Thanksgiving

Sean and I spent a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend at the home of Sean’s brother and sister-in-law in Oceanside, California. They were wonderful hosts, and we enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal with Kathy, Karen, Mark and Sean’s parents—on the patio. Yes, the weather was nice enough to eat outside. :

On Friday, we went to Tijuana—my first trip. Talk about sensory overload! We were on a mission to get Sean’s truck painted (such a deal!) and yes, believe it or not, to help Sean’s dad research toilets. The shops were amazing, with the vendors calling out to us to come in and see their goods, and all the colors, sounds and smells so different from where I come from. My favorites were the vendors who called Sean’s dad “Mr. Moustache”, and the one who admitted that he “just wanted to rip you off before you leave!” And with a smile, of course! We had lunch for $8—tacos for everyone, including beer for the boys. The toilet mission was unsuccessful—Mexico has recently passed a water efficiency law for toilets as well. (Priorities seem a little off….) But we picked up a few trinkets for James and headed home after picking up the truck. I almost brought home an adorable 5 year-old who was out peddling bracelets all by herself. She was just darling, but Sean didn't think it was a good idea. After spending just 30 minutes at the border (which I guess is remarkable), we were back in Oceanside for an incredible dinner at El Cajon with the folks. I'm learning some Spanish!

Saturday we headed for home, with a few stops: a visit and tour of the Mission San Luis Rey, two of Sean’s favorite nurseries, and shopping at Mitsuwa for Japanese treats. We had a yummy soup and salad dinner with two of my brothers and my mom on Saturday night followed by a romantic walk in the lakebed with a view of the Disneyland fireworks.

Sunday was spent running errands, doing some shopping and spending some time with Sean’s parents before Sean had to go back up north. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, with lots of time spent with family and friends, and just together, too. As always, our time together seems to speed by, whereas the time in between visits lags. But such is life as it is right now, and it makes our time together that much sweeter. We hope everyone had a lovely holiday. Only 3 weeks ‘til Christmas break!

More pics from San Luis Rey

HP 7?

CRAMLAKAS, (I know you're out there!)

Any new Harry Potter news? Email me if you don't want to post. Write soon anyway, I miss you guys.

Be good.

Ms. G

UPDATE: M--your spelling correction of CRAMLAKAS has been duly noted. Thanks :) Hey, you all convinced me to go at midnight to see the last HP movie. Crazy people....but it was sooooo much fun! I'd do it again!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day
Wouldn't he go great with stuffing??

Irish Girl from St. Anne’s School, Rathangan

I finally tackled the image assignment for my poetry class. Inspired by the pictures from Ireland, this is what I wrote:

Irish Girl from St. Anne’s School, Rathangan

She gazes at the camera
Bold, confident and direct.
Her piercing dark eyes
Look straight through me.

Her eyes speak of intelligence, warmth,
Maturity and wisdom
Far beyond her 6 years.
Her gaze communicates a grace and strength
Uncommon in one so young.

Her mother must have pulled her dark hair back
And wrapped it tightly in plaits,
Catching most of the stray hairs in barrettes.
She must have tied daughter’s blue striped tie
And gently tucked it under her collar and into her sweater
Ready for her day at school.
No unbuttoned Peter Pan collars for her!
She is ready to take on the day
With a no-nonsense approach.

With just a hint of amusement
hiding in the corner of her mouth,
She seems ready to take on the world
With all its complexities.
What is the story behind those deep, dark mischievous eyes?
Windows to the world, but also to herself.

My Train Ride Through the San Joaquin Valley

Last weekend I found a new transportation method to Modesto--the Train! What a concept! As far as coming to visit Lara and the folks in southern California, i.e. airplanes, cars, and walking, I found the train the most appealing. Cars take a little less than six hours if you miss Los Angeles traffic, if not, add on another two hours. As far as airplanes, God-forbid if you get caught with deodorant and toothpaste in your bag, and those security Nazis, baggage Nazis, ticket Nazis, and just try to get on the plane an hour before departure with Starbucks and a burger… “No food or drinks on board sir!” You might as well walk. And don’t forget parking and layovers in San Francisco. What is one to do for three hours in San Francisco? What, the plane is delayed? It is only twenty minutes to Modesto from San Francisco. Was that really $15 a day to park my little truck? Help! And walking, I could do that if it was a little closer, it would be easier.

