So long 2009...

This year has had its up and downs…

1. I've been unemployed all year. That’s good and bad. But that’s all I have to say about that.

2. I went back to Juneau this last July with my Aunt to see my parents on their boat. We were popsicles, but had a great time ;-)

3. I started a diet about 3 months back. Lost 25 lbs… gained 2 back (in only 4 weeks of slacking, not bad) and will continue on.

4. Whole heartedly welcomed a new member of the family… my cousin’s fiancée Savannah. She was always family, but it will become official in February. Being there when she found “The” dress, helping with invitations, seeing the venue, etc, has been awesome.

5. Attended the memorial service for Officer John Hege. He was the brother of a close friend growing up.

6. Road tripped down to L.A. with Sarah, and spent a few days down there visiting with friends from all over, going to Disneyland and to a game.

7. Spent a few fun weekends down in San Jose with out of town friends and seeing some games.

8. Spent a few fun days on the coast and got to see a newborn harbor seal be rescued.

9. Saw the new California Academy of Sciences and the Faberge exhibit at the Legion of Honor.

10. It’s been a financially tough year, so here’s to winning the lottery in 2010 :-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Ryan from The Real World Brooklyn, Return to Duty and Iraq

So because of the fact that over the holidays, every show is a rerun, I have been re-watching The Real World Brooklyn online. Actually just finished the reunion episode a little bit ago. And I never knew MTV made a follow up show called 'Return to Duty' about Ryan. I just started it a little bit ago, then felt inclined to write this.

I admit to finding him a likable guy on the show, and balling the first time I watched the season when he found out be was recalled to the Army and was going back to Iraq. I know I don't "know" the guy. And I know he isn't "technically" a celebrity. But having watched The Real World, I feel Like I know him a little. I know some people whine about why people morn celebrities, for example, when you never actually met the person. But when you learn a lot about a person and get to know their story, it feels personal.

Anyway, after watching the episode where he got recalled last night, I added him on MySpace (and tonight on FB). Not sure why, I'm never on MySpace. But looked him up on there out of curiosity. Then tonight I just read his new blog dated today, about his close Army friend (RIP Darren) who just died 3 days ago of an overdose of pain medication. I just re-watched the scene from The Real World where Ryan, Darren and his child attend the 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero. It's just so sad to see their interaction, now knowing what happened.

Ryan seems like such a good guy, and has a personality that makes you think he can overcome anything and still have a smile when it's all over and done with. For someone I have never, and will never, meet... I truly respect the guy in a lot of ways. And I hope he returns home safe, and on schedule, this Spring.

Auschwitz and other thoughts...

I'm so irritated about the sign at Auschwitz being stolen. Some may find that odd. But I have always been fascinated by what happened during the Holocaust. Why? I don't know, but I am. I am hugely sympathetic to those murdered and their survivors. Truly awful what happened back then. Part of me thinks, that maybe I was in a camp in a past life. The same way I am so fascinated with ancient Egypt. Maybe I lived in the days of the Pharaohs. Not sure if I do or do not believe in that stuff. But the thought crosses my mind sometimes as to why I (or anyone) has a deep affinity to a person, culture, location or place in time. But I digress. As far as that sign being stolen, I compare it to any significant artifact being stolen from a country during wartime, or peace. And also the fact that there are certain things I want to see before I am no longer able to. One in the past, was the Berlin Wall. I would have found it so impactful to have seen the Wall, prior to it coming down. And every once in a while it comes up that "they" are worried that Mt Vesuvius will erupt again, and once again cover the city of Pompeii. I would regret not having seen it. So the same thing with this sign. I did just read that they immediately replaced it with a replica. But it's not the same thing.

Holiday in San Francisco

Today my Mom, Aunt and I went to San Francisco to have lunch, shop and look at all the pretty decorations. We had 11:45am lunch reservations at Kuleto's right near Union Square. It's a very pretty Italian restaurant adjacent/inside the Villa Florence Hotel. I said screw it to my diet and had the saffron risotto with scallops and shrimp, and an affogato for dessert. So I splurged. My Mom treated my Aunt and I as part of out Bday presents.

