Next I aim to tackle my front yard, which the landlord have covered with large ground cover shrubs and trees, but there are still weeds which have infiltrated the plastic under the bark mulch. I hate that our yard looks so ghetto on such a nice block. Adam think it just looks like greenery, but I think it looks bad. I hope our neighbours see it like Adam does!

The pets are good. Chachi rolled over on command the other day and I was beside myself praising him. Bonsai is turning into an ornery old man, but he's still happy and healthy. I've started both of them on a new kind of pet food which lists meat as it's first ingredient, and contains no grain. Chachi loves it and pulls big mouthfuls out of his bowl and spits them onto the floor to pick out the new brand and leaves the old stuff behind. No matter how often I clean up the kibble around his bowl he perpetually has a radius of a couple inches of kibble around it.

Well that's all I have for now. I'm off to make Adam dinner.
ciao!

Californian Girl

I've returned from the Great White North, which is really more brownish than white right now. While I was there I questioned myself if I still felt like The Okanagan was home to me. I didn't really feel like I was home. So much has changed since I lived there 7 years ago. Kelowna has grown and changed considerably, I have grown and changed considerably. Also my mom sold the house I grew up in years ago, and my grandparent's house was sold years ago, now my dad is selling his house, so I won't have a "home" to go to anymore. It's a little surreal to me, and a little sad. I can't say that I'm losing something, because the draw of the Okanagan was lost to me years ago. However I am really realizing it now, it's rather empowering. I still think the Okanagan is beautiful, and I will always encourage people to visit it, and possibly move there, I just don't think I can live there, maybe later, but not now. I'm loving the Bay Area. I love our proximity to San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa. The culture here is fascinating to me, and I have to mention the lack of snow. It saddens me that we don't have the close knit circle of friends that we had at home, but they're still our friends and we will still see them frequently (and they all know they have a place to stay!)

Mish Mash, vol ?

On Decluttering.
I was on a message board a couple weeks ago and saw that there was a thread where people were posting their goals on how many things they were going to throw away and declutter their lives. I thought it was a great idea, but unsure if I could just throw away stuff. But, ya know? I can! This weekend I threw away another 5 pair of shoes. I know shocking, 5 pairs! I was a little aghast but I hadn't worn them in over a year and they were takin' of space and we were paying people to move them, seemed ridiculous to me. So they're gone, although I had to get Adam to actually carry them to the garbage. Baby steps, right? I also garbaged some other random stuff, which takes my number up to 14. Which made me wonder, what would be a good goal for me? 100? 250? 500? 1000? Before we moved I culled my wardrobe, reducing it by two thirds, but I won't count that, since it's done.

On Trolls.
So you know that I have anonymous commenters. Mostly I'm fine with them, but I don't like them being rude, or lecturing me. Arg. So if you love me, tell me.

On Spring.
Spring has sprung! It's been springing for a while, but it's wasn't quite there, and now it's all sproinged! I'm spleased! I find it a little amusing that I'm getting excited over spring, uh, springing, since there was no snow, no cold to shake. However the fresh cut grass smell, and the blooming flowers, and even the ozone smell of rain, I love it all! I've always said that I love spring and fall best and here I am in the land of spring and fall!

On Ceramics.
I don't have any new photos, but I have a bunch of new pieces. Right now I am making a fist of rock for my brother, although he doesn't know it. I'm also making tiles for my table, rather than use mosaic tiles to create a design, instead I'm making puzzle piece tiles, and giving them an interesting finish. I can't wait until it's done and I can show you.

On Chachi.
Regan wrote how her chihuahua is a surly teenager, and it made me think of Chachi. Adam and I joke that he's a teenager with the quirks of one. To elaborate, he'll sleep all day given the chance. He would love nothing more than for me to lay in bed all day so he could too. When I get up in the mornings he gives me the look disgust and makes his way over to the couch in the sun. He's developed a selective listening habit, which is highly annoying. I have proven to be more stubborn than a five pound chihuahua, which I think is a feat on it's own. He'll do anything for food, be it puppy treats or human food. Hoever he only has a taste for high end treats though, won't eat the cheaper ones, but he will play with them. For some reason he figures he's the enforcer and when I chide the cat for something he runs over and nips at him. Why Bonsai doesn't lay the smack down on him is beyond me.

