Da Goddess

We’ve been busy! Here are a few quick shots of some of the things we’ve done the last couple days.

Here’s a photo of that circumhorizontal arc I mentioned yesterday. This photo does not do the brilliant colors justice. It was spectacular! All the various arcs we saw were magnificent. This one, in particular, we really liked as it looked a bit like a bird to us.

There’s snow in them thar hills!

Dude was schoolin’ me on labyrinth protocol! He’s only been to one other (but he remembered the “rules”). He took it upon himself to walk the path.

Where we normally see mountains, all we could see was clouds. Clouds clouds clouds! It was a little surreal. As we got closer, it was apparent that the clouds weren’t just there for their good looks; lots of wind and cold air awaited us. And snow. LD liked that. He’s never been snowed upon. Until yesterday.

The horses were down low because of the cold and snow. For some reason, they were really liking the road and there were a couple times when horses wouldn’t move and we just had to sit and wait. We weren’t the only ones. Other drivers were just as stuck. My favorite horses of the day were “the twins”. Here’s one of them.

The twins. They were so funny! Crowded around the front of the car with two other horses. Guess they were trying to keep warm.

Finally, last night we went to see Human Nature. LD loved the show (said it was better than Blue Man Group) and was actually bold enough to stop Phil and ask for a photo.

Yesterday, as Little Dude and I were driving out toward the goddess temple (his choice of destinations), we spotted multiple rainbow clouds. Wisps of clouds lit with brilliant prismatic colors. Some would appear on both sides of the sun, some would be close to the sun, some would just form a column. No matter what shape they took or where they were, they were spectacular and we pulled over to the side of the road more than once to just marvel.

We also spent plenty of time gauging how low the snow was in the nearby hills and mountains. One thing was certain, it was much lower than I’d thought. Today, we go find out for sure.

It’s been sort of magical here. All the things we’ve seen, all the conversations, it’s magic. I wish Mojo were here, too, but since she’s not, I’m making the most of having LD in the house again.

My son is visiting this week, so I told him to pick a couple videos. Here are his choices.

First up, Golden Earring – cuz you can never get enough dramatic spy music videos and cheesy 80s dancing. All at the same time.

And Billy Idol. Because nothing says cheesy 80s dancing better than cheesy dancing zombies!

Of course, it wouldn’t be an adequate Two-fer Tuesday without a bonus or two. How about some cheesy 80s dancing with older Brits from the Kinks?

Perhaps a little cheesy 80s stop animation dancing from Men At Work is in order, too. *Now with extra random old lady appearance!*

Ah, I do believe I’ve taught him well. He’s even growing a cheesy teen mustache just so he can fit in around here. I’m truly very proud. Honest. Now if only I could get him to stop growing so tall!

(File this one under, “Whoops! Mommy can’t read a calendar”…had it scheduled for tomorrow. Now…we are off to explore.)

As I was driving down the freeway last night, I came upon what I thought was a huge traffic accident. It wasn’t. It was a crime scene. A body had been dumped on the freeway. Covered only by a bit of blue cloth of some sort, it was obvious that it was a violent death. Reality check! No one in my family will be getting that call…”We’re sorry, but so-n-so was found dead on the freeway last night. murdered.” That, my dear, reminded me of how blessed I am and that all my caterwauling was for naught. I was humbled and rightfully so. My heart was full knowing my family was safe.

Today, I photographed a wedding and saw the joy of Christmases future shining in their eyes. They were envisioning the babies they’d have and the presents those kids would open….My heart was full.

At the gas station, I spent the only $7 I had on for gas. A homeless man came over and opened the door to the market for me, wishing me Merry Christmas, and then he waited by my car, insisting he’d pump the gas for me. I told him I had just spent the very last $7 and didn’t even have change to give him. He insisted I let him pump anyway. And he cleaned my windows. We talked while he did so. He’s the son of Lily Pearl and Redmond down there in Mississippi. (Wouldn’t tell me HIS name, but made sure I knew his parents’ names. His dad? 97 this year.) We continued to talk and I felt so bad having nothing to give him. He said my smile and conversation were all he needed. When he was done, I walked over and hugged him. His eyes watered a bit and his crooked, partially toothless smile got even bigger. “That’s the best Christmas gift ever! I got a chance to talk with a wonderful person and then she hugged me. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been hugged?” I wanted to cry. But he was happy and that was our moment. As I drove off, waving to my new nameless friend, my heart was full.

Another mile down the road, I saw Santa on his Harley. Waving to everyone as he drove by. Mrs Claus was having fun, too. My heart, yep, full.

God always sends us the lessons we need when we need them most.

Merry Christmas, my dear friends! May all your wishes come true and my the Heavenly Father continue to bless you!

The above image was created using a photograph I made from stage lighting at the Las Vegas Hilton during a concert. I converted the blue lights first to green and then to red, flipping the green layer upside down. I then made the top layer about 50% opaque so you could see both. A quick run through the kaleidoscope effect and suddenly it looked a lot like Christmas! All sorts of fancy fonts were tried, but I really love my basic Walkway Ultra Bold. The sig was Pea Jenny Script.

And there you have it: my 2010 Christmas card.

What you can’t see is how many names and faces floated around in my head and heart while I was making it. I won’t even begin to try to name names. You’re all special to me. You know who you are and you are always in my thoughts and in my heart and prayers. Thank you for making this year so blessed. I love you all!

Thank you, everyone, for helping me find the tinsel my heart needed.

