Random Christmas Thoughts

1) Christmas lights synchronized to music are AWESOME! I find the whole show memorizing.



2) A yard full of un-inflated holiday decorations is NOT awesome and makes me think of an cheerful Christmas graveyard. Which leads me to…

3) I seem to have a lot of random thoughts about zombies as of late. Nothing to do with Christmas but still, they keep popping up.


4) You’re never too old to get a stuffed animal, but only if it makes a sound like a really angry squirrel. This is TAS (tiny angry squirrel) and while you can't hear him, trust me, he sounds absolutely, positively pissed.

5) My sister and I were discussing height and she said she was 5’2”. I thought to myself, “Self, she’s wrong. She’s taller. And while you’re thinking about yourself in third person, how tall are you? You tell everyone 5’8”, but are you?” We got out the tape measure and she’s 5’3.5” and I am 5’7”. WTF?! So I’ve decided to stick with 5’8 anyway as my Christmas present to myself.

Happy Holidays!!

Birthday Girl!!

Today is my birthday. Even at 44, I still love birthdays. Not for the gifts (though I d love presents!) but because birthdays are like individual New Years. While I don’t make resolutions, I do think about where I’ve been and where I’d like to go. This year, I thought I’d do something different. I wrote my obituary.

Now, before you are creeped out or wonder WTF I am thinking (!), this isn’t about death. It’s about my life. Who I am now, who I am working to become and what I hope people will remember about me.

So… NYT Best-selling author, Sharron McClellan, died last night at the age of 113.
Sharron is best know to the public for both her action-adventure novels, movies, and in particular, her beloved North Mackenzie character. While she claims that North was not based on her life, she led a life not unlike an action-adventure novel. From the jungles of Indonesia to the Deserts of Africa and the cities of Europe, she traveled the world experiencing various cultures and incorporating them into her books.

Women, in particular, will remember her angryromancegrrl character--a snarky, sarcastic iconic cartoon. From dating to marriage, angryromancegrrl voiced the thoughts and feelings of women worldwide. Sharron was particularly proud of her even though, Sharron said, she made dating hell.

Besides her beloved characters and exciting stories, Sharron is remembered for her fearlessness, her determination to do the ‘right thing’ even when (as she said) it sucked, her desire to never be bored, and her sarcastic sense of humor.

She leaves behind her 4th husband (Name to be inserted at a later time), her pool-boy Javier , her two sisters, Glennis and Heather and her two brothers, Gary and Patrick.

And, of course, Cathy and Tracy, who will be consoling Javier after the burial. Good luck ladies! :D

Great night--for lots of reason!

I love Annapolis at Christmas. The lights. The cold wind blowing off the water. The people bundled up and walking about the town. It’s wonderful. Sue (my sailing friend) and I walked over the town last night, looking at the light, stopping at the occasional bar for a hot-buttered rum and (basically) bumming around and having a great time.

Then to top it off—we stopped at a bar just before crossing the bridge and I got CARDED.

Sweet!!

Granted, I don’t think she thought I was under 21 but mostly, it you look 30ish—you get carded. Considering I’ll be 44 in less than a week, it was a great night. Woohoo!!

Born to Run

Some of us are born to run and if you've read my blog, you know that I am a runner. I don’t' mean pounding the streets in my Adidas but run as in 'Run to someplace or someone' or perhaps 'run away from something or someone'. The reason vary. Boredom. Urge to learn. To experience the world. Broken hearted. Being chased by the mafia. Need a break from reality. It doesn’t really matter, I suppose. If you’re a runner, you’ll always find a reason to put your feet to the pavement and forge a new path. We don’t' need much to move onward, just a nudge.

And it's not an easy life. The hardest thing? There aren't many people who want to run with you! It's a solitary existence and I am not a solitary person.

So, what next? Do I run? Do I give in to impulse? I don’t know. I do know that I’ll take time off during the holidays. A few people are convinced that once I leave the country I’ll stay gone. They might be right. But, I don’t think so. I think I’ll return for at least a while.

