OH...before I go...

Congrats to Seth and Akiko!!
Hope you enjoy the new little guy and the new zombie lifestyle that comes with him. May the sun always shine on your newly expanded family.

Look at me not posting anything today. And it's not like I was out and about or anything. I was sitting on my rear reading a book the whole damn day. Although I did take an hour out to work on the backyard. Still. I was a lazy scum. Shame on me. Now my head hurts and I am off to bed. Perhaps I will have something interesting to say tomorrow. Or not.

Go figure.

I spent nearly the entire month of July in Minnesota, waiting for a good thunderstorm. Did I get one? Noooooooooo. I got plenty of grey, rainy days and some warm summer showers, but not a single decent thunderstorm.

This morning, in the sunny town of Temecula where we get approximately .000009 inches of rain a year, I woke to the sound of thunder and POURING rain. It rained harder than I have seen in a long time. My little tomatoes were doing the happy dance when I peeked through the blinds. And now it is thundering again.

The world as we know it has been flipped on its ass.

Interestingly enough, most of my search engine hits these days are coming from the search "Rambling With Isha". How odd.

Mikey and I can't just play a game of mini-golf. That is too boring. We have to make it interesting.

If anyone was really paying attention they would have noticed that our golf scores got dramatically better by the third game. This is not because we were getting more skilled. In fact, we got worse as time went on, rather than better. The truth is, we started giving bonus points. If you were the closest ball to the hole after the first round of shots you got a -1 to your score. And if you accomplish a "trick" on the hole you got another -1. Tricks were things like "go all the way around the island in the middle in the first shot without touching the wall" or "go between the red and blue barriers and hit the yellow one". We both had a couple of holes that we scored a zero on because we took 2 swings and scored 2 bonus points. Who said mini-golf was boring?

(I keep typing "mini-gold" instead of "mini-golf". Stupid fingers.)

My brothers don't get along. I guess if you were going to generalize you could say that one is a "Jock" and one is a "Stoner". One spends all his time playing football, baseball and basketball. He watches sports on tv, drinks milk and worries about his torn shoulder muscles. Once, he played a baseball game with a broken hand because the team needed him. The other brother spends all his time hanging out with his band. They play lots of Nirvana and Chili Peppers. He stays out late and sleeps until 2:30 in the afternoon. He, his girlfriend and his friends have made some very bad choices involving how to entertain yourself when you are a bored teenager in rural middle America.

My brothers don't like each other. They don't have anything in common and they will each go out of their way to avoid the other. Just about the only conversations they have revolve around who's turn it is to do the dishes. The fact that one is 16 and the other 18 just magnifies the problem.

I tell you this so that you will realize how none of that matters. In a time of need, it was one brother who finally said "enough is enough" and set into effect a chain of events that have probably saved the life of the other brother. Because that is what brothers do. Even when they don't really like each other. Everyone should be so lucky.

To my brother:

Please take this chance to get well. I love you and hate seeing you in so much pain. I know that things have been rough, but I have faith that you will find the strength to heal yourself. You have taken the most important first step and I am so proud of you. You can do this. We are all here to help you. Please let us. Peace be with you now and always.

To everyone else:

Please say a prayer, cross some fingers or send a healing thought to my brother. He is facing some very difficult decisions and he can use all the help he can get.

Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

Today is our first wedding anniversary. I have been married for one year, 4 hours and 43 minutes. Approximately. And I have loved every single second of it. Mikey and I were talking about our favorite things about the past year and we agreed that there are two things that make us a super duper couple. First, we both commented on how being together makes the most mundane things more fun. Just knowing that the other is there to share thoughts and ideas and experiences with, makes all those things more exciting. Second, we are FUN. We are good at making everything in our lives into some kind of game or adventure. We make the most of things and we spend much of our time together laughing. This has been an amazing year and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one. We have both decided that we are re-upping for another year.

