Paseos

When I was growing up in Ohio, we often rode along the bike trails between Munroe Falls and Kent. It was a pretty, treed trail with a waterfall and a creek. Yesterday, I took my new Schwinn (preliminarily christened Indigo, or Indie, for short) out onto the winding network of bike paths in our new city. Click on the map below to open it in a new window and make it bigger! Check it out:

Friday

Why I know I'm reaching my vacation saturation point:

1. I showered and dressed (at 6:30 p.m.)
2. I actually sent an email to Toyota requesting that they develop a RAV-4 hybrid for release by 2009.
(They responded. There are no such plans in the works. :(
They will file my request for review. They appreciate my input.)
3. I had pizza for lunch. and dinner.
4. I did not go outside except to get the mail and put away the garbage can.
5. I have read 7 books in 3 days.

On the upside, I've:

1. set up an appointment for the custom bookcase guy to give us our free estimate
2. written 15 pages of my current work-in-progress (a middle grade or possible Young Adult novel)
3. made the bed
4. emptied a dozen boxes in the garage
5. attended part of a local writer's critique group
6. learned a heckuva lot about these: www.zapworld.com

Fresh wheels!

When I got home from this: www.zoo-phonics.com
last night at 10 pm this was what I saw as the garage door went up:



my birthday present! You see, when I opened my card from D. last fall, there was a picture of a beautiful pink beach cruiser inside. Over the months, I realized that my needs would be for more than just a cruiser, so here she is, a 21-speed Schwinn ready for miles of adventure. I plan to break her in this summer, and use her as my primary means of transport as much as possible. Since my new job is only 2.4 miles away, I plan to bike in at least 2-3 times per week. The helmet in the picture is D's, but I'm in the market for a silver one like it. Also need a lock.

BTW, below is a historical shot - my first time riding a bike in fifteen years (or possibly more...)

summer daze

home sweet home...blackberry mint iced tea...Lu loves shoes...view of mountains from our bedroom window...a dozen good reads...

Luna Bella

Here are two photos from her profile at "Petster.com"

This post is dedicated to the namesake of both my blogs. I realized that throughout 13 months of blogging, I have posted plenty of pix of Lu, but have not really written about her. So:

Full name: LunaBella

Previously known as: Jewel

Also Known As: Luna, Lu, LunaTuna, LuBella, Luba Chicken
Looby, Looshky, Smoochie, BabyGirl, etc.

Breed: American short-hair tuxedo

Gender: Female

Coloring: Black with white chest/chin and socks, white whiskers, yellow-green eyes and black nose

Age: 4.9 people years

Birthday: September

Her Story: A cute black and white cat started hanging out on my front walk the first week of August, 2003. From the first moment, something about her captivated me. I said, "If she returns for three days in a row, I'll keep her." You don't think the fact that I put out food and water swayed her, do you? Well, on the third day, just after I decided to keep her and called the vet with all my questions, my neighbor mentioned that just such a cat was missing from the next cul-de-sac. She wore no collar or tag. My heart sank. I knew the house. There were always cats in and out of the window. I walked right over and knocked on the door. Apparently, the cat had belonged to the girl's sister who could no longer keep it. Since they already had three cats, they agreed to take 'Jewel', but she wouldn't stay in the house. "Well, she has no tag, and I've fallen for her. Can I have her?" I asked unabashedly. Luckily they agreed. My husband and I had started dating just the week before, so he always jokes that he only had me to himself for one week.

Age when I got her: 11 months

Food: 1 small can Fancy Feast whipped in the morning (yes we're whipped!), 1/2 cup dry fancy feast in the evening

Favorite games: laser tag, mouse hunt, volleyball, and chase

Number of Social Networking websites she belongs to: 1 (www.Petster.com/soliluna)

Litter: silica (this stuff is a bit noisy but smells great and looks space-age)

My Day in Numbers*

11 hours in testing
10 Spanish passages on the Reading subtest
9 Spanish passages on the Listening subtest
8 stress-releasing yoga postures
7 bathroom breaks
6 subtests completed
5 meatballs in my sub
4 beverages (coffee, diet coke, kiwi-strawberry vitamin water (lutein for focus), and diet 7-up)
3 test breaks
2 highways (the 5 and the 10)
1 beautiful sunny socal day
0 days left until summer vacation officially starts = now that's priceless!