The train was fun and quick. It was an eight-hour journey through the San Joaquin Valley. They had scrumptious snacks, flounder and sesame chicken, an electrical plug for the computer, a quick two-minute check in, and no security Nazis. When I arrived at my destination in Modesto, it was “get-off, the train is leaving!” We didn’t stay at the station longer than a millisecond. Yes, it was on time at every station, and no delays with exception to on-coming south-bounds, which were obviously planned for.

As many of you know, I am fond of public transportation. I would certainly abolish car pool lanes, buses, slow drivers, inconvenient freeways, freeways that have three lanes in populations over 15 million, and politicians that build light-rails that go nowhere… Did you know the Red Line in Los Angles goes two miles from Los Angeles International Airport and then just stops? Who would build a train that didn’t complete the journey? Amtrak does have a bus that goes to LAX via Union Station. It is only three dollars more if you take the train. And to get to the airport from Bart in Oakland you have to take a bus. But Amtrak goes there! Car pool lanes, traffic in Los Angeles, slow drivers, freeway driving… do I have to say more about this? Did I mention CalTrans (Sorry Gus)? I am still perplexed as to why CalTrans works and blocks freeways on holidays. Union overtime maybe? Help me here! If I don’t get any comments below, I’ll write an article about these wonderful transportation methods.

The San Joaquin Amtrak provides a great way to travel throughout California's Central Valley. The Valley is California's premier agricultural region, bordered on the west by the coastal mountain range, and on the east by the Sierra Nevada mountains, where you can visit Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Death Valley National Parks. There is a bus from Los Angeles to Bakersfield. Not to worry if you are running behind, the buses go all day to deliver you to your waiting train.

The San Joaquin Amtrak runs multiple times daily between the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Bakersfield. Other stops along the way include Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Martinez and Fresno. I know you would love to visit Fresno and Martinez. I hear they have great taco trucks there too.

Don’t Forget to Visit Yosemite National Park

It's a trip you won't soon forget! If you don’t stay at Sean’s Tropical paradise, catch the San Joaquin Amtrak to Merced. There, board a waiting luxury motor coach for a scenic ride through Mariposa and El Portal (there is nothing in El Portal so keep going), and then directly into Yosemite National Park. With spectacular waterfalls, giant sequoias, scenic overlooks and winding trails throughout 1,169 square miles of parkland, Yosemite deserves its reputation as one of the crown jewels of the American National Park System. Don’t forget to stop by Sean’s Tropical Paradise to borrow the National Park Pass. It is “mucho buckaroos” ($20) to get into the park, unless you take the luxury motor coach.

Visit Six Flags Marine World

Ride the San Joaquin Amtrak to Martinez and board the extravagant motor coach for a quick ride to the park's main gate. Six Flags Marine World is open seasonally. Lara loves roller coasters and she would love to give you a personal tour.

Easy Connections

Make the train your connection to other destinations. At Bakersfield, you can connect to Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs and more. Amtrak service is financed and operated in partnership with the State of California (yes it is taxpayer subsidized). However, it is public transportation at its finest.

Next Week:

Next week a full article on my drive to southern California. Will it be crowded in Los Angeles? Will there be an accident on the 99 or the Grapevine? Will CalTrans be clogging the freeways, or will it be a new record? Be here or be on the freeway waiting. I wonder if there is flounder on the way?

--S

Come Dance with Me in Ireland

(Ok, after that last post, it's time to take the blog back from the boy!)