Then we headed to Holiday Lane in Macy's, which wasn't as big as normal, but still nice. Then my Aunt decided we needed to go take a picture with Santa, so we did. I'm waiting on my Mom to scan the picture.
We had to head to Neiman Marcus after that to look at their beautiful tree, all 4 stories of it. So took some pics from the bottom floor, then headed up to the 3rd floor balcony to see it from up there.
I saw some beautiful Christian Louboutin pumps there that would go perfectly with the dress my Aunt got for my cousin's wedding. But At $725, she decided to pass ;-) It was these, only in a royal blue.

After that we went and looked at the kittens in the Macy's window and then headed to Gumps to see their beautiful ornaments. I spotted this blood orange syrup there that looked so good. Guess you can use it in drinks, on waffles, over ice cream, etc. So I bought a bottle for my Step-Dad for Xmas. Maybe he'll let me try some :-)

I treated myself at this jewelry store to a leather rhinestone bracelet.
I liked it, so I got it. We ended the evening just sitting and watching the ice skaters on Union Square and taking some pictures. It was a really nice day.

The cold... and my diet...

The weather has changed quite a bit. I started using the heater in my house about a month ago. The weather started cooling down and I thought it was time. But not needed more than in the last few days. Snow all over the Bay Area and lows around 30 degrees. Brrrrr!!! We have these spells every year, and I actually enjoy them. It’s nice to have a change in climate every once in a while. Reminds me of when I lived in Mammoth Lakes, having moved there New Years Eve, having never lived in the snow before. My biggest “cold” memory of that time, was the feeling of first waking up all warm in your bed, and having to walk to the bathroom to take a shower in the morning and shivering like crazy. When I walked into my bathroom earlier I had that thought. I keep the window in there cracked almost year round, and just keep the door closed. But boy if it isn’t 20 degrees colder in there than the rest of my house right now. Seriously. BRRRR!!!

Anyway… my other thought was my dinner tonight. I was craving Taco Bell, sick I know, but true. So I decided to screw my diet for the night and get 3 crunchy taco supremes for dinner. They tasted good at the time, but funny how your system changes after not eating fast food for a while. I wasn’t feeling so hot afterwards and wondered why I did that to myself. Not that I haven’t cheated on my diet here and there, but almost every time, my body know it’s something I shouldn’t be eating. It’s kind of interesting. But regardless of the cheating on my diet a little, I lost 5 lbs last week. And that was the week after Thanksgiving. I was amazed. That was week 8. My weight loss in lbs has been like this over the 8 weeks… 7, 5, 0, 1, 4, 2, 1 and 5. 25lbs in total. I still haven’t really been exercising like I should, so that is just a diet change only. I’m happy about that. This is going to be another tough week however. I am going to dinner with a friend on my Birthday (Wed). Then my Great Aunt is taking me to a Birthday lunch on Thursday. Then I have a friend’s Holiday party on Saturday. In a restaurant, I do my best to order the most sensible option. But at the party this weekend, the food cannot be resisted, so I will indulge.

Anyway, those were just my random thought for the evening.

Thanksgiving

So, tonight was a very enjoyable family gathering. Just 10 of us. We have a pretty small family, but this is the group that gathers for all the major holidays. The food was yummy as usual. This was my first holiday since staring the diet, so I cheated just a little, but ate in moderation. I've lost 19 pounds in the first 6 weeks, so I don't want to blow it too bad. Tomorrow ends week 7, which means I weight myself again. With cheating tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if I lost nothing, but we shall see. Anyway... so dinner was nice tonight. The guys at one end of the table, the girls on the other. Their end had much chatter about cars and sports. While we chatted more about tv shows, movies, everyday life, etc. Always a fun time.

My cousin and his fiancee are going to Maui on their honeymoon. And they are staying at a resort I stayed at 20 years ago (geez... 20 years... blah). So I wanted to hunt down the photo album from when we went so they could see pictures. Then it turned into a walk down memory lane. I found the pictures from our family trip to Cancun and Chichen Itza, several of our Maui trips, a cruise we went on back in middle school that a friend tagged a long on, slumber parties, etc. I now gave my Mom the task of scanning a bunch of them for me so I have them, and to post on Facebook for all to see. It was fun reminiscing. Anyway, I hope everyone had a nice turkey day :-)

Busy week

I kind of realize that I don't blog too much anymore. And think it's mainly because of just commenting on FB and the like. Anyway... this is the latest...

