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

Weekend Wrap-up

Friday I got home at a relatively decent hour, still working 1/2 day Fridays which is great! No big plans just happy for the WEEKEND! Decided it was past time to have my Escape worked on..so dropped it off for what I thought would be two new tires and new struts. Came home and finished "The Lovely Bones", by Alice Sebold. Good book and had me thinking about it after I finished. Had a salad for dinner and watched a taped "Ghostwhisperer" and went to bed early.

Saturday, woke about 9 and shortly after heard from my good friend R. Love to hear from him, we're both Gemini's and he is just such a vibrant character. Sadly, I don't get to see him often cause he moved up to Northern Cal. Unfortunately, he had bad news, he got laid off due to his seniority at a trucking company and the fact that there are drivers that will drive for virtually no pay. He didn't seem too upset and is already lining up work ---so I'm hoping for the best. On next Saturday he's happy to be going to see "Transiberian Orchestra". I had never heard of them so I looked them up on the Internet ...seem to be a cool rock orchestra that plays Christmas type music and some other Beethoven type music played in a rock style. Kind of surprised didn't seem like his style although I think it looks great. R is like the tough guy, tattoos, classic rock type. Once we went to Magic Mtn and at the time for the fun of it he had his head shaved; there was a kid there that swore he was "Stone Cold Austin" and followed us around the park all day. It was funny, I think it was the shaved head, big guy thing that had that kid all mesmerized! Then again, R and his personality are kind of mesmerizing.

Later I started reading "Tigress" by Jennifer Blake set in New Orleans and South America...I finished it today. I enjoyed it; it was a mystery/romance. (Finished it on Sunday). Also picked up my Escape and hated every minute of paying for it ...$886 (whaaaaaaaaaaat) = 4 tires and struts but I must say it drives like a dream now...
S M O O T H !

Did some internet surfing, called my parents and then decided to get the heck out of the house. T & I went to Lemon Leaf Cafe and enjoyed a good meal (a bit overpriced maybe) but still worth it. I had Mascarpone and Sundried Tomato Ravioli (Striped egg pasta stuffed with mascarpone cheese and sundried tomotoes served in a light cream sauce with parmesan and artichokes), (I LOVE ARTICHOKES), he had Italian Sausage Peperonata (Spicy Italian sausage, tri-colored bellpeppers, onion, basic and garlic in a pesto sauce). It was served with french bread and we both had ice tea. We split a piece of Orange cake with coffee icing on a plate with caramel swirls. I never have dessert when I'm out but I just felt like splurging. Only live once, right? Funny we paid for the cake seperately from dinner cause we had already paid for dinner and asked for some dollar bills with the change, instead they gave us the full $20 in full without accounting for the amount of dessert. We called them back and told them to take the money for the cake...otherwise the cash register gal woud've ended up $6 short. Mistakes happen to all of us. I like the Lemon Leaf, good food, laid back atmosphere and good music.

Came home and continued to read til about 2 a.m. and slept only til 8 then dozed lightly til 9:30. The dogs love the weekends too cause they also sleep in. I think they hate Mondays as much as I do.

Today, didn't do much, finished "Tigress", did some laundry, played some with the dogs and started reading "Cry No More". Later looking forward to Desperate Housewifes and some homemade chicken soup with a slice of rosemary bread!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Its hard to imagine, its been a little over a year since I started blogging here. Yes I know I wasn't around 100% of the time but I enjoyed the times I did keep up with it.

I fell short on the my monthly quotes but I made some cool friends (Janet, Alison, L^2 and Desi) that come to read now and then! I posted some photos since I got my new digital camera and my new husky.

I also kept up my book list, which is kinda cool and I was also lucky to have a nice blogger friend send me a red Poppet.

All in all, that year went by so fast and all in all, it seemed "all good" to me!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Dogs...just capture my heart...

This says it all...

Thanks to Lynn Johnston for her wonderful comic strip!

New Pictures!

Got some new pics of the crew I realized I haven't posted...some unfortunate mishaps but, in the end "its all good"!




Might have been a good photo (Hellooooooo?) if he had focused and not chopped off my head!!







There's "My Crew"! Looking all happy and smiling.
Note: Ms Sneakers the cat chose not to participate. Although, she actually rules "The Crew"

Financial Crisis...

I've been watching the financial crisis, the bailout and I've been worried along with others...but I knew we were all really in trouble when I received this e-mail this morning....LOL!

Due to the state of the economy, the Treasury Department has redesigned the dollar bill:

Why oh Why?

Why does the weekend have to be over so soon? In January we're going to get Friday off every other week...I think I can definitely get used to that. Three day weekends every other week....oh yeah!

In Case You Missed It...

I don't usually watch Saturday Night Live, I preferred the old Saturday Night Live (years ago) but, I was up and watched the beginning last night and this skit just made me laugh!!!!

Stop the Cruelty, Insanity...

This just ticks me off...I hate animals being hurt. It just hurts my heart that humans can be so inhumane. If I came across these two I'd want to be inhumane to them and I'm not usually like that. Cruelty to animals has to be STOPPED.

What do you think?

Thu Sep 11, 8:18 AM ET

Australian animal welfare authorities launched a nationwide hunt on Thursday for a man filmed punching and kicking a kangaroo unconscious.