To celebrate we had a "Day of Fun". First we made pancakes for breakfast. We ate them while watching a movie. After that, we had lunch at one of our favorite places, caught a movie in the theatre (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), and then had Ben and Jerry's. We stopped off at home to drop of leftovers and then went to Mulligan's. Mulligan's is the local mini-golf/fun park. We played a total of 3 rounds of golf (60-56-Mikey, 55-51-Mikey, 37-38-Soleil), many arcade games and several games of skill/chance. I got to buy lottery tickets and am currently 7 dollars richer than I was this morning. I will be buying more tickets with my winnings.

If that day doesn't make you green with envy, than I have to assume that you have no idea what fun really is. And the best part was sharing it all with Mikey. :)

This post is a translation of the texts found buried in the stratafied layers of the suitcase of Soleil. It is believed to chronicle the events of the month of July 2003. This was a previously undocumented period in this individual's life. Many consider this to be quite a lucky find.

July 4, 2003
Fireworks don't seem to impress me the way they did when I was younger. I remember going to Brainerd, MN with my father and watching the colors from the high school football field. My cousins and I would run around waving glo-stiks and introducing ourselves to interesting people.
This year, there were fewer ooohs and aaahs, but I enjoyed the company of family as much as ever. It's not often that I can convince my homebody hubby to close up shop and go visiting, so spending several days with the sisters-in-law and the baby (soon to be a big brother) was a nice treat.
I can't help but wish it were the 8th, however. I can't wait to be surrounded by my own family.

July 5, 2003
I've been to Texas a couple of times before. These were short stops during long trips and are best remembered for the cockroach infested hotel rooms (they WERE cheap) and the red-neck attitude. I was offended by the "American Owned" signs outside of establishments. Overall, TX earned a low spot on my list of places to visit.
That has all changed. San Antonio has shown me a cleaner, brighter, friendlier face. We spent today along San Antonio's Riverwalk. Being a holiday weekend, it was crowded and noisy, but in a cheerful way. Despite a less-than-stunning lunch at Republic of Texas (who ever heard of fajitas and quesadillas made with only AMERICAN cheese???) we had a good time watching the people and ducks. We walked past the Wax Museum and Ripley's Haunted Adventure, but the lines were out of this world, so we went to have dessert at Chili's instead. We had the Molten Chocolate Cake!
We're both having trouble adjusting to the humidity. A soon as you step outside it feels like you're in a steam room. Of course, everyone keeps their air conditioning on extra high to counteract it. You alternate between cooking and freezing. Makes me appreciate our dry heat back home.

July 6, 2003
Today we went to the COOLEST place for lunch. It's called the Magic Time Machine. The tables are all hidden away in cooks and crannies. The decor is decidedly eclectic and the waiters and waitresses each dress like their favorites character. We saw Robin Hood, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, someone from Top Gun and the best - our server - Crazy Susan. He was named after his mother and spent some time in prison for either removing tags from mattresses or not rewinding a video (depending on who you talk to). He assured us that he was rehabilitated.
The food was good too. We ordered a variety of things - brisket (a staple in TX), roast pork, turkey, etc. It all has a Medieval feel to it. Next time I want to go with a bunch of people and order the "Roman Orgy". I guess they just fling huge hunks of meat and bread down on the table and you have at it. Sounds like fun!
We played a round of mini golf afterwards. I'm going to say that it must have been the heat that made my game so unpredictable. Despite 4 holes in 1 I still ended up with a 52. I'll just assume the rest of the holes were par 4.

July 7, 2003
We took the baby to Seaworld today. Or maybe I should say he took us. He was so excited, telling us all about the whales and dolphins we would see. And see them, we did! We caught Shamu's show first thing and a dolphin/beluga whale show right afterwards. I'm so jealous of the people who spend all their time playing with those amazing creatures. I don't envy them the having to perform for crowds, but it's well worth it, I'm sure.
We also managed to get in some swimming at teh Lost Lagoon before the thunder strom swept up. I had forgotten how quickly storms move in the middle of the country. Although I mostly want nice sunny weather, I am hoping to see a good, strong rain storm while I'm here. We just don't get them at home.