Heidi’s Irish trivia game has me remembering my own travels in Ireland. Heidi’s beautiful pictures are all sunshine and blue skies. Mine are more like 40-shades-of-gray! But Irish weather aside, here are some of my favorite Irish pics:

Here is my friend Iris and me at Ballydougan Pottery in Co. Armagh. Notice the newspaper headline. That was an exciting time in Ireland!

Here I am on a gloomy Irish day at Powerscourt Estate and Gardens—I wonder what it looks like in the summer!

Check out the waterfall—there had been a record amount of rain that November (2002).

You can also see the flooding here at the new bridge in Enniscorthy. Notice the water level. Yikes! If you click on this link, you can see the new bridge and the old bridge too, in the background—as you can see, engineering was much better then!

My favorite part was visiting St. Anne’s school in Rathangan, Co. Wexford. The “senior infants” (Kindergarten) welcomed us. The children wanted to hear us talk and to touch Iris’ long black hair. It was Thanksgiving that day and the class was studying our American holiday with their American teacher. The little darlings thought Iris was a Native American!

And, they absolutely loved having their pictures taken. We even danced outside on the yard with them—when it wasn’t raining! :)

And, just for fun, here’s my favorite Waterford picture!

I look forward to going back with Sean and James someday! I can’t wait to see the Dingle Peninsula, the Aran Islands, the Giants’ Causeway, Galway and visit some old favorites and old friends as well—Grafton Street, Glendalough, Powerscourt….sigh….sorry, all dreamy again!

--L

Toilet Police, I Want my 3.5 Back!

Please support Joe Knollenberg of Michigan in eradicating the Toilet Police!!!!!!!!!! How can a government agency regulate a piece of porcelain? I want my 3.5 gallons back! By the way, I am going to Mexico next weekend to see if the toilet police are watching. Yes, I am bringing back three. I am taking orders if you would like to upgrade?

The Toilet Police by Dave Barry

If you call yourself an American, you need to know about a crucial issue that is now confronting the U.S. Congress (motto: “Remaining Firmly In Office Since 1798”). This is an issue that affects every American, regardless of race or gender or religion or briefs or boxers; this is an issue that is fundamental to the whole entire Cherished American Way of Life. This issue is toilets. I’m talking about the toilets now being manufactured for home use. They stink. Literally. You have to flush them two or three times to get the job done. It has become very embarrassing to be a guest at a party in a newer home, because if you need to use the toilet, you then have to lurk in the bathroom for what seems (to you) like several presidential administrations, flushing, checking, waiting, flushing, checking, while the other guests are whispering: “What is (your name) DOING in there? The laundry?”

I know this because I live in a home with three new toilets, and I estimate that I spend 23 percent of my waking hours flushing them. This is going on all over America, and it’s causing a serious loss in national productivity that could really hurt us as we try to compete in the global economy against nations such as Japan, where top commode scientists are developing super-efficient, totally automated household models so high-tech that they make the Space Shuttle look like a doorstop.

The weird thing is, the old American toilets flushed just fine. So why did we change? What force would cause an entire nation to do something so stupid? Here’s a hint: It’s the same force that from time to time gets a bee in its gigantic federal bonnet and decides to spend millions of dollars on some scheme to convert us all to the metric system, or give us all Swine Flu shots, or outlaw tricycles, or whatever. You guessed it! Our government!

What happened was, in 1992, Congress passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which declared that, to save water, all U.S. consumer toilets would henceforth use 1.6 gallons of water per flush. That is WAY less water than was used by the older 3.5-gallon models — the toilets that made this nation great; the toilets that our Founding Fathers fought and died for — which are now prohibited for new installations. The public was not consulted about the toilet change, of course; the public has to go to work, so it never gets consulted about anything going on in Washington.

But it’s the public that has been stuck with these new toilets, which are saving water by requiring everybody to flush them enough times to drain Lake Erie on an hourly basis. The new toilets are so bad that there is now — I am not making this up — a black market in 3.5-gallon toilets. People are sneaking them into new homes, despite the fact that the Energy Policy and Conservation Act provides for — I am not making this up, either — a $2,500 fine for procuring and installing an illegal toilet.