So, why do people run? As you can see, it’s never just one reason. Never that simple. But then life never is.

Catching Up on Sharron

It’s been a fun summer and fall. Obviously, so much fun that I been too busy to blog!

So—a few moments where I remember to take pictures (kinda):

Slaughter Across the Water: One of the great things about Annapolis is the local color. A little background. Annapolis is divided (partly) by Spa Creek. On one side is the main city and on the other side is Eastport are. Every year, there is a huge tug of war called the Slaughter across the Water. Basically, it’s the Maritime Republic of Eastport (MRE) against Annapolis as the MRE fights for their independence.

Mostly it’s a festival atmosphere with beer, bands, food, good times and (of course) a tug of war. On a special note—Annapolis was working on the dock this year so the Slaughter wasn’t across the water...it was across a symbolic baby pool. Still fun!

Fado’s—a great Irish bad in the China town section of DC. Weird, huh? A great place to go if you want pound back a few pints of Guinness before noon and watch rugby on a big-screen television. I went there for the Argentina vs. South Africa playoff and had a blast! Even the Ambassador from South Africa was there.

Sightseeing: I finally saw the Whitehouse! Very pretty and the protesters were interesting. I didn’t see the President but I think I saw a few Secret Service.

DFW Airport Crosses the Line

For the men who actually read this—just a heads-up that this blog talks about ‘girl stuff’ and it might be TMI for your man brain. If you keep reading and get icked out, I don’t wanna hear about it.

I went to TX last week and coming home I flew from the DFW airport to BWI. No biggie. However, I was in the DFW airport and I needed...ahem...a feminine product. Annoying but hey, it’s all part of being a girl. We’ve all been there. You’re in the stall. Realize you’re just 'started' (and always at the worst possible moment), you root around for change in your purse, find the machine, buy what you need and take care of business.

So—imagine my surprise when I discover that the bathrooms at the DFW airport DON’T HAVE MACHINES.

Seriously—how wrong is that. I am smart enough to ask around and sure enough, some nice lady had something and all was good.

But out of curiosity, I thought, “Is it just this bathroom or all of them?” I had time to kill and I can tell you this—it’s all of them.

Now, I have nothing against making money but this is were I draw the line. They know we have to have these. So they make us/women leave the bathroom, traipse down four + gates, find a store, and pay ten times the normal amount for a box of tampons. Geez! Just put in the machine!

So be warned ladies, carry extras with you—especially in TX. Where men are men and women have to work the system just to get a tampon.

ARRGGGHHH--It’s Talk Like A Pirate Day, Savvy?

As much fun as Halloween and more magical than Christmas, it’s Talk Like A Pirate day! Here’s a few links t' help you non-pirate speakers get underway:

HOW TO: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/howto.html

TRANSLATOR: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/translator.html

Hey, I made Spinsheet Magazine!

Okay, I barely made it but I’ll take what I can get Follow the pink arrow and that's me! Or rather, my head. Yes, the rest of me is attached and yes, that's a beer in my hand (oh the shame...).

This is from my first race. It was an overnight to Corsica neck River. Once there, we all jumped in, drank beer and had a great time!

The guy doing the flip is Colin, In the water with me is Kristy (my skipper) and John (another crewmember).

Race Weekend in Annapolis

Pics from Sat

It was race weekend in Annapolis this week and I have never seen so many sailboats on the water. Loads of fun. Sadly, I have few pictures because when the race starts, there is no time for snapping photos.

A day race is quite different from an overnight, IMHO. Frankly, it's a lot more work. One would think that racing would be somewhat relaxing. There's wind. Water. The count of the gun signaling the start. Things like that. Nothing too strenuous...one would think.

If one thinks that--one is WRONG!

It's never-ending adjustments., putting up the spinnaker...taking down the spinnaker…putting up the spinnaker…etc.

