Stuff...

FLIP

I own lots of Stuff, in fact, I purchased a flip yesterday. It is a mini video camera that takes short movies. It is about the size of a cell phone. It is pretty handy and maybe I will take it out and shoot numerous life moments of mainly my dog and daughter. We will see what happens. Like cameras, I need them to be in front of me in order to use them. Anyways, life has kind of been on hiatus.  I get depressed about the nature of our city, county, state and country.  It is this ugly trickle down effect. I just do my own thing everyday.  Somedays, I think to just get up and do what ever comes to mind which is frightening.  First class ticket to Paris please?

Paris on my mind

Tout le temps.... mais pas le temps. Translation: All the time, but not the weather. Now how can le temps, mean the time and the weather?? I love sunny and warm. I guess that is why I live in San Diego. Also, I am not financially stable to travel right now. I have to keep my job secure and cannot spend any discretionary income. Did I mention real estate is worth nada anymore. Nada equals no credit lines. If I can have goals, then my goal is 2010....Paris awaits me again.. If I do not spend (see spending blog, starting Jan. 09), I will go to the city of lights. I am still learning this difficult language with my dictionary always by my side in class. I am even on Paris time... It is apres midi there now. But soon, I will return to San Diego time...otherwise I may turn into a pumpkin *(potiron), possibly at work today. C'est la vie.

BLACK FRIDAY

Why the name Black Friday for the ritual of buying countless things that you don't need, get a discount on gifts on things other people won't need?  I am sure I can wikipedia the origin, but I it is almost 5 am and I am too lazy.  I am not going anywhere on Friday, I am not going shopping, I do not need a useless mp3 player that holds 10 songs or a dvd player that plays special dvds  that makes the picture a tad better. I have an amazon.com wishlist, all of these things I don't need but want.  Someday, little by little, I may get them.  Right now, they look good on that wishlist.  What I wish for is a three-month trip to Paris...all expenses paid, my job on hold and family that can come or wait for me to get back from Paris.  I would really want to take my dog Stewie.  My other confession... watching a Parisian Bakery webcam around 8 in the evening, they are baking their morning bread in this cool oven.  And another thought, why do I buy things as gifts that I want to keep for myself.  There are these cool earrings I bought on etsy.  I am not sure who I want to give them to , I was thinking Elise (she says the rhyme from time to time), but she may loose them, that is what 6 year old girls do.   I want to say on this Thanksgiving morning at 5 am.  I am thankful for having a roof over my head to shelter this hard falling rain from me, my friends and family, a job, food to feed my family and for the internet to keep all that is far near to me.  I am going to go back to bed now. 

Things currently happening in my life


To pool or not to pool

Our pool guy we thought we were going to choose sucks, he won't return our calls and he is not all the promises that we thought we were going to get. I am glad we didn't sign with him, because if he doesn't call us back, that is not a good sign of good service for the future. So we are going to give our other bidder a try. We will see if Ed makes his head spin and scare him away or not (perhaps this is what happened to the guy I am not happy with right now). Regardless, we really aren't scary people to work with, we have simple tastes but require people to call us back when asked. Stupid first pool guy.

Retirement questions
Already? I am in my early 30s still, I just got out of my 20s (almost 3 yrs ago), yet Ed and I are talking retirement. I say live life and go with the flow. I can't count on SS and all the crap they give you when your 67 or 76 or 80. Hmmm.... sitting at home counting our budgeted stipends and getting bored out of our minds on tv and gardening, time will determine how old I will be and if we decide to actually retire.... That said, I would love to retire someday, I think Paris would be nice. Think of the possiblities. Live in Paris from April to July. July to March in SD. So many things to think about. Presently, I walk pass my daughter's day camp where it doubles as a rec center for seniors as well. I am not sure I wanna be that lady taking stretching classes in a smelly ol' gym. I wanna be the old lady strolling the Champs Elysees and eating at the cafe' with my little ol' lady ex-pat amies. Perusing the Seine and glazing at the Eiffel Tower from afar from our (Ed and I) little apt. in Montmarte or Marais or Rue Cler. How cool would that be?