*Today I left the house at 6 am (just in time for Weekend Edition on NPR) to drive to San Gabriel for the BCLAD exams 4-6 in order to earn my bilingual teaching credential. I am not required to hold the BCLAD certification, but it's the only way to move up a bit in the salary scale for my new district other than graduate units. Here is what the tests consisted of:

7:30-8:03 Speaking Spanish subtest (4 prompts given in English;45 seconds to plan,90 seconds to respond-tape recorded)
9:00-9:45 Listening Spanish subtest
11:30-12:40 HIstory, Culture subtest
3:30-6:15 Bilingual teaching methods subtest, Reading Spanish subtest, Writing Spanish subtest)

closing a chapter

After yesterday's final transit ride, I woke up at 4:30 today and drove into school at 5. Traffic was light at that hour, so I arrived at school around 5:45. I loaded the last 10 boxes of my school stuff from the classroom by 7 am. My next door first grade colleague-B. brought starbucks (ventis- to get us through the last day!) and I brought strawberry yogurt and blackberries. The day itself passed by in a blur, certificates were presented and goodbye hugs given...I finished cleaning up the room and getting all my end of the year checklist items completed and drove away from the campus for the last time at 5 pm. It was truly bittersweet. Tomorrow I will sit for a biligual teacher certification exam, and then it will officially be summer vaca!

Last day of metro

Some shots of our local station on the last day of transit riding (cell phone shots)
The big building is the new community center (right behind the train station) It shares a parking lot with the station.

countdown

The countdown has begun...only 2 more days of school and 3 days until I'm officially on VACATION! Today we took a K-1 field trip to the Getty Center. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the tram up the hill and a special docent-led storytime tour of three paintings. Then we visited the gardens and took the tram back down the hill for lunch. Due to absences I only had 17 kids and when we arrived back at school at 1:15 five more left. So, the last dozen and I spent a quiet afternoon beginning to pack up the classroom and of course building a model of the tram and the museum out of wooden blocks. This year we have built Los Angeles City Hall (complete with it's little red light at the top of the pyramid tower), the Leaning Tower of Pisa (yes it leaned), The Long Beach Aquarium (with rectangular prism sharks and cylindrical seals), and the various monuments of Washington D.C.

At home, a typical evening this week begins with a swim and a dip in the hot tub (truly feels like Florida) and a quiet dinner watching either Law and Order or CSI repeats. (Sometimes we do make an effort to have dinner without the TV). Swimming has been fantastic, and I am so excited to have a pool again. D. has been out riding his bike as well (in fact yesterday he was waiting for me at the train station!)

AFter dinner, I study Mexican culture and history along with immigration issues until I fall asleep with the book on my stomach. It's been very interesting reading, actually!

Tomorrow will be my last day riding the train, as I plan to drive into the city Friday in order to pack up the rest of my teaching materials. Hopefully I can take some pix of the last trip!

Saturday...what a day...

it's like a walk in the park!
Here are some recent pix (including the mystery tree...is it an American sweetgum after all?)

Transit Rider cubed

Took the 6:15 train into Union Station this morning, grabbed the Rapid and made it into school by 7:40. Afterschool two colleagues and I drove to South Pasadena to visit the newborn of another co-worker. At one month, he was so tiny and adorable! He is one of the 15 new 2007 babies being welcomed by friends and family. Then, I took a Metro Red line subway train to Universal City, where D. was waiting to accompany me on the shuttle up to CityWalk where a friend was celebrating his 34th at the Hard Rock. I will say that the subway ranks third in pleasantness after the Metrolink train and the bus. (Though each station boasts amazing art installations!)

meme #1

It's been a while, so here goes:
the rules- one word answers only; no explanations!

Yourself: comfy

Your Partner: handy

Your Hair: natural

Your Favorite Item: house

Your Dream Last Night: school

Your Favorite Drink: iced

Your Dream Car: hybrid

Dream Home: here

The Room You Are In: living

Where You Want to be in Ten Years: ?