The video, which shows the man using kickboxing-style attacks on the kangaroo as his friend laughs while filming, was sent to the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in Western Australia state.

In one scene the man pulls the kangaroo towards him and uses his knee to hit the animal's chest and the man punches the kangaroo's face as the animal struggles to remain standing.

A final punch knocks the kangaroo to the ground where it appears to lay unconscious. It is unclear whether the attack resulted in the death of the animal, which authorities believe was injured, possibly in a car accident.

The RSPCA said it had launched a nationwide appeal to catch the men responsible for the attack and video.

"We are appealing to every media outlet in Australia to help us track down the cowards behind the vicious attack on this kangaroo," RSPCA spokesman Richard Barry told reporters.

"Thankfully this sickening footage has now been removed from the website where it was first seen. The next stage is to ensure that those responsible for this film are brought to justice," said Barry.

"Only a coward would attack an injured and obviously terrified young animal much smaller than himself. We want these cowards to be caught, charged and prosecuted," he said.

(Reporting by Michael Perry; Editing by David Fogarty)

Lost in the Twilight Zone

Er...or rather the Twilight saga....this post explains why I've been MIA for so long. Between Stephanie Plum and Twilight I've kinda been spending all summer reading.


Oh my gosh, if someone had told me that I would be so wrapped up in these young adult fiction vampire stories I would've told them they had my reading personality all WRONG! Yet before I really knew the books were young adult fiction and before I knew the stories included vampires I kept seeing the book covers all over the place. The dark black book covers with the stark red picture ...somehow I was drawn to the books. Yes, I'm super prone to judging books by their covers. Also my blogging buddy Alison suggested I read them. So what the heck I gave it a try.

The first book Twilight, I borrowed from my boss' daughter. That was on a Thursday, by Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. I had searched the nearby Target and they were completely sold out. I went to the Barnes and Noble and they had a whole table dedicated to the Twilight saga! Yippee! I had New Moon and Eclipse in my hot little hands ready to fork over my hard cash as long as I could run for the door to continue reading! When I wasn't reading, Bella, Edward, Jacob, Charlie, Alice, Jasper, Sam and Emmett were racing through my dreams at night. This is crazy!

So I'm done with the third book and I've already been again to the nearby Target that is SOLD OUT of BREAKING DAWN! THE HORROR!!!!! Urrrrgh! Target needs new inventory control clerks! So, I opted for Stephenie Meyer's THE HOST. I've read through the first chapter and it hasn't grasped my attention yet. How could it? I still have the Twilight gang on my mind.

So looks like another late night trek across the city to B&N....I just gotta get it...Breaking Dawn I expect will be in my hands in the next hour or so. I'm not saying that Stephenie Meyer's is an awesome writer or that she's not I'm just saying these books really pulled me in and kept me entertained. This is the last in the series I heard...I don't know what I'll do when I finish the series.

Any suggestions?

Its gonna be soooo funny when I'm sitting in a theater on Nov. 21st to see Twilight the movie with no young teens of my own. Hmmm...maybe I can borrow my boss' kids. LOL

I Believe...

I believe in the power of love...I believe in the bond between man or woman and animals. I know that it doesn't always turn out well there have been attacks in the news...but I believe that if a man or woman truly befriends an animal and treats the animal with love, respect, dignity and care, that they are never forgotten, that they become a part of the animals pack, pride, etc.

An example of this is in the link:

Video URL: http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=&vid=25766a49-5936-47cb-bea1-b71c17de65fb

The comment provided at the end by the male newscaster is cynical and narrow-minded and tells me that he's never had a true bond with an animal, dog, cat or otherwise.

Gotta Check Out This Pie!

I was reading Slice of Pink's blog recently and she was talking about this awesome pie - Banana Carmel Chocolate Spice Pie! I made it a couple of weeks ago and it is delish! I didn't get a picture it was gone so fast...but she posted a picture and the recipe on her site. Here's the link... http://sliceofpink.typepad.com/blog/2007/07/banana-caramel-.html

When I read the recipe I thought, "that sure is a bunch of different flavors" but, I tried it and all my friends really enjoyed it! Its a cinch to whip up, too -- which I like. If you try this sweet treat, let me know what ya think!

I'm going to go to Slice of Pink's blog and tell her what a hit it was!

Hot and Surly in the High Desert, CA

When will this heat end? I usually enjoy summer cause its lighter later and better than the bitter cold...but jeez I've had enough of this. I get off of work and can hardly wait to get home to air conditioning. I don't want to even get in the car! Its been over 100 for weeks and its getting on my nerves. I'm tired of eating salads and sandwiches and whatever I can cook without heating up the kitchen!

Does anyone have any ideas for dinners that don't heat up the kitchen? What do you do when its 110 degrees every day on the weekend? I don't have a pool so that's not an option. I had a dough boy but it was too much up keep and couldn't find a pool boy (they don't do dough boys). Here's the pool and view I'd love to have...

U N F O R T U N A T E L Y, THAT VIEW IS NOT POSSIBLE WHEN ONE LIVES IN THE HIGH DESERT. MORE LIKE JOSHUA TREES AND MAYBE I MIGHT SEE THAT VIEW IN A MIRAGE!!!

Moving on...what's the best read for this summer? I need to take a break from Stephanie Plum. Janet Evanovich's books are great light reads but I need a break...any ideas?

Hope to get some suggestions!