On My New Blog.
It's call What I Had For Lunch. I find often when I am talking to Gay (my stepmom) I relay recipes that I have recently made. I figure this will be a good way for me to keep track of everything I make and how I did. I like to take a recipe and alter it to make it more my taste, and I always forget what I did, or lose the post-it I wrote it on and stuck to my cupboard door. Also the number of times I've asked Gay for her chocolate pudding recipe is shameful.... It's so good though, it's English style, so it's cakey, not all gooshy like American pudding. De-vine!

On Bosu
Oh I heart a Bosu more than ever now. So much so that I might have to buy one. I still use them a lot when I work out, but now I'm using it while I work with weight, which really adds to the workout. Julie's started having me to pushups on them. It's freaky hard, but I can do it! I was explaining to my friend Lauren, who I started my journey into climbing with, about the rush I get when I work out with a bosu. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I can do something on it. Although I love to strength train, I never has the same feeling of accomplishment, but when I do it with the bosu, I do. It's great.

So I think that mostly covers what's going on in my life.

There is hope.

Hilary Clinton announced that she is going to run for presidency. If she wins, I won't moan about living here so much.


To be clear, I don't dislike the country, just the man running it. He reminds me of this bully I went to elementary school with, who wasn't that smart, wasn't that big, wasn't that charming, but was rich and therefore had a following of people. (He was mean, pushy and clearly had/has a small penis. There was no other reason why he was such an a$$.)

Snow Driving Lessons.

Dear Americans.

As you know I am a card carrying Canadian. In order to be a certified Canadian you have to pass a few secret tests, such as: distinguishing the difference between Canadian beer and others, building an igloo with your mittened hands, understanding the different intonations of "eh" and when to use them, and finally how to drive in snow, on ice, or both.

My dear Americans I bring this up because there has been some "cold" weather around these parts. Like the other day the I-5 between LA and Bakersfield was closed due to snow. Now this wouldn't have happened in Canada, because we can negotiate a little snow and a hill. Also there was this:



So my Sweets, this is what I am proposing, during the next snow in California or Oregon, I will give free snow driving lessons, in your car, be it automatic or standard. I am sure that after you complete the DeaBer Driving course you will be able to navigate even the snowiest passages, just like any Canuck!


(listen around 0:27, you hear someone yell "car!", reminds me of when kids play street hockey... except replace the puck with cars and sticks with drivers)

Mish Mash.

Blogger has a beta option now, so I've switched over. If you can't post a comment, that could be a reason, try signing up, or fidgeting with it, I have no clue how to fix it right now. I'll see what I can find out.

Milly is good. Which is yay. Last month when the RE was pokin' around he saw something bad, and apparently it sorted itself out, which is good, 'cause there was a lot of pain when the sorting was happening. The procedure, was uncomfortable. There was a moment of white hot pain, it wasn't localized, it was everywhere. Not fun at all. But I survived. Apparently my uterus doesn't like being filled up all at once, which makes sense, when one gets pregnant, it's gradual. Anyhow good news, but I'm not going to exhale yet, 'cause he couldn't really get a good view.

The rainy season started here. Arg, I don't like the rain. I think I prefer snow over rain. But I reserve the right to change my mind. The rain also makes for hellish driving conditions. Since the freeways are often at a standstill, especially on the ramps there is an oil accumulation, so when that gets wet, it's slick, slick, slick. Today on the way home, a car totally lost control right in front of me as he was exiting on to the freeway, off a ramp. I swerved, sharply into the other lane, and luckily it was empty. It's a little scary to think what would have happened if I couldn't have been able to swerve over. I was at highway speed, and the guy was speeding, shooting up the ramp like a banshee. When I saw him coming up I noticed that he was really speeding, and that at his speed he would merge before I got there, but then he lost control and nearly flipped. It looked like he was ricocheting off of thin air, in my lane, the merge lane, and almost into the fast lane. Crazy scary. He didn't roll, and I didn't hit him. Which is good, but scary. Adam warned me about how the roads can get slick here and I was thinking of it today when I was driving, so I was mindful of it. Apparently this guy wasn't. I wonder what would happen if it were to ever snow here. Oi, I will not leave my house!