"So... I have to take my Great Aunt to chemo tomorrow. Then Thursday is the typical Thanksgiving at my Moms. Then Friday heading to my Aunt's to help her decorate for Xmas. Her surgery if going to be on the 1st, so she wants to get some of it done while she is still able to help. Plus my Uncle just had unplanned hernia surgery last Friday... during which I went and dog sat for one of Danny and Savannah's dogs (Tanner) who was recovering from getting fixed the day before. Too much surgery stuff... ahhhhh!! :-) Then Sunday, my Mom, Savannah, Danielle (David's gf) and I will be going to my Aunts to make Xmas ornaments like these... http://www.ehow.com/how_5013336_decorate-glass-ornaments-paint.html"

Whew... that's this week.

Just help people out, and pay it forward...

So, I was just watching the video for Lady Antebellum's "I Run To You". Love the song, but never watched the video before. But it reminded me of a situation I witnessed maybe a month or 2 ago...

So, every week or so I have (don't mean that as a chore) to take my Great Aunt for the day to do something. It may be sitting with her through a 2-3 hour Chemo Appt, or just running errands with her like grocery shopping. Anyway... one day she and I had to go pick up one of her prescriptions from the medical office she normally visits. This was a prescription she couldn't fill before hand, so we had to come in, fill it and wait. They are often slow.

That being beside the point, there was an older woman who came in to ask about her prescription. I could hear this whole thing... The pharmacist said they checked with her insurance company and they were not able to cover her pain medication. She had her ankle wrapped up in ace bandages, but not sure if that was why she was there. The pharmacist asked if she wanted the meds anyway and said yes, as she rummaged through her wallet. He said it was going to be $17 for 10 pills. Seemed like they had a quiet exchange because they then discussed if she maybe wanted to buy 5 pills instead or something.

At the time, there was this other lady at the counter waiting for her prescription to be ready. Soon after she heard that last woman's exchange with the pharmacist, I heard her ask, "How much was that? $17?" and the pharmacist said "Yes". The woman pulled out a $20 and paid for the other woman's full prescription of 10 pills. The woman was very grateful and discreetly cried on her shoulder. It was a very moving experience, and I only regret that the idea hadn't come to me first.

Secret Santa

So this is the third year in a row that we are doing a Secret Santa on The NHL Arena. In 2007 I got a guy who lives in Calgary. I got him one of these green street signs that said Calgary Flames at the top and customized it with his name (I'd post a picture, but can't seem to find them online anymore). And I got the Hockey Night in Canada DVD game from... that's bad, I can't remember. In 2008 I got a Ducks fan a Ducks Mr Potato Head.

And I got a Saskatchewan Fire Fighter calendar (Yummy!), the same DVD game as the year before (Ooops) and a Team Canada jersey magnet.

I am a big fan of giving gifts, and even a bigger fan of finding something unique and personal, if possible. So this year what I came up with for my person was too cool, and very unique. So much so, that I hope someone didn't have the same mindset in the past and they already have it. I thought it was so cool that I got the same thing for myself. So I just hope all goes well with shipping and it goes off without a hitch. Of course I'll have to keep you all in suspense until after Xmas, since there is a decent chance that my person could read this :-)

Dream... about being in Iraq...

"I was in Iraq for some reason. And it was more forest like rather than desert. While I was there, there was some sort of uprising and a group of American's sided with the Iraqis and were against us. Myself and the people I was with were basically running for our lives. We had to sneak through forests, down strange paths, through marshes, etc, to try to avoid these people. All the while hearing gunfire and seeing people shot around us. We even ended up in some abandoned house with two abandoned dogs, until we were found out and had to run.

Then cut to me getting to some sort of refugee camp where they were evacuating people. The people were put in groups of people for each flight. One bus was leaving as I got there... and I kind of had an aerial view of their travel. The bus was going like a bat out of hell through the streets, avoiding cars and people, to get to the airport. Then two men with guns were running from a building taking about talking hostages. But, when they got to the airport, there was some sort of UN or Embassy escort and they were safe from there.