July 8, 2003
Part 1
Currently flying over Omaha. I can't wait to get to MSP. This is the start of my long vacation. Unfortunately, it's also the start of my long separation from Mikey. I already miss him.
Part 2
Flights went well. Thom and Kathy met me at the airport and we headed home. Stopped on Snelling and Grand at a great little place called Khyber Pass Cafe. I never knew I liked Afghani food so well! Easy to eat vegetarian there, too.

July 11, 2003
I've had a busy couple of days. T&K are getting ready for their trip to Germany so we've been running errands. Wednesday wewent to dinner at Gramma Jeanne's. Cousin Amy and son were there. I hadn't met that little guy since he was an infant. He had me in stitches several times throughout the night. Thom and I made eggrolls (which I liked even though he uses bean sprouts in them) and cream cheese wontons (which he liked even though I make them with veggies chopped up inside!!) and everyone enjoyed.
Kathy and I worked out at Curves (exercise place for women) on Thursday. I really enjoyed their routine. I would consider joining (there's one in Temecula) if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't work out with Mikey. We had yummy sandwiches at a cute little place filled with knitting paraphenalia and good karma. We talked at some length.
Today we got the cabin ready for the party tomorrow and did some fishing. I proved to myself that I could bait a hook with a leech (YUCK) and caught a couple of fish in the first 10 minutes or so, and then I sat back and enjoyed the lack and the trees. There was a pair of loons calling to each other and a heron flew over. It was a nice chance to really talk with Thom. Probably the best day of the trip so far.

July 12, 2003
Woke up this morning to a surprise outside my bedroom door. Kathy made a huge, life-sized, cardboard copy of Mikey from one of our wedding pictures. It was nice to see his adorable face! We took him to the party and everyone had to take pictures with "Mikey".
I banged my elbow on the screen door so hard that my arm was completely numb from teh elbow down for about 2 whole minutes. I have had trouble bending my arm all day.
Our party went well. Neil, Tori, Lisa, Espen, Steve, Sandy, Ryan and Ethan all came. We grilled, snacked and of course, had S'mores. Espen especially enjoyed roasting the marshmallows, although a previous bad experience with too many marshmallows kept him from tasting his own creatinos. I enjoyed watching the kids playing in the lake and had a very nice conversation with Lisa about some books we both enjoyed. A splendid time was had by all.

July 15, 2003
On the road again...
I'm now at Mom's. She and Ty came to pick me up on Sunday. I have been placed in charge of taming the CUTEST little Siamese kitten. It slept with me last night and nibbles on my fingers when she plays. Her cheeks are white and her nose is dark so she looks like a little fox. We are calling her KitKat.
Monday we spent some time with Grandma. It's getting harder and harder to see her in person. Over the phone it's easier to pretend that nothing is changing, but in person it's impossible to not notice how old she is looking. I worry about her all teh time. When I was younger, I always imagined myself living with her and helping her in her declining years. Now I'm lucky if I see her once a year. Nothing ever turns out the way you imagine.
Today was spent with Shanta and the kids. I got to see the inside of their house for the first time and then we spent the day at the beach. I truly do adore those kids and I have the utmost respect for my sister. She rocks as a mom. She's even learning to be downright domestic (I saw her cooking AND cleaning!). It's scary!!

July 16, 2003
Part 1
Ty's dog attacked a porcupine and got a mouthful of quills yesterday. Today we go to the vet. The sad thing is, this probably won't be the last time this happens. Dumb dogs seems to have an overwhelming urge to attack the prickly animals no matter how painful the result. Ugh.
My little kitten is relaxed enough to be very playful now. It's still scared of me when I stand up though. It's going to be sad to leave the little darling, although I know Devon will love it lots. I wish I could smuggle it home in my suitcase.
Part 2
I went to one of my sister's softball games. She plays on a local team (sponsored by the bar). It looked like fun. She's been playing with that team for as long as she's been old enough and they are pretty good. Makes me think I should find something like that at home. If only I weren't so darn lazy!