Happy Anniversary to me
8 yrs. and counting. 8 is a big number it is more than 7 . I could of went to college/highschool twice. So 8 yrs. ago today, I got married in Paris ( the hotel in Vegas). Seems like yesterday, yet lots of times and things have gone by. I think I have went through 4 jobs, had another kid, gone through 2 cars, moved once, had about 7 big fights with ed (one a yr, I suppose it's healthy), went through a handful of pets (2 cats, 1 I still have, 2 pugs which I have sense relinquished, one maltese that died a week later due to complications of a spay) but currently have a lovely dog Stewie which is like my littlest child, numerous vacation destinations and a happy 8 yrs. so far of marriage. yay me.

Near Future

July= 4th of July=No plans, just to see Fireworks at Lake, Thinking about going to the French Festival in Santa Barbara next weekend. Going to Feist Concert in SD, Comic Con for the last day.
August= Do a trip at the end of that month to see folks and grandma's birthday.
Sept= My birthday which will be a non event
Oct- nothing much again but for my kids to dress up for their candy fix
Nov- Madonna concert and on the same day will know who our next president will be (Obama)
Dec- Christmas time, time again to be consumers of the retail nonsense they call Christmas. I would like it if they called it exchange your life with time with your family instead of exchange your money for presents for people you rarely see.

I'm Back

12 days in Europe and I am back, countless metros, trains, planes and buses got both Ed and I where we needed to go.  I am back on my CA time, with getting up in the middle of the night, my homage to Europe I suppose.  Stewie is sleeping on our bed.  He is happy, he had a few adventures while we were gone.  We had a snowglobe casualty last nt. my mini Amsterdam globe burst in the luggage and the Paris city globe is nowhere to be found.  Survived is the London and Disneyland Paris snowglobes for Elise, with various other knicknacks, a t-shirt and candy for her.  Ryan made out with a Disneyland Paris Alarm Clock, windmill pencil sharpener, big pencil from disneyland Paris, T-shirt from fat tire bike tours and a money holder from London.  Paris will be missed, I love the fact you can get fresh bread everyday at a store that only serves bread.  Some of the parisian food I can do without, but overall the atmosphere, the culture and speed of their lives entices me to go back someday.  What I will not miss are the prices. I just got my AMEX bill with a chicken caesar salad and a bottle of water. This cost me $26.  Which is about 16 Euros.  I know that in some cases Ed and I spent $60 for a basic chinese dinner meal.  Something that would cost about $20 here.  Amsterdam is very calming.  I would stick to the parts of the city away from Central Station.  The canals are quiet for the most part and there are more bikes than people on the streets.  Yes, there were the coffee shops but it wasn't a big deal at all. The stuff isn't off the wall strong and  we avoided the obnoxious establishments.  The beauty of each home along the canal is just astonishing.  Every single building there has a history and the architecture in that city is a good mix of modern with the old. I am taking a few days to soak in what I saw and recuperate before I return to normal life.   It has been a amazing experience and grateful I have something to look back on with good memories.

Down to the wire

Last weekend in San Diego, this time next weekend, I will be at the Lourve, seeing the Moulin Rouge Show and leaving Paris for Amsterdam.

I took my last French class (for now) at Language World on India St., I can actually speak a teenzy bit, I feel confident just enough to get around without feeling lost. Also, went to Parkway Plaza to buy the last of the odds and ends for my trip. Watched Amelie, cutest movie ever....I love the haircut Audrey Tatou has in this movie, but it would look very childish on me.

I will probably go to yoga, this morning and then pack some more. Also, need to pack the kids and Stewie up. Kids are sharing their time between grandparents and Stewie is going with Debby the whole time. Monday is cleanup day at work, need to tie the ties and dot the i's. I vow not to check work email, it will only make me anxious. Flight is early Tuesday....arrival in France, in the morning on Wednesday. So excited, can't wait.