Back in my reality, I was sitting in the second group (to fill a plane and leave) at the airport. I saw someone get up and leave from the first group so went up to the front to see if I could get bumped up. And they checked my paperwork and said yes. At this point my Grandma was with me and she said she was feeling like she had low blood sugar, so went to a medic and thought she would miss the flight. I went up to the front to chat with the people about it in case she missed the flight, and Christian Slater (must be from watching 'The Forgotten' lately) was one of the guys working up front there now. But she was ok and back in time. Then my Mom and Aunt were there, and a couple of groups behind us, so chatted with them for a few.

My group ended up getting shuffled to the terminal and though security. I had to give up my 3 water bottles. I thought I was going to be able to buy one by the terminal but the shops were closed, and I only had US dollars too. When we got there, we received our boarding passes, and saw for the first time that we were flying from Iraq to Brazil to the States. And found out my Mom and Aunt were flying through Germany, and then home."

That's all I remember. I knew when I woke up for the first time I should have gotten up to write it down. By the time I got up, that's what I remember. And no, I didn't watch a war movie before bed. Strange how the mind works.

Time flies... and music is reborn...

Someone made me aware tonight that my MySpace headline was about 2 months old. You can see how much I update that page these days now that FB has come along, LOL. But I updated it anyway... layout, profile pic, playlist, etc. Especially playlist.

But that person reminded me of a genre of music I haven't listened to in a while... yet love. So it was fun to listen to some stuff I haven't heard in a while... Project Pitchfork, Wumpscut, Rammstein, Assemblage 23, VNV Nation, etc. Great stuff!!

LOVE!!!
Project Pitchfork - The longing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_tgNIJ0ymU

And these too...

Wumpscut - The Beast Sleeps Within You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Hf55TWGi8

Rammstein - Du Hast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doTBT46wMvA

VNV Nation - Illusion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu-8wGbWMro
(I love this video someone did to the music)

And in honor of Halloween...

Marilyn Manson - This Is Halloween
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8focjiIDDrY

Fox Sports NHL Widget... and why I picked the teams I did...

So, this widget is Pretty cool!!

It asked me for my 6 teams to show up in the widget, and I'd never thought beyond my #1 and #2 before. They didn’t force me to choose a 1-6... but I at least have reasons for choosing a 1-6...

1 - Sharks... DUH!! They are my home team. The team name that entered my breath the same day as the word 'hockey'.

2 - Coyotes... I have a friend in Phoenix, so when I visited her early in my hockey days, I made her go to games with me when I visited. We even got tickets just 3-4 rows behinds the Sharks bench one game. And I have been there about another 4 times seeing the Yotes play teams other than the Sharks. I kind of adopted them as #2. And they have a great Arena.

3 - Senators - Well this one is different. I had no interest in the Sens a while back... there was no reason. Then my favorite player (Milan Michalek) got traded to them. Even then I didn't have it in my head to immediately follow them. But gradually I began curious of his progress and how he had been doing. So I started rooting for the Sens. He did well a couple of games, but regardless, I was at least keeping tabs on the team anyway.

4 - Flyers - Another random team. I don't really "follow" them per say, but am happy when they do well against none of my favorite teams. I became friends and/or acquaintances with a handful of Flyers fans over the last few years and they are so devoted that it was hard not to cheer them on... when there wasn't a conflict of interest.

5 – Capitals – I flew to D.C. (office in Maryland) for work in Oct ’06, and had my nights free. I had maybe seen a handful of games at that time. But I had the bug. My friend who was travelling with me and I, met up with a childhood friend of mine and her boyfriend for a game. It was really random since I was new to the sport and really the only one who gave a crap about the game ;-) But it was fun to see Verizon Center all the same.

6 – Kings – Another division rival… but I seem to think of things on a more personal level that just hockey rivalries. I have met (online and in person) a lot of Kings fans over the last couple of years and they are great. And I call them friends. In the effort of hanging with them and seeing hockey at the same time, I have seen a handful of games in L.A., which is great.