Who You Hung Out With Last Night: D

One of Your Wish List Items: bike

The Last Thing You Did: decorated

You Are Wearing: pj's

Your Favorite Weather: tropical

Your Favorite Book: all

Last Thing You Ate: cake

Your Life: open

Your Mood: contemplative

What Are You Thinking About Right Now: exam

Your Car: dirty

What Are You Doing At The Moment: lounging

What Is On Your TV: law/order

What Is The Weather Like: hot

When Is The Last Time You Laughed: minotaur

Now, keeping with the rules of tagging, I must pass the tag along.
go K, J, and E

the early train

Since mid-January, I've been teaching an afterschool intervention class from 3:25-4:15 on Tuesday through Friday. Mondays, the students leave are dismissed at 1:30 and we are in "professional development" til 4:30. Due to this schedule, today was the first day I could leave at the contract end time of 3:30 since December break! It felt GREAT! I caught the earlier 4:10 train instead of the 5:40, and was walking in my front door by 5:00 p.m. It was a day I really needed it too! By the time I would've gotten home, (6:30) I had already accomplished the following:

*change clothes, freshen up
*yoga stretch in new yoga/meditation room
*run dishwasher
*feed Lu
*gather laundry
*check email (where I found not one but THREE personal emails with new kid photos!L, T, J, and A are adorable gals! and the debut of "?" too!)
*update blog
*change address on two accounts
*found two items missing since move (very important ones too- I might add- all 3 sets of tweezers AND my password booklet for all computer accounts)
*drank 2 glasses of water and one oj
*snacked of "sugar plum" tomatoes
*played with Lu
*watered plants in backyard and did a handstand against the house!

Things I did not do that I used to do as soon as I got home BSC:
*put on pajamas
*sit on the couch
*eat a lot
*remain inert
*forget everything else I put on my todo list that day

10 fave features of casaluna

1. space
2. the big tree shading the backyard (ok all you tree identification hobbyists; I have just spent an hour trying to figure out what species of tree this is via internet search. Nada. Here is what I know about it: hardwood lobed deciduous with five points. The leaf is velvety and there are spiky spherical seed pods (fruit?) HELP!
3. the tub in which I can comfortably recline in any direction
4. the attached garage where I can just "put stuff" out of the way!
5. the skylights in the upper hall/my "office"
6. rotating bathroom use
7. backyard space/patio and watering my plants in the early evening
8.butterflies and hummingbirds in the back
9.snails and rabbits around the neighborhood
10. living close to everything we want/need
bonus:using local park/pool every weekend so far!

Imagine

Imagine the life you kept waiting for. The one where you were all grown up and married to a grand love living in your "grown-up" home together. The home you were in when you 'played house' as a child, busily scurrying about preparing meals in the wooden kitchen. Then imagine that there is a sweet cat living in the house too. That every day you wake up and walk down the street like Ms. Nelson to the neighborhood school to teach.* Now imagine that you are living the life you've imagined! This is my reality!

So I've finished week one of transit rider status; I feel like a seasoned commuter! My friends and even classroom parents have been so generous and thoughtful; often calling around 7 am to make sure I've transitioned from the train to the bus or offering rides from school to the train station in the afternoon. It's especially fun to watch the other commuters; imagining their lives and work. It's like being in an airport people watching. The fun difference for me is I rarely get to see grown men and business women going to and from work, as I am at school so early. Last night I did dream that I missed the train and couldn't figure out how to get to work, though. That will not happen in real life! Last night I didn't ride the train home because we had a graduation party in the city. Next Friday I hope to visit a co-workers month old baby and then take the subway over to Universal for an evening birthday party.


Today we have a busy day of unpacking and organizing ahead; of course you can imagine the list of "to-do's" we have already created! Happy weekend to all.


* (The infamous protaganist from the story "Ms. Nelson is Missing" decided to scare the bejeebers out of her unruly class by becoming the meanest 'sub' ever via a wig and dark clothes; though I've avoided a complete costume change, I will admit to donning a funny pair of glasses and an accent on occasion to create an alter ego named Ms. Grichard who is NOT so very friendly!)

Public Transit Rider

Today was my first day as a public transit commuter. I bought my 10-trip ticket from the automatic machine at the Newhall station at 8:24 am. I chatted with an older Filipina woman while waiting on the 9 am antelope valley line metrolink train that originated in Lancaster. At boarding I sat in the first available seat inside the door and was joined by a young girl in her early to mid-twenties who is graduating with a degree in child development tomorrow. The 45 minute train trip went fast and I soon found myself bustling down the cement ramp into the Union Station tunnel with dozens of other riders. (That part literally feels like a rat race, and you don't dare stop or slow down for fear of being trampled.) I made my way up to the bus plaza and soon saw the 745 rounding the bend. The trip down Broadway took about 20 minutes and all told I made it to school in an hour and a half. I left school at 4:30, walked to the bus stop and made it to Union Station about 5:10. I validated my ticket for the return trip and found my double decker limo on track 3b. This time, being a "seasoned" rider, I made my way up to the upper level and found a spot. I think it's a great alternative to driving, and I enjoyed watching all the corporate types and company shuttles supporting their employees use of public transportation. Let's just hope I still think so in 3 weeks. Coincidentally (for anyone who cares), my ridership and Paris' jail sentence will both last for the next three weeks. I'm trying to post a map of the transit line but we'll see how that goes.