My GOD. I hated the spinnaker by the end of the day. And I only raced on Sat!

And while we didn't win (DRACO from Detroit kicked Ass in that department) we had a great time. A few close calls but one that sticks out is a crew in a J-Boat came within inches of hitting us in trying to scrape by--almost literally. While they thought it was funny…one sudden puff of wind and they'd have broadsided Cal Tip'n. Idiots. I'm all for taking chances but not when someone else's boat is involved!

Anyway--enough complaining. Good wind. Good grew. Good beer. Good friends.

Great time!

Dance Dance Dance

Obviously, I am procrastinating, but DAMN, this cracks me up! And yes, it's my head!

Can I shake it or what?

Yes, you can do this too.

WIND

First Race Pictures

This past weekend was my first sailboat race. Loads of fun and was exciting, periodically scary, mind-numbingly hot but never dull—even when there was no wind and it was more of a bobbing contest and less of a sailboat race.

Saturday: My Captain (Kristi) picked me up and we boogied down to the docks where I met the rest of the crew of the Cal Tipn (not sure if that’s spelled right!)—Carolyn, John and Eric. Carolyn and Eric have sailed with Kristi quite a bit, John a few times and me –NEVER.

Of course I was a little nervous. I was such a newbie. Hell, I still am. So much going on in my head…will we win… will I fall overboard…will it be crazy-fast.

Answers: No. No. No.

The first day was blistering hot and NO WIND to speak of. Kristi said that people tend to ask her how long a race is. Days like Sat make it impossible to tell. We left dock at 8am. Motored to the starting point. They shortened the race due to NO WIND. Motored again. Began race at 12:30. Since no one was going anywhere fast, everyone started dropping out at around 6. We dropped out and motored to the rendezvous and arrived around 6:30 (I think) with the other boats, where we all swam, ate and listened to the band.

And while the sailing/no wind part of the experience might sound dull—there was beer, food, good company and hey—we were on a sailboat. Still beats almost anything else I can think of.

Saturday Night: —Slept on deck, listened to the approaching thunder and prayed we didn’t get rained on.

Sunday: Thunderstorms rolling in so hey--we had wind. And with wind comes sailing. We put up the spinnaker and raced!! Loads of fun and I tried to fly the spinnaker. I say try because flying a spinnaker is an art. When people say it’s like flying a kite they are not kidding. Of course, that makes me want to learn it even more and I think something I’d like to work on and even excel in oneday,

What a great weekend. There is nothing that beats full sails and good company.

Monday: Back at the day job. Tired. Tanned. And the ground is still moving.

Give me Air!

Sailing with Sue

I sail most Thursdays with Sue, Murph and Steve, Loads of fun and I am slowly learning the ins and outs of how to read the wind.

This week was decent air—nothing as exciting as last Sun but still—a decent day on the water is far above and better than the best day behind a desk.

Defying the Laws of Physics

As you might guess--the past few weeks have been busy so no blogging. What can I say--I'd rather be out having fun. This weekend was no exception but it did have a very yin/yang feel to it. First, the yin: I rarely talk about dating on my blog but I am compelled to due to a date I had on Sat. Suffice it to say, that if you smoke, don't lie about it and then light up on the first date with the excuse that 'everyone lies about it'. It's one of those 'deal breaker' issues and only sets a bad precedence.

Now, the yang. Sue and I went sailing yesterday and had fab-u-lous air. We headed cruised to the Bay and back. The funny thing about Sue's boat is that it defies the laws of physics. No matter how far we're heeled over, it reads as 10%. And I am sure there were a few times (at least) we were way past the 10% mark. All I can say is that the more I sail, the more I love to sail. It is the best sport EVAH.

And afterwards, cocktail hour!

Lemons

Todays thought: When life gives you lemons. Freeze them until they are as hard as rocks then throw them back at life. Hard.