So as is the theme, familiarity comes into play. There is something personal and/or hockey related that draws me to each of these teams. That’s just the way it is ;-)

The Diet and stuff...

So my Aunt and I have been chatting the last couple of months about doing Atkins. She started watching what she was eating, but not really doing the numbers and stuff. But my cousin (her son) is getting married in Feb (mentioned that before) and she wants to shed a few pounds. So anyway, I finally jumped on the bandwagon 15 days ago. And full force. Like back when I was 25 or so, and was still biting my nails as I had all my life, so I decided to stop. And I did. And when I had made the decision to quit smoking 3 years ago (after 13 years), I picked a day and using the patch, the rest is history. So I'm hoping I can use the same will to do this too.

You are supposed to start out eating 20g net carbs a day for the first 2 weeks, then increase after that. Well, my goal is to keep it under that all the time, then if I go over on a certain day or something, I won't freak. Well, I lost 7lbs the first week, and 5 more this last week. That was exciting. I carry my little book withe the general nutritional stats for food with me everywhere I go. As well as an Atkins journal where I write down everything I've been eating. Works for me so far.

Today though, was my friend's daughter's Bday party that was happening at a Frozen Yogurt shop. For the last couple of months I've been craving frozen yogurt, so I already knew I was going to splurge and have a little today. So I did. Then that turned into eating pizza for dinner as well. My friend, being the awesome person she is, was actually looking in her fridge to find something carb friendly to make me so I didn't have to have pizza. But told her I was just going to splurge and have the pizza. Then had a root beer (not diet) with it, not even thinking. Let's just say my diet was screwed today big time. And as I was driving home a couple of hours ago, I realized I didn't feel so good. I think mentally and physically, what I did today didn't feel so hot. Back on track tomorrow, I hope. Some good friend's invited me over tomorrow night for dinner, and they are gourmet cooks. So think I just need to be mindful of what I choose to eat. It's a learning curve, but I think the results will be worth it.

Oh... and my awesome friend and her husband let me put on the Sharks game after we got back from the yogurt shop. Yay for a Sharks win :-)

Blogging, Social Networking sites, etc...

It's funny... back in the day of caring about MySpace, I used to blog all the time. Random crap that came to my head every day. Now I log onto my MySpace personal account maybe 2-3 times a month. It's really "out of site out of mind". Funny that one social networking site can just take over for another like that. I remember when I hated FB when it was new, and was so loyal to MS. LOL. Not anymore. Anyway, when that realization happened, I started this site to blog on instead of on MS. But now I just forget to do it. Not like I have anything of importance to say. But it used to be about my day, my feelings, what was going on, etc. Well, maybe I'll have to get back to that. It was a nice release back then just to get stuff out.

Hockey has finally arrived... and other stuff...

After a LONG off-season of trying to scour the internet for anything and everything Sharks, the season is finally here. And things with the team are finalized for the most part. A good handful of players are gone (including my favorite guy), and we have a bunch of new faces that I only know about by name. So this is a new season, and a new team. I'm anxious for them to get started tomorrow night and see what they can do. I purchased a couple of new Sharks items this summer, but done with the splurging for now. The shirt I found on eBay and thought it was cool, and the jersey I bought the day JR retired. Miss you already JR. Oh, and went to the Teal and White game (Thanks Sarah's co-worker!!), and that was a great way to start getting pumped for the season.






Other than that, not up to much. My cousin and his fiancee are getting married in February. So that has been the talk of the family lately. We went this last Saturday dress shopping for her, and she found the one. It is GORGEOUS!!! And she looks gorgeous in it. I happened to be poking around online looking for dresses for me to wear at the wedding, and I found one. It came in the mail a week or so ago, and I think it's a keeper. One less thing to worry about.

And it's been almost exactly 5 months since my Mom and Step-Dad left for their 5th annual summer jaunt up the coast of B.C. and Alaska. They will be getting the boat back to it's final resting place for the Winter, on Saturday. Then they will be home within the week after sometime. It'll be nice to have them back.

That's it for now... I haven't blogged in so long that I'm not sure of everything I wanted to say. But that's the download from my brain for now :-)

Very 80's

OK, so I don't know what my deal is. About 2+ months ago I had a sudden urge to buy a jean jacket. And I know you can buy random fashion denim jackets. But I wanted a traditional 80's style (new) one, and they weren't that easy to find. But I found one.