The miracle of the car: found a mechanic who makes housecalls. Really! And the work was done quickly, priced reasonably, and with good cheer. Naturally, I made sure to tip him (not as much as I would have liked, but his kid gets the toy he wants now). Special thanks to those who helped make this miracle happen!

The miracle of the tree: the poor little thing finally got decorated while I waited for the mechanic. It’s sad, but in a cute little Charlie Brown kinda way.

The miracle of flight: since I wasn’t certain what would happen, I went in search of inexpensive last minute travel between here and home. Everything seemed to point toward me not traveling and it was decided that Little Dude’s trip here should happen as planned, albeit via otherly conveyance. I found one VERY reasonably priced fare for Dec. 26 and one pricier, but still somewhat reasonable fare for Jan. 1. Done and done. This doesn’t get me Mojo or the rest of the family, but it’s something and something is far better than nothing and it made Scrooge cry. So we’re good to go.

Gifts will go back to San Diego with LD and I will make a trip out there in January to officially celebrate with my family then. I miss them all so much! My heart hurt at not being able to go, but I realized that we’re all alive, warm, mostly dry, housed, fed, and that’s all that matters. I may not be there and I may be sad about that, however, I’ll take knowing everyone is safe as the best gift ever.

Well, best gift next to knowing I have friends who hear my tears hitting the ground and come running to my side. Friends who, despite the miles, call around to find me trustworthy mechanics. Friends who call to let me know they love me even though I am a big pain in the ass. Friends who are halfway around the world sending me cards wishing me a merry fucking Christmas (in those exact words, as unlikely as they to fall from their lips) because they know it’ll make me laugh hard and laugh long. Friends who say, “c’mon down and watch movies with me, now…whenever” and who mean it.

I love all y’all. And these tears? Tears of joy, m’kay?

Now I gotta go shower so I can head out and watch movies, laugh, and get even more sleep (yeah, I finally slept! It was fantastic. Apologies to all who called and got the sleeptalking version of me).

Thank you, all of you, for making sure the tinsel got untangled and for helping me keep heart.

Merry Christmas!

Fuckety fuck fuck.

My Christmas just got cancelled. I was going to drive back to San Diego, right? Already the trip was not getting off to a good start when instead of leaving TODAY, I agreed to shoot a quick wedding on Christmas Eve. Didn’t feel like I could turn it down (even though it was a last minute request…again) because I’d turned down the last last minute request and I’d already had plans with out of town guests. So, driving Christmas Eve wasn’t what I really wanted to do, but I had pretty much made peace with it. Kinda.

Then the car wouldn’t start.

I’m pretty certain it’s the alternator. Cost to repair? Well, with the discount at the one place, it’s $350. Yes, that weeping your hear is from me.

I had planned to fly Little Dude back to SD on the 2nd after driving back here with him. Now…I’m not going anywhere. He’s not coming here (can’t even go pick him up from the airport were I to fly him out…with…money that I’m now having to spend on the car). I don’t get to see Mojo. Or the rest of the family.

From weeping to sobbing in one fell swoop. Right? I don’t even have the stupid 2 1/2 foot tree decorated fully yet. Christmas is officially cancelled. I give up.

I don’t care what your mama says
Christmas time is near
I don’t care what your daddy says
Christmas is full of cheer
All I know is that Santa’s sleigh
Is makin its way to the U.S.A.

May all your holiday wishes come true!

And of course, my favorite of all times.

Merry Christmas!

Thanks to my friend who does sound at my favorite venue, here’s a shot of me doin’ my thang last week.

Here’s a little nod to someone…they know who they are. And they know why.

And c’mon, you think I’d post Tower of Power without including this one?

Don’t get too crazy out there with all the crowds and the temptation to spend a ton of money. Just chill a bit and enjoy family.

Yes, I do believe I can breathe easier now.

Thank you,

And now I can post photos again. Here’s a shot from last weekend. A young man who is bound to be making some waves very soon: Tyler Bryant.

Wow, that feels awesome! You have no idea how much I hated not being able to post photos directly to the blog. Again, big thanks to Jan!

I’ve fought this for a long time, but the thing is, I really, truly need to upgrade my WP install to the latest incarnation. I need a WP guru. Please.

If you’re smart and capable of doing the upgrade, please leave me a comment with a valid email address and I will be in touch.

Thanks!

I gave up watching soap operas several years back. Between work, then getting hurt, and just all around ennui with the plot lines, I basically just walked away. Last night, I saw a screen cap for All My Children and was curious. So I decided to watch an episode. Even within the opening montage, I was shocked to discover how few people I recognize (sure Erica, Kenley, Greenlee, Ryan, David, Tad [love Tad], Angie, Jesse [Jesse’s back? Yeah. Apparently], Adam, Palmer, Opal, Jackson, and Joe are all recognizable, but few others) and the plot lines? Lost as can be. Occasionally, I’ll watch ten minutes of General Hospital and for the most part I recognize people and can get the gist of things. Not so with AMC. Not really so much with One Life To Live either.

So AMC and I have had a very long history, but I’m lost. I tried. I gave it a full episode and none of it makes sense. I don’t really want to watch soaps anymore, but I always liked the idea that I could check in every now and again, revisit old “friends”, etc. That’s not how it works. I have no clue as to who half the people are, why the characters I do remember are doing things I don’t understand with people who are strangers… Like, why is Angie blind? And I guess at one point Greg came back, too? Hmm. I have no idea what’s going on.

So much for me and daytime TV. I don’t really need it, but there was always something comforting about knowing it was there. Now? It makes no sense to me. Guess it’s time to close that door and move on.