First Day in DC

Another fun weekend and here are the pictures to prove it. I decided it was time for me to venture into DC. I’d been planning to go but bad weather then sailing then kayaking got in the way. Sat—I went.

DC is huge and there is TONS to see so I am parceling it it. This weekend, I chose the Washington Monument, The WWII Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.

Even though it’s summer, the Mall area wasn’t as crowded as one might think. It was blazing hot and muggy as hell but I can live with that.

The Washington Monument was…well...Large. Long. A giant phallic symbol, as it were. Still, very cool. Walking up to it I remembered a Universal Truth—no matter the nationality, a family of four will walk side by side down the sidewalk, taking up the entire space. So irritating!

Next was The Wall AKA The Vietnam Memorial. Row after row and column after column. It breaks your heart. Walking along The Wall, you'll see the occasional laminated picture. These are put out on the anniversary of the soldiers death. The experience of The Wall is beautiful and touching and hard to take. So instead of taking many direct pictures, I focused on reflections.

The WWII Monument also carried an unexpected impact because my grandfather was a chaplain in WWII. Stationed in France, Germany and England, he didn't talk much about it but I always loved to hear what he had to say. And he even wrote a little. and I have one of his poems. I’d publish it here but it’s in storage so that will have to wait.

Finally, I went to the Lincoln Memorial. Interesting but too crowded! I’d like to go back but when it’s quiet. It’s too hard to soak up an experience when there’s hoards of people pushing for a better look.
Next---the Smithsonian.

Eastport and Kayaks--Rockin on land and water

Pictures from Eastport-a-Rockin 2006


I love the water—that’s no big secret. Sailing is amazing but without owning a boat or having a lot of friends who own boats—it can get a little pricey and not always practical.

In keeping with my love of water, I tried kayaking this weekend and I have to say that kayaking rocks! You don’t get the speed you get with a sailboat but you are much closer to the water so you feel everything, you’re more maneuverable and with practice you can do fun things like kayak white water. And how cool would that be?

Of course, I also had good friend which makes kayaking that much more fun. In this case, he also helped keep the (dbl)kayak stable—something I didn’t know until I went out by myself today and realized just how wobbly I was on the water when left to my own devices.

NOTE: This is not me in the picture. These people are what?Twenty-five?
After kayaking, we went to the Eastport-a-Rocking music festival. Local bands, good beer, and interesting drunk people. One man kept saying “yes!” to people as they passed. Not sure if he meant ‘yes’ to them or ‘yes’ to their beer, but whatever it was—he was very upbeat about it.

What I truly liked about the festival though was the array of people and that all were having a great time. Age, income, etc nothing seemed to make a difference in attitude. All simply wanted to drink beer, listen to great local bands and dance.

Boat Boat Boat Boat Boat

I went sailing last weekend on an amazing boat--a 40 foot Hallberg-Rassy. She's swift. Plushy. Breathtaking. There were a few mishaps but no one died so all-in-all, the day was a success. But for the first time in along time, I forgot to take pictures. I know what you're thinking --SLACKER!

Sometimes you're enjoying yourself so much that you don't even think about picking up the camera.

Maybe next time.

Sailing 102

Slide show of Sailing 102

One of the reasons I moved to Annapolis was to learn to sailing and finally—the day arrived.

You know how you think about something, dream about it, and build it up in your head. Then when it arrives, it’s a bit of a let down because what was in your head was so much better than reality?

This was nothing like that! Reality far surpassed my fantasies.

Sailing ROCKS!

From rigging the sails and completing a needed job well done to slicing through the water—it is all amazing and wonderful and offers everything from supreme bliss to moments of almost panic (because I really don’t have a clue sometimes).

However, the best part (for me) was when we simply sailed. Cutting through the water, sails filled with wind and the speed of the boat making me smile like a maniac.

Perfect. I can’t imagine life gets much better than that.