July 17, 2003
Part 1
I haven't called my dad yet. I keep thinking about it, but it doesn't happen.
Part 2
I miss Mikey. It's hard for me to not have him to discuss things with. I'm used to having him around all the time. :(
KitKat has bonded to me. Next step is to get her used to other people. She's so silly. I watched her chase not only her own tail, but also her own hind foot for several minutes this morning.
I have learned that Chris' kids were able to come for the wedding. I look at the pictures with his kids and my sibs and it hurts to not be in the. It makes me kind of angry becasue one of their justifications for not changing the date to one that I could come to was that his kids wouldn't be there either. When I asked my mom she said, "They were able to arrange it after all." I wanted to arrange it too, damn it.
If Mikey were here, I would have someone to talk to about it. Right now all I can do is ignore it. Much the way I have been ignoring this whole thing. I don't want more step-siblings. I don't want another step-parent. I don't want any of this to be happening.

July 18, 2003
As much as I have been keeping up to date about my siblings' lives by phone and through mom, it takes being here and seeing them face to face to really show me how much they have grown and changed. The hardest part is watching the boys go through the pain and confusion of the teenaged years, knowing it gets so much better, but not being able to tell them. Or trying to tell them and knowing they don't believe me.
We took Grandma to the doctor today and were much relieved to get good news instead of the bad news we were all expecting. Even Grandma, the lady who recently said that anything she got for her birthday was just one more things to add to her will (to which I commented that I should get her something *I* wanted), was forced to be positive for a while.

Here ends the pages found in what is being called the "Suitcase of Soleil" among knowledgable circles. We are still missing important data between July 19 and July 17. It is suspected that some traumatic event prevented Soleil from putting the rest of her trip into words. Perhaps someday the story will come out. Until then, we must be happy with what we have.

Venomous Kate posted a lengthy and thought-provoking rant about what women want and why they get angry when they don't get it. Although I understand much of what Kate posted, I also understand the comment of a fellow reader. "You wanted everything. You got everything. Now you find out you can't handle it." This goes for all people, not just women. We, as a race, are continuously striving to have more than we have. When we find ourselves stretched too thin, it is time to re-evaluate our lives and find a new balance. Hopefully, this is something that can be done WITH your family, rather than IN SPITE OF them.

I have often been asked why I am choosing not to have children. I think one of the major deciding factors is my fear that I will end up like Kate. I don't want to give up the life I currently bask in - complete with kitties, perfect job and wonderful marriage - for life with more rewards that I can't enjoy because of added responsibilities. I don't want to end up resenting my husband and my children and my students. I see what happens to people who take on more than they can handle and I don't want to submit myself to that kind of pain.

I feel for people who wake up one day to find themselves in a life that is more work than fun. I don't envy them the job of balancing an overwhelming load. I sympathize with Kate and all the others and I hope that someday they can bask in the joys of life once again.

I haven't really been paying attention to the news lately. And I have been especially careful to ignore the White House hooplah regarding the State of the Union speech. (I was having too much fun on my vacation to waste time getting mired down in hopeless politics.) Despite that, I can still appreciate the irony of this picture/caption.

Found at Karla's

Not one, but TWO big bowls of tomatoes picked off of my plants this afternoon. I wasn't planning on setting any aside for winter, but I may not have a choice! So many tomatoes! I love it.

I'm home! Currently downloading 2,603 emails. My prediction - only about 12 of them will be anything worth looking at. Ugh. I hate SPAM. UPDATE: I underestimated. I kept 16 of them!)

