Shaking things up!

There was an earthquake today, epicenter in Chino Hills, CA. I am sure that most people who read this blog felt it so this is not news to them. I was meeting my mom for lunch and was just getting out of the car when I felt the ground roll. I thought a truck had driven by but then I saw a lot of people including my mom coming out to the sidewalk. We went to eat lunch and watched the news. A 5.8 earthquake, pretty good size and the biggest one that we have had in a long time. Hopefully, it fills our earthquake quota for a long time to come. Apparently cell phone service is a bust after an earthquake. Hello, phone companies get it together that's when people actually need and want to call people! All is well though!

Today's earthquake got me thinking about memories from past ones.

I think I was 5 when the Whittier earthquake hit. My sister and I were watching tv and my mom was getting us ready for school. I remember Vickie and I were watching "Jem and the Holograms" and the tv fell forward toward us. Luckily we moved fast enough and my mom got us all in one of the doorways. After that I remember my mom, Vickie, and I walking next door to our neighbor's house and my mom and her hugging. I think the 3 of us spent the rest of the day there, with my mom and Kristy (our neighbor) hanging out and Vickie and me sitting under Kristy's dining room table.

The next earthquake that I remember was the Sierra Madre earthquake (I think that was what it was called). My mom was driving Vickie and me to my aunt's house (so I am thinking that it was summertime) and we felt the road shaking but didn't know how big the earthquake was until we got to my aunt's house. I remember being really scared and my mom took us home. I was really worried about the cats and it took a really long time to find Caliope. She had gone under the tv console. That's pretty much all I remember about this one besides hanging out at home and watching the news all day.

Then there was the Northridge earthquake, which I remember as being the scariest (maybe because I was older so I remember it more clearly or maybe just because it was a huge earthquake). It was the middle of the night and I think we had school off the next day anyway for Martin Luther King Jr Day. It started shaking and we all ran to our doorways from our beds. My dad was sleeping downstairs because he had just had back surgery and he ran upstairs, while the earthquake was still going on, to make sure we were all okay, probably not the smartest thing to do but I am sure it was instinct kicking in. We watched all of the news while it was still dark out and they showed all of the damages around the Northridge area. Our cat, Lucy, who was a kitten at the time ran and hid in a kitchen drawer and we figured she almost got hit by the blender that fell off of the refrigerator.

Today's earthquake gave my memory a little "jolt" to earthquakes past. The news, of course, over did it and showed the same picture of broken glass in a grocery store and my mom and I were watching when someone called the news from Disneyland to say that everyone was evacuated from the rides and they were all just walking around. Some hard-hitting news reporting there. I found a funny article about "earthquake reporting". Here is the link- http://www.flickr.com/photos/waveman216/2714134587/.

And of course no earthquake is complete without seeing and hearing from this lady-

Camping

This past weekend my parents, Vickie, Paul, Rodger, and I went camping at San Onofre by San Clemente, CA. Vickie and I gave the little weekend family getaway as a gift to my parents for their 30th wedding anniversary, which was on July 8th.

We got there on Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday. I hadn't been camping in years so it was quite the experience. My parents and Vickie and Paul camped at the same place last year so they were familiar with the area. The campground sites are in a row by the edge of a cliff/hill that overlooks the ocean. It is a really beautiful place and you could hear the noise of the waves crashing all the way at the campsite. You really can't beat that!

Rodger setting up our tent.

Rodger put up a picture of The Joker, from "the best movie ever" (I don't know, I haven't seen it). I guess this picture marked that it was our tent. I also got to hear "Why so serious?" every 5 minutes but I didn't mind because Rodger does pretty great impressions and I laugh every time. Also, if you ever want to know about West Coast Super Heroes just ask Rodger.

My parents setting up the campsite.

It was fun hanging out by the fire at night and talking.

My hot surfer boyfriend

We ate, played games, went in the ocean, relaxed in the sun, read, made smores, and did all that other stuff you do when you camp. The weather was nice but a little overcast the second day. It was fine though because we still got tan.

As I said the beach was down the hill from the campsites so it did involve a trek but it was a nice walk. The first day we went down a very steep trail with stairs that involved me crawling back up. Camping involves a lot of dramatics for me. I think I am just making up for my inadequacy in the athletic department.

This pictures shows the walk down the steep hill. The 2nd day we went down a much more manageable trail.

Vickie and Paul made us some great chicken for dinner one night and hot dogs for lunch.

Apparently when you are a boy and you are camping it is very important to pound rocks against things and split wood.

These 2 pictures are on the 2nd night after we blew up our air mattress again and were trying to squeeze it back into the tent. It did eventually happen but not before my mom could capture these strange poses.

I must say that ever since I started dating Rodger these sort of excursions/activities involve a lot less work for me as shown in these pictures.

It was a great weekend celebrating a great event!

Everybody Loves Moe!

This is Vickie's cat Moe (often referred to as my nephew, moeford, moey, or mofius). Every time I see him he gets bigger and darker. I just love him. I can't say he feels this way about me or my parents but maybe he just hides his feelings well.

Moe is the baby of my kitty Sushi. I have no idea how he ever came out of her.

Moe is such a cutie and my favorite story of him is when he lived here when Vickie moved home for awhile and I came downstairs and his arm was hanging in the air caught in the curtains. He was just laying there, apparently having given up on getting himself free. He is not the brightest but I love him just the same.