I checked this out with my local plumber, who told me that people are always asking him for 3.5-gallon toilets, but he refuses to provide them, because of the law. The irony is that I live in Miami; you can buy drugs here simply by opening your front door and yelling: “Hey! I need some crack!”

Here’s another irony: The federal toilet law is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. According to a Washington Post article sent in by many alert readers, the DOE recently had to close several men’s rooms in the Forrestall Building because — I am STILL not making this up — overpressurized air in the plumbing lines was causing urinals to explode. That’s correct: These people are operating the Urinals of Death, and they’re threatening to fine us if we procure working toilets.

The public — and this is why I love this nation — is not taking this sitting down. There has been a grass-roots campaign, led by commode activists, to change the toilet law, and a bill that would do that (H.R. 859 — The Plumbing Standards Act) has been introduced in Congress by Rep. Joe Knollenberg of Michigan. I talked to Rep. Knollenberg’s press secretary, Frank Maisano, who told me that the public response has been very positive. But the bill has two strikes against it:
It makes sense.People want it.These are huge liabilities in Washington. The toilet bill will probably face lengthy hearings and organized opposition from paid lobbyists; for all we know it will get linked to Whitewater and wind up being investigated by up to four special prosecutors. So it may not be passed in your lifetime. But I urge you to do what you can. Write to your congresshumans, and tell them you support Rep. Knollenberg’s bill. While you’re at it, tell them you’d like to see a constitutional amendment stating that if any federal agency has so much spare time that it’s regulating toilets, that agency will immediately be eliminated, and its buildings will be used for some activity that has some measurable public benefit, such as laser tag.

So come on, America! This is your chance to make a difference! Stand up to these morons! Join the movement!

Speaking of which, I have to go flush.

Why the Canine Party Lost to the Kitty

Why the Canine Party Lost to the Kitty:
By Kosmo the Dog

Big Spending – The Canine Party spending platform, and those earmarks or where those pig ears? The Prescription Dog Food Plan; Pork spending transparency; Failure to limit the size of Dog Houses across the Country, to include a $2.57 Trillion dollar budget, and the size of government doubling in the last decade; Hmmm now that isn’t something to bark at? Ruff!

Big Borders - Do nothing party about illegal immigration; Letting Kittens in under and over the fence; If ILLEGAL means Undocumented - Then Breaking and Entering Means Unannounced Visit. Canines are guilty of failing to seal the borders or pass meaningful immigration reform. Do we really want illegal feral Cats working in our fields chasing mice and rats when the Cats we have here can do that right now? Do the labor Cats want more in their factories really? Don’t we have enough Cats in the country already? …And Cats in Hollywood are prowling at concerts, yelling at the Doberman, and telling us how awful we smell?

Concentrating on Issues that Won't Win Elections (the spay and neuter issue, gay marriage, catnip, flag burning) - The Canines lost because of their own stupidity, the voters didn't fail them, the Canines failed the voters. Rodney King Syndrome? (Can't we all get along?). Fight for Bones and Walks, not napping all day, prowling all night!

Iraq – i.e. Failure to win in Iraq - or have any measurable success in sight. I am concerned that the problem is actually more insidious than that. In fact, the Cats never offer a single plan for Iraq. The voters elected nothing to replace what is already happening there. That is deeply troubling. If Bones and Tennis Balls don’t work, maybe catnip will solve the problem?

Referendum on the Doberman – Yes, the Doberman’s foresight has not resonated with grass-roots Schnauzer. Henceforth, attacks by the drive-by media will continue for two more years on Canine issues. His vision is not conservative but more Kitty-like than Canine. Act like a conservative Doberman and you will win elections. Act like a Calico and you will end up with a hairball.