I woke up this morning at 3:30 am in order to get to the cities in time for my 7:00 flight. I slept the sleep of the airline traveller (unconscious, but not really helpful on the energy front) for most of the 4 hour flight and since arriving at my lovely abode I have taken 2 naps. So sleepy.

I have to admit that I haven't really been keeping track of anything that happened since about last Saturday. That was a hard day and I just couldn't find the words for it. But tomorrow, I promise, I will transcribe my chicken scratchings and share the stories of my epic adventure to Northern Minnesota. Be patient, Amy! :)

I am now in Minnesota. We had a great time in Texas (everything really IS bigger there!). I'll tell you all about it later. I have been journaling on something called "pay-pur" by scratching marks on it with a pointy stick. I should be able to copy it here for you sometime. For now, I will leave you all in suspence. I am having way too much fun to sit in front of this machine for long.
Later, tator.


PS - Hi, Mikey! :) Love you!

I should already be on vacation. I should be in Texas right now, hugging the nephew and seeing the sights of San Antonio. Last minute changes have messed up my internal schedule and I am having a hard time adjusting. I know that I should be taking out the garbage and doing the dishes and cleaning out the fridge. But what I am going to do instead is play the Sims. 'Cause my brain thinks I am already on vacation. So there.

I am getting a little fed up with myself. A while back I lost my very favorite black sweater. Then I left my favorite swimsuit at my mother-in-laws (at least I know where that is). And a few weeks ago I lost my sunglasses and I can't find them ANYWHERE. Dammit.

When I was a kid, my dad was vegetarian (still is, actually). None of the rest of us were, but we ate lots of vegetarian stuff because that is what he cooked. One of the things I really liked were Gardenburgers. Now that Mikey and I are attempting the vegetarian lifestyle ourselves I am always looking for tasty things to add to our diet so that I don't miss meat as much. (I am vegetarian against my tastebuds wishes and I am constantly trying to placate them.) So far I have found many interesting meat substitutes. My favorite??

Gardenburger's Herb Crusted Cutlets. These things ROCK. They are so tasty (we make them into an Italian Sandwich kind of thing) and the texture, always the most important test for both Mikey and me, is wonderful. Even if you aren't a veggie head like us, I suggest you try them. Put them on a bun with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and plenty of mozzarella cheese. YUM.

PS - I also like the interesting things written all over the boxes. Tasty and fun to read. What more can you ask for?
PPS - We also enjoyed the Meatless Riblets.

Last night our neighbors across the back fence (yeah, the ones I've mentioned before) woke us up at 3:30 am. This is their favorite time of night to hang out in their backyard, shouting curses to each other and playing loud music. We close the windows, turn on the fan and generally try to ignore it (difficult since they sound like they are in our backyard). Last night I was up and ready to call the cops because I heard them climbing a fence. A couple of obnoxiously drunk voices were stage whispering to each other:

"Hehehe. Shhh. C'mon"
"There! Grab that toy over there."
"AHAHAH! I dropped it."
"Quiet! heeheehee."
"Here, throw this."

Then there were more scrambling-over-fence noises and eventually the voices went back inside. I almost wanted them to climb into my yard so I could sic the cops on them. I was up and waiting, rehearsing what I was going to shout out the window as I dialed. Lucky for them they didn't come my way. The next morning I saw several kids toys and a mop on the sidewalk outside our housing development. Bastards.

I am starting my official vacation tomorrow. We are spending the weekend in Texas with the sister-in-laws and then I am headed to Minnesota for a 3 week stay. Unlike my May trip, I am going to have time to sit around and chat with everyone. I am going to two big parties that will give me a chance to see people I haven't seen in a year or more. I love parties like that. I am bringing the information needed to access both my e-mail and my blog, but I make absolutely no guarantees that I will spend any time online. After travelling that far and waiting this long, I am going to take full advantage of my time with them.

Check out this awesome series of photos. Apparently Agent Smith was a big hit in Japan. : )