A Glimpse of Sunday morning

OK, for those of you checking the time/date on this post, you will note that it's 6:30 in the morning. And I am wide awake. happily. This in itself is not typical. Compounded by the fact that I was up until midnite last night, willingly...you might say I'm excited to be in this new space. I do not feel sleepy or groggy. The cat did not chase her tail excessively, and was not bothersome until 6. I call this great progress. You see, Lu had been spending the week (she and D. moved in Memorial Day weekend) exploring the place, following us from room to room skittishly, scouting out dark places to chill out and generally not napping as much. Due to this, we figured she'd sleep well at night. Not so. Beginning Thursday morning, a new Lu behavior shot out from behind the headboard. Literally. For whatever feline reason, Luna began chasing her tail in the small space between the headboard and the wall (an adjoining wall to our neighbor, of course). The first night, she was banished into the third bedroom. The second night, I came up with the grand idea to place a plastic garbage bag there, the sound of which normally sends her into flight at the first crinkle. We learned that if SHE produces the noise from the bag it's not scary. Lesson learned. The third night, in an effort to provide my moving-husband with uninterrupted rest, I decided to accompany her to the living room. A blurry glance at the microwave clock showed the unbelievable hour of 2:20 a.m. I slept on the couch. Lu hunched under the end table staring at me. She did not bother D. upstairs. Today, she held out til 6 am (with a slight flurry of tailspinning around 4:30). "Just shut the door," you may suggest. Only if we want to hear catscratch fever in the hallway.

In another Lu new house episode, we spent the last 1/2 hour of the evening searching for her everywhere last night. I had been enjoying our newly hooked up internet and watching Minority Report all evening, while Derek happily puttered putting together his new studio space. Each of us figured she was hanging out with the other. But, after the 11 o'clock news, we noticed she was MIA. "Maybe this is the cat hides in the new house for weeks part," I commented. Friends had told us that after moves, their cats sometimes "disappeared" for days at a time. We shook the food bag. We called in vain. I began to have visions of secret passages to the garage or deep crevices behind kitchen cupboards. (These do exist, by the way. Just ask my folks. Lu crawled into a space between their cupboards once.) We nervously looked inside the new large appliances with our fingers crossed. Finally, we located her.




By the way, it is completely quiet here, save the occasional car and happy birdies. No police helicopters. No sirens. No people in the apartment next door. *smile*

j sisters

Got up and drove over to my new salon, jsisters. It is so cute! Each station has a little saying painted above it like: "Eat more chocolate", Laugh Lots, and "I don't repeat gossip, so listen close the first time!" At one end of the room is an large clock face with the words, "Time flies when you're having fun!" with wings painted on either side. My new stylist was fantastic, and the complimentary coffee hit the spot! Check out the new-do!

Day One

Greetings from our new hometown! We are officially all moved in. Our new fridge and dryer were delivered this morning...whoopee! We finished clearing/cleaning out the old place at 11 pm last night...by flashlight! When we arrived there after work yesterday ready to vaccuum our little hearts out, lo and behold, no power! (How efficient, right?) So, we dustbusted our little hearts out instead. All told, we took two moving trucks on two different weekends, and six carloads this last week.
I'm sure there were two or three more carloads here and there over the past 2 1/2 weeks. Today we get to begin settling in.
(And buying groceries!)

Our cake top barely survived the power outage yesterday and living among the condiments in the kitchen garbage can until our faithful Lowe's delivery men arrived this morning with our 26 cu. ft. Frigidaire (proudly bought at a clearance on Memorial Day for ---you heard it hear first---only $600.00 and free delivery! So, we decided to celebrate our anniversary two months early and cut it for breakfast this morning! You can almost see the frosted "happy anniversary" lettering in the pic below. D. wasn't holding out much hope that it would be edible, but guess what? It was delicious! It was the apricot flavor. yum. We also checked out our attic this morning between my new school district fingerprinting sessions and physical exam etc.

Monday I will take the train into school at 5:05 am wish me luck!

Have a great weekend!