The Drive-by Media - CNN ABC NBC CBS MSNBC NYT - The Dogs haven’t had media backing to win elections. The media favors the soft and furry kitty over charm and charisma of the dog. They are scared of the teeth, the tail, and charm of the Canine Family. I think it might be time to start looking at the Canines itself for the problem. “It's for the Kitten, Remember!” I am also convinced that a drive-by media has resulted in a drive-by populace that cannot understand the concept of what is happening in the Middle East (or can tell you where the Middle East is), what will happen if we finish the job, nor the dire, immediate, and irreversible consequences of not finishing the job (i.e. having all female dogs having to wear doggie sweaters, collars and leashes—all the time!). What's more, in true drive-by style, they do not care.....something obvious from their choices last week. In some cases, apathy is far more destructive than hatred. It is all about keeping power in The (Dog Crossed Out) Cat House.

No Longer Representing the Actual Canine Voter - Accommodation of domestic enemies, the furry versus the charismatic, and tolerance of corruption - The Canines lost because they became fake Kittens, and failed to have a coherent waste management and energy policy. Cats like taking care of business in a nice sandy corner of the laundry room, while the dogs favor the open domain of the wilderness, a clear dilemma. To include corruption to the ticket, Jack Abramoff, Mark Foley, Rick Santorum, Lincoln Chafee didn’t win the big Tug-of-War contest or get us a toy from the basket of treats either. Where is Bunny anyway?

“I am concerned that the problem is actually more insidious than that. In fact, the Kittens never offered a single plan for Iraq,” Rudy the Boxer.

“The two party system just means that the corporations cut two checks instead of one,” Max the Shepard.

"One reason: Accommodation of domestic enemies," Pluto the Golden Labrador.

“And so America voted in bigger spending, bigger government, and bigger borders. Is this a great country or what? Catnip for all!” Maggie the Rottweiler.

Commentary Ideas From:

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1734884/posts

Veterans' Day 2006

To those who have served, fought and died for our freedom.
To those in my family and among my friends,
To the thousands I've never met,
and to the families who stand behind them all.
Though it will never be enough,

Thank you.

--L

Sullen Over Election Results

Kosmo sullen over election results last week.

Election Results soon to follow!

Irish Dance

Why I Love It:

Great exercise

Great kids--

This is where I teach when I'm not teaching English...

Great friends

Great fun

The best costume in the West--

if you simply must have curls and poodle socks ;)

A tie to the past--

I love the history and tradition of the dance.

Inspirational dancers: Colin Dunne, Bernadette Flynn, Jean Butler
(Sorry, Joey, Michael's just not here.... :)

--L

Post Update: I'm going to see Riverdance! One of the teachers at school had 2 tickets and can't go. I can't tell you how thrilled I am! Thanks, M! :) :) :)

George and Martha Homeless – Couple Evicted

George and Martha Evicted November 1, 2006 due to Unsanitary Living Conditions. Please See Note for Prior (Tenant) Occurrences (You are Invited to a Shower).

How Do I Evict a Tenant?

The eviction process is a four-step process.

1. The landlord must serve an eviction notice – Check!

2. If the notice is not obeyed, the landlord must file a court action, which allows the tenant to present defenses in court – Check No Case!

3. If the judge rules for the landlord, the judge will enter an order for the tenant's eviction by a sheriff – Judge agrees with us!

4. A landlord must follow the law closely in order to evict a tenant. A notice must say exactly the right thing, and must be served on the tenant in the right way. If the landlord makes a mistake, a tenant may be able to get the case dismissed

Start Packing George and Martha!

With the following steps performed, the following Notice has been served:

Although I feel a little guilty evicting Mr. and Mrs. George and Martha (below), I feel after hosing an hour of poop from their room (roost), and the necessity to take a long hot shower after dealing with their unsanitary living conditions, it was time to evict the tenants (Vagabonds). George and Martha will be living under the freeway and are taking donations for their future residence. Possibly they may take roost in a similar tract home in your neighborhood? Stand by for new tenants, Jeff and Kim!!!!!!!

Mr. and Mrs. George and Martha, Evicted