Monday, September 29, 2008

This Is What She Really Said!

Katie Couric: Why isn't it better, Gov. Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?


Gov. Sarah Palin: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the -- it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A Trip Down Memory Lane (Literally)


Notice the street sign on the left! Kind of faded, seen better days, right?


My mother and I were in Orange in search of Lawson Way, and we found it, thanks to Gladys, the GPS navigator on my Samsung Blackjack. Little did we know that we were going to also be on the REAL Memory Lane. This was not just some random quest due to the name of the street. A long time ago, the powers-that-be in the city governments of Santa Ana and/or Orange chose to name Lawson Way after my grandfather, who was a real estate developer. One of his first projects upon leaving Los Angeles and coming to Orange County was the Town and Country shopping center, located at the OTHER end of Lawson Way. I do, in fact, have childhood memories of visiting my grandfather (who was not a nice man at all) in his office there, and stopping in at the Mouse House, a cute little store. Also in this shopping center was a very elegant restaurant, the Villa Fontana. I remember getting all dressed up to eat there.

Not having seen my grandfather since I was 15 years old, I have only bad memories of the grief he caused my father. But I do remember driving up to Santa Ana to shop at Bullock's, back in the day when there was no other shopping area in Orange County, and then going across Main Street to see my grandfather's shopping center. Bullock's is now Macy's and part of a huge shopping mall, the Town and Country shopping center is ugly and half empty now, and the only thing that remains is MY street! Named after ME! My mother and I went from one end of the street to the other. We contemplated how much life changes and laughed about the irony of Memory Lane.



Warrior Plus Three

The Bowers Museum
Terra Cotta Warriors
Guardians of China's First Emperor


We really enjoyed this show. It is very popular so you have to get there early. To entertain the long lines, this guy stands very still, walks around (very slowly), dances, and poses for pictures. In the middle of the show, he lightly brushed my shoulder and when I turned around, he was inches from my face! It was all I could do not to scream, and the people standing around me were chuckling.

Anyway, don't miss the largest exhibit of Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Army ever seen outside of China. There are more than 7,000 of the warriors back in China, made over 2,000 years ago just to guard him in his tomb. This guy gives new meaning to the word "megalomaniac."

The show closes on October 16, and you gotta go!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Performance Analysis in a Nutshell


This is what I am doing in my graduate class. At least I think it's what I'm doing...

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Funny Kitty



My first flip video, actually a collaborative effort between Daughter #3 as filmmaker and me as producer.

The University of Panera


Since I can't connect to the live webcast for my two graduate classes from a computer on my school server, I have solved the problem by taking my wireless laptop to Panera Bread cafe. While my district's tech department attempts to figure out why I can't get on, I am actually enjoying classes at the University of Panera. They have great iced tea, soup, salad, and sandwiches. I sit down at 4:00 with my iced tea and a cup of soup. I plug in my laptop and my headphones. At 6:00, I get up, pack up my laptop, and order a salad or sandwich to take home. Not a bad way to go, really.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

16 Rides, 1 Parade, 1 Fireworks Show

  1. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
  2. Peter Pan's Flight
  3. Alice in Wonderland
  4. Snow White's Scary Adventures
  5. Storybook Land Canal Boats
  6. Matterhorn Bobsleds
  7. Space Mountain
  8. Star Tour
  9. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  10. Indiana Jones Adventure
  11. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
  12. Pirates of the Caribbean
  13. Sun Wheel Ferris Wheel
  14. California Screamin'
  15. Soarin' Over California
  16. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
That is a lot of rides for 13 hours! In addition, we had a delicious and elegant lunch at Club 33, and watched the Parade of Dreams as well as the Fireworks Spectacular. There's Suzy inside the "O" of CALIFORNIA. This fun day was in honor of her Medicare birthday. Can't say as I saw any other Medicare-eligible types on the roller coaster!

And boy, did we scream!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Happy Birthday, Sara!


To my favorite 8-year-old: I love you and I am thinking of you on this day. It was a great day eight years ago when you came into the world!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

I Like Moose (Being the Plural of Moose)


Click here to read what Henry David Thoreau had to say about moose hunting, and what The Los Angeles Times had to say about Sarah Palin.

Tina Fey Does It Again

Saturday, September 13, 2008

My (Our) New Toy - and you could win one!

Bought a FlipVideo at Costco today. Had to decide between white, black, orange and pink. Daughter #2 and I will be sharing this cool toy, I mean tool, as we are both in need of one for our graduate school assignments. Daughter #1 already has one for her vlog work, and you can enter her contest to win one if you want.

Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner

Tomorrow I will be venturing up to Los Angeles, as I often do, to take part in a tour of the architectural works of John Lautner.

"Lautner is often referred to as an architect’s architect and many renowned practitioners, such as Frank Gehry, have cited him as an abiding influence. One can see the influence and legacy of his vision time and again in the work of architects that have followed him."

The tour is in conjunction with an exhibit at the Hammer Museum, which we will also get to see.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Why DID That Chicken Cross the Road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken had the audacity to hope for change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure - right from Day One! - that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side.' That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Yet Another Website I Made

This one to begin my Master's Program: Click here.

So far so good. I spent two hours "in class" today sitting at Panera in order to use their free wi-fi, since I can't get past my school district's firewall for the live webcast. Not bad, really. They have good iced tea...

Monday, September 8, 2008

Maybe This One Will Be a Boy!


In case you haven't heard, Daughter #1 is expecting once again!


Saturday, September 6, 2008

A Very Interesting Video - Shift Happens

Wish I Was There

More pictures, thanks to Carolyn's great photographic skills (and remembering to bring her camera at times I did not). Click here to see some more pictures from our wonderful trip.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

School Starts

School where I'm a teacher: The new classroom looks great, the new Science program looks awesome, and the new Gradebook program has been explained and demonstrated to the teachers. I'll meet the kids on Thursday.

School where I'm a student: It feels like my laptop is my classroom. My e-mail inbox is very busy, and I'll have to get comfortable with listservs and webcasts. Don't know if I'll ever meet these people in my class, but I'm sure glad I don't have to drive anywhere, find a parking place, etc.