When he was a kitten everyone wanted him. Some would even try to sneak him out. He is just a fan favorite I guess. Kind of sad for his brother Stanford (where Moeford originated) who is much sweeter but really only favored by my mom (and Theo). Well I love him to, but Moe is prettier so he gets the attention.

He is an armful but just so CUTE!!!!!!!!!!

Reality Check

My co-worker and I were discussing a show on ABC Family called "The Secret Life of an American Teenager". My co-worker has a teenager so it's relevant to her. Now maybe I am getting old but I really think this show is totally inappropriate. I realize teenagers get pregnant and it is what it is but for some reason this show among other media regarding this issue rub me the wrong way.

Why is teenage pregnancy being romanticized? Is this the message that should be sent to young girls especially by a network targeted at families. Everyone is dating everyone and the story revolves around a 15 year old pregnant girl. I think that only one episode has aired and maybe they will portray the realities of teenage pregnancy but that is unlikely. Mostly it seems they will show a glamorized, hormonally hyped high school of beautiful people whose problems (even pregnancy) can be wrapped up in an hour (or a television season)

I have more of a problem with this show then a movie like "Juno". The show on ABC Family is aimed at a young audience whereas "Juno" was aimed at a more general audience. Plus I think"Juno" showed the situation a little closer to reality and made the hardships of her situation apparent. Of course, it was still "Hollywoodized" but I thought the conclusion of the movie was based in truth and didn't necessarily tie everything up in a nice bow. I think they made it clear that she was going to have to deal with outcome of giving up her baby and that it wasn't an easy decision.

Then there is Jamie-Lynn Spears who gets to be on another magazine cover, this time with her newborn. She talks about her easy birth and how her baby is perfect and motherhood isn't hard at all. She also mentions how she can't wait to become a "soccer mom". She is 17! This is not a message that girls need to read. What about what she will miss out on? Maybe she can hire a nanny and go to college and have that experience but the typical teenage mother will not have that. I really have no problem with HER saying these things because that is a 17 year old's thought process. What really bothers me is where is her mother, where are the adults in this situation to instill reality? It is so irresponsible for the media to send out this message to girls that pregnancy and motherhood at 17 is easy and that now that she had her baby everything will be golden. They should be saying that the road ahead for her will be tough, tougher than it should be for someone her age.

It's just scary what the media puts out there for children to soak up. This all makes me very scared to have a daughter. My children will watch "I Love Lucy" and "Little House on the Prairie", and then I will home school them and not allow them to know about anything elicit. Obviously, I am kidding but it must take a great deal of parenting to raise kids now. I can only hope that this sort of media prompts parents to have conversations with their teenagers about responsibility and consequences. That's the only good thing that could come of it.

All of this just adds to my theory that morals and ethics and "doing the right thing" fall by the wayside in a capitalistic society. And yes, I know I am turning into my mother (that's definitely not a bad thing). Five years ago I would have thought this show was "cute". Now I am certain it is irresponsible.

Wall eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Rodger and I saw Wall E yesterday. Very good, thought-provoking movie. I was also surprised at how it could keep my attention despite the very little dialog. Wall E was just so lovable in his need to be loved. And leave it to Disney to make a roach seem cute.

I loved the irony in Disney having a movie to send a message about what consumerism and waste will do to our planet, an irony that I don't think was lost on them as I saw the dinosaur from Toy Story on one of Wall E's shelves in his "house". It almost seems like Disney is shooting themselves in the foot by sending that message to children and I guess you do have to give them a lot of credit for making the movie despite that.

It really was a very clever, well done movie. Just when you think Disney can't outdo themselves they go and hit another one out of the park. They really make the most lovable characters. Plus you really have to love that when you leave the theater you will be saying Wall Eeeeeeeeeeee and Eve Uhhhhh for days.

"Great art picks up where nature ends."

Google informed me that today is Marc Chagall's birthday. (What did we do before Google provided us with so much useless information?)

He is one of my favorite artists. I have a couple of prints of his and somewhere I have a book of postcards that I bought at a museum when I was in D.C. last year. I think that they are packed up in a box in the garage. I hope they are anyway, since I never did anything with them because I moved pretty much right after I got home from D.C.

I love the color he used in his work and the lines and shapes of his paintings. He has a very interesting life story which can be found in a summary on Wikipedia or other various art websites.

So in honor of Chagall's birthday here are a few of my favorite works of his.

"In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love."

"We all know that a good person can be a bad artist. But no one will ever be a genuine artist unless he is a great human being and thus also a good one."

"Only love interests me, and I am only in contact with things I love."

"My name is Marc, my emotional life is sensitive and my purse is empty, but they say I have talent."

"All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites."

Happy 121st Birthday Marc!

Festive Fourth

On Friday, the 4th of July we had a bbq.

All six of us were there! We had a great time swimming, hanging out, eating, playing games, and watching the fireworks.

Our Spam Sandwiches

Paul gets that look a lot.

We played Jenga, Trivial Pursuit, and Scrabble

Before the fireworks.

Monrovia fireworks on Myrtle.

Rodger and my Jenga masterpiece.

Ironman Coeur D'Alene

About two weeks ago my dad and his friend Rob participated in the Ironman in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.

It was the first of his Ironmans that I didn't go watch. My mom went and watched and her and my dad made a trip of it.

Here are some pictures of my dad that he ordered.

I am very proud of my dad. He did the whole race in 12 hours and 41 minutes! Good job Dad!

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July.

I am excited to barbeque, swim, and watch fireworks!

Hooray for a 3 day weekend!