I also learned a lot. Sure, I learned the technicalities of sailing—tacking, man overboard, coming about, etc. But I also learned:
1) Sailing is a TEAM sport. Treat it as such and everyone will have a better time.
2) There can only be one Captain at a time
3) As long as everyone is okay--hitting another boat is not the end of the world
4) ...neither is running aground
5) Mistakes will be made. Make them. Move on.
6) The occasional verbal smack-down in necessary. Say what needs to be said. Then move on. Unless it doesn’t stop. Then say it again. If the offender still doesn’t straighten-up,I am fairly sure that tossing them overboard is permissible.
7) Speed is good. Okay, I knew this but wow—it’s so much more fun when sailing

This summer is going to be amazing.

boat boat boat boat boat

Where the Old Things Are

Slide show of Calvert Cliffs State Park

What a glorious day! There is so much to see in MD and the surrounding states that I decided it was time to get started. Of course, having perfect weather doesn’t hurt.

A friend suggested Calvert Cliffs State Park. About 50 miles form my current home, Calvert Cliffs feature was once covered by a shallow ocean. And by once I mean 15 million years ago, give or take a million I suppose.

Anyway, what was left behind is a great beach, swamp and cliffs with fossils imbedded into the strata. Very cool! I walked along the cliffs (the safe side that didn’t have the warning, the cliffs are unstable sign) but still kept my eyes and ears open. Watched the ground as I walked, even sifted through the sand, and I found...not a damned thing.

Although I did see an adorable snake--if one likes snakes. Which I do. Kinda surprising when you read about my fear of mice, huh?

Even without finding one freaking sharks tooth (curse you fossil gods!!) I have no complaints. The beach was quiet. The water was cold. The sun was warm. I had a foccacia sandwich with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, and I spent a significant amount of time lying on a red rock listening to the waves. All-in-all, a good day. How can one complain when you have a rock and the beach all to yourself?

Word of advice if you plan to visit on a Saturday, get there early. When I walked back to my car, I passed numerous people walking to the beach. I left in the nick of time!

Update on Annapolis

Slide show of Annapolis-Streetcars, Sunsets, and Cherry Blossoms


Life has been a little chaotic since I moved to Annapolis. New job. New place to live. New people. You name it and it's been happening. Whew! But there has been some fun along the way. First stop--the streetcar graveyard. Okay, I'm not sure what the real name is. There is a streetcar museum, but this was not it. I was tooling about Baltimore with a friend and we happened to drive past this place when we were trying to get back to the highway. It was on the side of the road and was a mishmash of falling-apart streetcars, giant gears, etc. I had to stop. The light was good and there's something about pieces of the past that interest me--must be the archaeologist in me (she's screaming to get out but I shut her up with beer!)

Cherry Blossoms: Same friend. Different day. We went to see the famous cherry blossoms of DC. Well, kind of famous. We didn't go into DC since it’s a NIGHTMARE during that time with every tourist in the vicinity coming to gawk at the blooms. Instead, we went to a neighborhood called Kenmore. Tons of trees and a fraction of the tourists. Gorgeous! There was a cute kid/entrepreneur selling lemonade and cookies. Of course we bought some.

Sadly, there are no pictures of the DC yet. Not nearly enough time by the water. No sailing. I blame it on the weather. Tues, it was 80 degree. Friday, it snowed. But soon...really. I swear.

Welcome to Annapolis

I’m not back on the road again but I am in a new place—Annapolis, Maryland. The NJ beach was fun, there wasn’t much there besides the opportunity to meditate on the beach.

While Annapolis and DC has everything! History. Government. Interesting people. Intrigue.

Beside the above mentioned, Annapolis gets wonky weather. This week—in the fifties. Last week—ice storm. After living in TX and Mexico and Hollywood, sleet and icy rain was new and different. Very pretty but I have to admit that driving in it was less than desirable. I think ‘terrifying’ is the actual word! So, I didn’t drive. I skipped work and took pictures.