Only in L.A....Hunky St. Nick at Beverly Center

Only in Los Angeles can one go and sit on "hunky" Santa's lap and share your Christmas wishes or ask for fitness and nutrition tips! Huh? Regardless of how crazy it may seem, I must say the picture of hunky Santa clearly caught my eye enough to read the story. Actually I wasn't as interested in the story as I was in seeing if there were anymore pictures...ha ha ha or should I say HO HO HO!

Here's the link to the story: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28202674/?gt1=43001
Here's a link to a video of the show they put on throughout the day: http://www.beverlycenter.com/

I'm posting the picture in case like me, you're interested in what a hunky Santa actually looks like! Like they say, "A picture is worth 1000 words."

Snow Day Photos

If any of you are familiar with California, you know it doesn't snow in the high deserts very often. This is the second time I've seen snow here since I've been here. I've been here 16 years. Before 12/17/08, the last time I saw snow here was in the late 90's. Here are some pics from my snow day this week.

Just the beginning...

My dogs grew up in Bakersfield, CA before coming here and this is probably their first experience with snow. Karina, the silver girl is somewhat of a DIVA and I couldn't get her to go out at first but once she got out in it her roots came back to her and I could barely get her to come back in. Young Jesse, Karina's daughter loved it!

Wow, this wasn't here before!



















Mom, wanna play? --------------------------^^^^^^












































Jack enjoyed himself, too!
<<<<<------- My friend and neighbor, Cindy.














Unfortunately, I didn't learn how to use zoom on my camera until later that night. Live and learn..that's my motto. However, if you click on the pics in this blog you can see them in a larger format.

Update on Vacation Plans (see 12/12/08 blog)

Well, here's the update:

1-4 Accomplished
5. Christmas shopping completed early...ha, ha not even!
6. Missed my Christmas lunch on Wednesday, due to snow...darn it!
9. Didn't call the chimney sweep but still lit a fire on Wednesday night. Good thing I didn't cause I had to call a tree service Thursday due to tree damage in my front yard (due to storm). And the unexpected bill was anything but CHEAP!
10. Snow on Monday? Try Wednesday and so much Wednesday and Thursday I didn't get much done at all.
11. Housework? Ha...not even! On days off from work who really WANTS to do housework?
13. Canceled due to snow.
14-15 Accomplished.

Bottom line: Native California girls are pretty useless when it snows in California. I'm glad I don't live in the North or Utah or someplace where it snows cause I'd be out of a job and pretty much not get anything done. Oh yeah and I had to cancel my haircut appointment on Thursday. Wednesday was great cause of the freshly falling snow, I took a lot of pictures and hung out with neighbors but the aftermath of snow...isn't a whole lot of fun.

Side story regarding number 9. When I went to pay an exorbitant amount to the tree guys (they came during my lunch, doesn't that always happen?), I pushed in my chair with a sigh, and set my 1/2 eaten Avocado cheeseburger and fries away from the edge of the table. After inspecting the work and paying the guys I came back in to finish my lunch. Suddenly I realized the empty burger and fry wrappings on the floor. My two huskies were out of sight...but when I did find them? Well all I can say is: "Have you ever seen a husky SMILE?"

P.S. MOMMA (THAT'S ME) WASN'T HAPPY! They've never done this before...its okay I LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.

By the Light of the Moon...

By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz is definitely worth a read! As almost all of his stories do, this one captured my attention from the first chapter. I started reading it on Saturday and had it finished by 5 p.m. today. Interesting characters and a great plot. If you like mystery and adventure and don't mind a little science fiction then you should pick up this book! Heck, a year ago I would've said I wouldn't read anything sci-fi but, the way Dean Koontz carefully threads it into the everyday life of his characters, it makes science fiction seem believable.

Front cover quote: Life has no meaning except in terms of responsibility --Faith and History, Reinhold Niebuhr.

First sentence: "Shortly before being knocked unconscious and bound to a chair, before being injected with an unknown substance against his will, and before discovering that the world was deeply mysterious in ways he'd never before imagined, Dylan O'Conner left his motel room and walked across the highway to a brightly lighted fast-food restaurant to buy cheeseburgers, French fires, pocket pies with apple filling, and a vanilla milkshake."

A Thought About Christmas and Reindeer...

REMEMBER THIS AT CHRISTMAS TIME .... According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl. We should've known... ONLY women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

The Start of a Blissful Vacation...

Well my last day of work for 3 weeks was today and I've been looking forward to it for a long time and finally its here!!

Here are my Friday 15 listing some things that I'm looking forward to:

1. No ALARM CLOCK, waking up when I'm ready to wake up!
2. Spending extra time with my beloved pets...my two Huskies and Australian shepherd. As well as my cat Sneakers!
3. Flannel sheets and cozy comforter.
4. Reading Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
5. Finishing my Christmas shopping earlier than usual this year.
6. Meeting my boss and co-workers for a Christmas lunch without having to work that day.
7. Having more time for my blog.
8. Spending Christmas with my family (although I'll miss my pet crew and T).
9. A warm cozy fire if I get a chimney sweep to come over this weekend.
10. The possibility of a snow storm on Monday in Southern California.
11. Taking care of some long awaited chores around the house.
12. Doing some Christmas baking.
13. Picking up my order for Partilite candles.
14. Staying up late if I want to.
15. Relaxing for the first and third week with no pressing need to have to be some place other than my home. Home is where my HEART is...I have everything I need to be happy when I'm home.

Happy Holidays to my friends that read this blog. Let me know what your plans are!

An Unusual Day in New Orleans...

Received this most unusual picture from my niece today from The Big Easy...I think its better than the pictures posted by Reuters...let me know what you think! She'll be leaving her beloved N.O. soon for new job prospects so its kind of cool she got to see a wintry wonderland before she bids her farewell. I rode one of these trolleys during my visit in May, humid, hot weather and most the windows were down...what a difference...I think it would be cool to ride the trolley in N.O. today.
Four more hours of work until I'm off work for 3 weeks....yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeaaaah!

Friday Fill-ins

1. Snow is best enjoyed by looking out a window while sitting by a roaring fire.

2. I’m looking forward to visiting my family at Christmas and being off work for 3 weeks after next Friday.

3. Love is the best thing ever!

4. One of my favorite old tv shows is Dennis the Menace and Miami Vice.

5. I’m done with feeling guilty when I don't keep my blog posts up.

6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is spending time with the ones I love and having time off from work.

7. As for tonight I'm reading a book and watching Ghostwhisperer, Saturday I'll be sending for a tire rebate, playing with my dogs, cleaning up the yard, going to the library and doing laundry and on Sunday relaxing and getting ready for another week of work