Halloween Rainbow

We had raindrops in Southern California this Halloween morning. It was the first rain of Autumn. I caught this rainbow when I stopped to pick up breakfast before getting to work. It actually was a double rainbow, but the other rainbow didn't show up in the picture.

I've been carrying my camera around with me and I told myself that I would be on the look out for beauty. I'm glad I had my camera with me this morning.

Ode to Halloween

Oh Halloween! To be anything and everything you've ever dream. I love all it's wrappings and all that the unwrappings bring. I love going to haunted houses and just being scared out of my wits! Instant screams and jitters--what's there not to love? I think going thru a haunted house and having some dressed up unidentified blended to the wall character pop out just awakens that hidden sense -- FEAR!

Could it be real? It just might? Is it real? It might as well be the way you jump three feet in the air. The reality is that you're in a safe "haunted house" and you can test your fear level in a safe environment. How does it rate? How high did I jump? How loud did I scream? What does it tell us all?

That we are alive.

Take Your Dramamine Before Seeing This Movie

Last night my friend and I celebrated our friend's birthday. This is a major year for girlfriend as she has been anointed as one of the lucky ones who caught her breast cancer early and went thru treatment with flying colors. She felt unwell after her chemo and radiation, but just recently she has found herself feeling soooo much better. So Wednesday night we all went out to celebrate her birthday.

She wanted to see a movie, have dessert after and open presents. I chose the movie, "Rachel Getting Married", directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Anne Hathaway.

My beef: There was no warning sign on the poster stating that this film is filmed using that free form style of camera movement. Do the words, Blair Witch Project explain what I mean?? Talk about feeling sick and nauseated throughout the entire movie! I had to watch the entire movie with my head down and peek every once in awhile thru my fingers to get an idea what was happening. I guess Director Demme thought that the audience needed to feel as if we were a guest attending the wedding and be a part of everything. I was so into the wedding that I was beginning to feel bad for not getting the happy couple a wedding gift. The constant zooming around the entire room to catch every little scene going on during the preparation of the wedding, thru the extremely long rehearsal dinner and the extremely long reception was just over kill. OMD I thought the wedding was never going to end.

The minute the first credit appeared at the end of the movie, I got up from my seat and ran to the bathroom. I don't want to kill you with suspense, so I'll just tell you right now that I didn't get sick -- but I thought I was going to get sick. I was really close to losing my popcorn.

After we all got outside and I inhaled some fresh air, I felt somewhat better--better enough to have dessert and finish our birthday celebration for Patti!

So, if you get motion sickness skip this movie or make sure you've got your to get you thru it.

Where I Spend 10 Hours of My Day

I thought I would write about where I am during the day. Unfortunately I'm not enjoying fresh air and enjoying the scenery. I work at a government agency called SCAQMD - South Coast Air Quality Management District. We attempt to keep the air clean in Southern California. I work for the District Prosecutor's office.

What I enjoy most about my work is the staff in our division. I've been in my division since the division was created in 1989 and most of our staff has been here that long too. Thus, we've created a family type atmosphere throughout the years. We all say it's a family--a dysfunctional family--but a family none the less. I've had many good years and lots of fun and laughter. This year we went thru some major changes; thus, there are not as many laughs as there used to be, but we still manage to have some fun while we work.

This is my office where I spend most of my day. I really love my space. It's become a bit cluttered throughout the years. Sometimes people give you things and you just don't know what to do with them so I just leave them here in my office. I love my Michael Parkes prints on my walls. I have two of them and I love to stare at them and daydream. The name of this picture is called Tuesday's Child. The girl in the painting is walking on a rope in the sky. You can come up with many interpretations for this painting and I believe they will all be correct. Below, is the other Michael Parkes print. I really enjoy this painting. It's called "Still Life" and yet everything is moving. At times, I wish I were that cat at the window.

My office is decorated for Halloween. Everyone makes fun of me because they know I love Halloween so much. I even have a Witches hat hanging on the coat rack in my office. There's my skeleton jester and my tree in the background with Halloween ornaments. I keep my cut out rats and bats on the wall all year round. I have them also outside my office, taped onto my former boss' office, and to the other offices down the hall. No one really minds and they keep them up all year long too. We like to say it keeps "the others" away.

Well that's my den and where you'll find me 10 hours a day. Now I'm going to go back to daydreaming.

Getting into the Spirit of Halloween

I love Halloween! I also love when adults get into the spirit of Halloween and go out of their way to bring out the kid in them. I caught this picture in the parking lot of a grocery store. I wished I would have hung out until the person returned to their car, but grown up obligations got in my way.

October Picnic at Lacy Park

October 25, 2008 - It was a hot day today. This is what they call Indian Summer. Hubby and I spent the day with the pups at Lacey Park in San Marino. This is my favorite park yet I haven't been here since 2001? Still peaceful and beautiful as ever. Non residents have to pay to get in. The price of admission $4.00. It use to be $1.00 but I guess the price of serenity and loveliness has gone up. The old man that sits in the admission booth is way beyond his years. He waves us in. Do we look like locals? It must be our dogs that got us in.

The park is just as I remembered it. Vast, green, huge shady trees and only a handful of people scattered amongst the trees.

We lunched on deli sandwiches and after we slept under the green trees while the pups dutifully watched for squirrel activity. It actually felt like a lazy summer day.



To get my husband to do something like this takes a lot of convincing. It's not like him to go someplace with the dogs and do nothing. But he actually enjoyed the peacefulness and he even took a mini nap. A few times I looked around the park and saw other couples lying in the grass or just sitting and observing a bunch of nothing and they looked like doing nothing was something they did often -- in a good way.

When we finally gathered our things we talked about doing nothing again. I hope we do.