kimberwulf

John Steinbeck's Fudge and Candy Factory

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:22:48 GMT

John Steinbeck's Fudge and Candy Factory
The glory of Cannery Row. I found this sign out front oddly fascinating and in sheer contrast of my perception of Steinbeck. It would be like watching Marilyn Manson do stand up comedy or Stephan King singing ballad love songs. I'm not saying Steinbeck couldn't have enjoyed making candy, I'm just saying I would check the Belgian nut cluster for bourbon and cyanide.

Contrast was the theme of the vacation. Later that same day, we stopped at a shamelessly themed restaurant called "Bubba Gump Shrimp". I was more than amused to watch these 2 small boys sitting at a table in the bar, their mom tossing back her 3rd chardonnay, while Forrest is getting to 2nd base with Jenny in the background. A family diner based on a rated "R" movie. When do we get to have Justin's birthday party at "Saw's Funhouse"?

We rented a convertible for the drive. You might think this is unnecessary, but it was a LONG drive and we took Highway 1 for as much of it as we could. It was a little chilly, but we really didn't care. We turned on the heater so we could have the top down. Yeah, I know. Still don't care. Then, as a last line of defense before ever having to actually put the top up, Mike reminded me we had heated seats. Heated seats!!! Shut up!! Why sit on a blanket, or have a heater blowing warmed air on you, when you could spread this warmth from the ass up? That's the greatest thing ever!!

There were a ton of families everywhere in both Carmel and Monterey. Although we demand tolerance when we are one of those families, we have little patience when we are sans kids. We noticed a family of 4 passing in front of us fearlessly on one of the countless crosswalks. This man was sporting quite the pony tail, carrying a huge purse, and holding the leashes of 2 of the groomest poodles you've ever seen. Mike and I were laughing so loud, I'm sure he could hear us. It would have been SO forgivable if he were actually gay. The fact that he was with his wife and 2 daughters indicated he had given up all hope. He had to have traded his manhood for those poodles, or perhaps he was just carrying it in his purse.

Driving home, slightly guilty of the rich food and beach-lounging, we passed these bicyclists. They weren't just bicyclists, these people were hard core in full gear, carrying bags with sleeping bags, some matches, rice, and a great big smile. Are you kidding me? Be gone from my sight, you self-sufficient green hippies of guilt! My ass is getting cold, and I just can't bring myself to heat my seat while you are peddling and smiling and looking all healthy. Demons!!

Yes, we had a wonderful time. Yes, we ate amazing food and saw amazing art and will make this trip again. The moral of the story is, of course, that I will learn to make the perfect red wine sangria.

Cheers!!!

Up to Date and Moving Forward

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:02:46 GMT

Mrs. Modew, I do love you.

We're moving again. I really don't mind, there's a freshness and a cleansing involved in moving. I love this house for various reasons, but in the last year it seems to only serve as a constant reminder of what it's lacking. I had some concerns that the kids need to be more stable and need a house they can say they grew up in so they feel at home. But my kids really don't think of a house as home. Its the 4 of us, always, together, wherever.

I want a pool. The kids are past the "falling in and drowning" phase. Now I picture random laps to relax and pool parties in summer.

I want a formal dining room. At the very least, a dining area. The last time we had a dining room, we just used it to drop the mail on anyway. The kids were little and we couldn't seem to get everyone seated and it seemed like a waste of space. Now, we only sit at a table to eat in the backyard when its not too hot or too cold or there aren't too many bugs. How I LONG for 4 seats and a level, flat surface to eat and talk with the kids.

I want a master bedroom with a little space between itself and the kids' rooms. Various reasons. 'Nuff said.

It's weird to feel yourself reaching the next level of maturity, you notice? This one is affecting me more than the others. Maybe because its quieter. This level wasn't hailed in with a dramatic birth or other event. Just a change in views, a change in priorities, more control to pick and choose what you want for your future. It's all good.

Looking for a Date....for Kickball?

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:37:01 GMT

So, I just got back from seeing my baby-girl walk the walk to the graduation area for 6th grade. We had so much fun at Macy's last night shopping for something appropriate to wear, and we did find the perfect dress. She's in the jouniors section now, so finding something a 12 year old would not look like a hooker in was somewhat of a challenge. We found it though, and she looked great.

So many parents didn't bother.

I couldn't believe what some of these girls walked across their elementary schoolyard in. These dresses were straight out of their mothers' closets, and their mothers were whores. I get it, your 6th grader developed early and are sporting B cups. That can't be helped. Plunging necklines and push-up bras are ridiculous.

I'm SO grateful my daughter gets to be 12 when she's 12. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Be Your Own Floatation Device

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:34:13 GMT

I'm dripping on my keyboard.

Some of you know I swim laps now on my lunch hour. There's several reasons why, and oddly enough the "fitness" factor is about #4. For fun, I'll count it down for you.

#3 I get a tan 25 minutes at a time

#2 You cannot stress me out in the afternoon, period. It's not possible I love that fact that I can't stress.

#1 I was never very good at it. I've never been a strong swimmer, and that's always really bugged me.

So off I go, with a fully packed bag every day at 11:25. I'm totally out of place there. Everyone else is in their 50's with their speedo uniform navy blue tank suits and their identical goggles and swim caps. I'm a total pool nerd. My hair is far too long and my suit is far too impractical. I splash while I swim, and I have to stop to breathe. They can all roll their heads to breathe in, like you're supposed to do, without breaking stride. That's the part I never really got the hang of.

They're friendlier now. I'm not one of the twenty-year-old tanning girls that lay poolside and chat on their cell phones. I'm not one of the stay-at-home mom's that let their kids run wild for lack of anything else to do. I'm there for business, and they respect that.

The only reason I'm blogging now is that I finally managed 20 laps in the olympic-sized pool in 25 minutes. My laps are quicker, and my recovery time for laps 14-18 aren't as long. It was a simple goal, and I reached it. Yay!

New Year's Eves and Never-agains

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 19:16:14 GMT

Having your birthday on New Year's Eve has its ups and downs. I take it all in stride now because, frankly, you can't do anything about it. It was a raw deal when I was a kid, it did take on a life of it's own once I turned 21. Now being a bit past the 21 year old stage, I've taken on a new respect.

I had promised Justin that we would spend NYE in South Lake Tahoe this year. He had been begging me for the last 5 years, but I always pictured myself spending midnight on a closed freeway on the side of a mountain with 5,000 other fools in a crisp 20 degrees. This year, the calander was kind enough to manipulate the dates of travel to allow for absolutely no traffic for us there or back. We had a great place to stay (Justin is a wonderful host) and we were kidless to boot. The planets seemed to line up perfectly, and we were in for a great time.

We'd had a few drinks before we left the apartment, so we decided to take a shuttle down, and a cab back up. Usually, we drive down and cab back, picking up the car again the next morning(ish) while grabbing breakfast(ish) by the lake. The shuttle stop was across the street, since Justin's house is now at Heavenly at a nearly oxygen-free 10,000 feet altitude. We made it to the casino's at around 9:30.

We had a great time...until. We had all won a little over $100 at a craps table at Bill's, so we were freely spending the casino's money back into the casino bars. We danced in the streets with the throngs, and drank champaigne at midnight. Suddenly feeling another year older, I was ready to head back at 12:45 to warm up and catch the last of the festivities on TV. Mike took off to try his luck at the tables, Justin and I went to try our luck at the cabs.

That was where our luck ran out.

I've done this casino thing dozens of times, and we've never had a cab problem before. The riot police that were standing around bored and taking pictures with the brave/stupid and scantily clad 20-somethings until midnight, then were completely gone. I do believe the casinos paid off the cab companies to only trickle in so the people would stay inside the casinos and gamble. Touche', casinos! It was getting really cold. The crowds grew more drunk. The crowds grew more angry. Fighting broke out. The cabs that did come by were going to the highest bidders, upwards to $300 apiece. I pulled Justin into a cafe just to warm up and hide before trying again.

When we did finally get a cab, we shared with another couple and paid $40 per person to go about 6 miles. It was a bargain. It was also about 3:30 AM. Mike had similar problems, and he came in around 6.

So, we nursed our aging bodies for another couple of days and drove back on Tuesday. We felt we had extracted our revenge on the general masses by laughing at their 8 hour commute for 100 miles down the mountain on the 1st. I came back with a somewhat disabling chest cold and another year's wisdom.

Next year, I'm thinking party at my house. Crash space available.

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 21:06:48 GMT

Life is good. Good in the sense that I am very lucky to have an amazing family and fulfilling life. However, in balance I am too pessimistic to stop complaining.

My kids are incredible. My daughter is sensitive and dramatic and responsible. AT 11 years old, she really has a natural ability to take the best of life with both hands and really enjoy it. That's something it took me so many years to learn. I'm so proud of her, and I admire her in so many ways. She thinks I'm the best mom ever, and she doesn't know that I'm just trying every day to be worthy of her.

My 6 year old Scorpio son has been way too mature for his age since he was 6 months old. As a baby in his high chair, he would get a very intense look in his eyes and look up through his furrowed brows. Once he was down on the floor, he would have a stack of books and things built in 20 minutes to reach something he couldn't normally get. He'll be 7 in a few weeks, and I feel like I never really got to have a "kid" stage with him. He has a very strong sense of honor and is not intimidated by anyone. He LOVES women. He hits on his sister's friends and mine with equal enthusiasm. He's very charming and plays his beautiful smile in unison with a very quick wit.

I really hate my job, but I'm good at it and it pays fairly well. I've learned a lot about life, but I've unfortunately grown a strong distaste for the general population. It's a lot of underhanded scheming, argument and compromise. I've been so submerged, I've forgotten what it was I wanted to do when I grew up. I WILL do something else for a living someday, and I will enjoy and appreciate it more for the time I've spent doing this.

I could go on and on, but perhaps should take this in bite-sized pieces.

Thank you for the forum.