Then earlier this week I was thinking about those jelly bracelets that were all the rage. So I ended up on eBay. From one buyer I bought a set of 5 black ones. Another buyer an assortment of 24 of them, and from a third, an assortment of 50. It didn't cost that much, so I bought that many just because I had no idea of what colors I would get. Well, they arrived today and I was so excited to see them. One of the sellers even sent about 10 child size ones and a handful of jelly rings, in addition. I'm going to my friend's tomorrow and was planning on wearing some to match my outfit. And I'm going to bring the child ones, and rings, to give to her daughter.



During my search for the bracelets, I stumbled upon these 80's plastic charms and had a flashback moment. Do you guys remember those? I placed a bid on some earlier this week... it was just a nostalgic thing. I was outbid though, which is cool because I shouldn't spend the money anyway.

Anyway, just thought I would share that with all of you 80's kids out there.

Nice Dinner.

We had a really nice time tonight. And thanks to Uncle Mark and Bruce for picking up the tab. It was good seeing them, my cousin, and her bf. Interesting just to hear about my Grandfather, who is now 81, and I haven't seen since maybe my middle school days. And my other Uncles, etc. The restaurant was good too. Full of the 65+ crowd, and a live band playing music I would expect to hear in New Orleans or on a riverboat. And they had flashy boas that the people could wear, and a lot of those couples were getting up to dance. It was cute. I had the clam chowder and the Kalua pork, both I recommend highly.

We thought that next time we get together we should bring a bunch of old photos to share. And also to maybe see if we can figure who some of the mystery people in them are. So it was great to just be spontaneous and just get together like that. Next time will be fun too.

OK... so, the random...

2 things...

Firstly... Earlier this week, I was reacquainted with one of my Uncles on Facebook when he found me on there. He was the Uncle that I was closest too (on my Dad's side), although haven't been close since I was in high school. And only seen him in passing since then. And even then, it's been probably 5+ years since I have seen him. My best memories of him (which may be skewed and not completely accurate, as it's been so long) are him taking my half brother, step sister and I to get ice cream and all the toppings at the grocery store when we were younger, as a non-parent would spoil their relative. Also getting to drive with him in a parking lot, me driving, long before I could legally do so. Then some vague memories of him at my Grandfather's house when he ran his radio station there (think it was out of the house?). And then when I was a freshman in high school, I threw a party at my Dad's house with all of my friends and he DJ'd the party. Random memories, I know. But there you have it. But anyway, we chatted online tonight for a while and decided to get together for dinner tomorrow night (Thurs). He is in touch with my cousin, which is another Uncle's daughter. So she, he, my Dad and I are going to have dinner together. And she I haven't seen since she was a kid, and is now in her early 20s? Hope we have a good time.

Secondly... At my house, or should say at my Dad's house next door, he has a handful of friends that he lets crash. And most of them have cars, and a lot part behind me in the driveway. Meaning that when I need to go somewhere, half the time I need to track someone down next door to move their car so I can get out. I find it annoying, they all have their moments when I want to chew them out, but for the most part they are nice people. But guess I have had my moments over time where my buttons have been pushed to the limit and I have chewed them out for being disrespectful jerks (to put it nicely). So this is not the first time I have noticed this, but... I go next door tonight to actually ask my Dad if he wants to do dinner tomorrow night. And one of his buddies was in the living room with him and immediately jumps up and asks "Did I park to close to you, do you need to get out?". All in urgency to move his car to let me out if need be. 1. It's very nice they there is this sort of urgency and respect of me that they know what they need to do. 2. I find it humorous that the urgency seems to be sort stemmed from fear. I think deep down, they know I have a lot of control over whether they continue to get to mooch off of my Dad. So it's nice, yet funny at the same time.

Juneau

Today we got up and ready to leave the boat by 11am. My Mom, Aunt and I went down to the Mt Robert’s Tram first since the mountain was clear as a bell and not a cloud hovering over it. So we bought our tickets and headed up. We went and saw the Eagle they have in captivity up there. It’s the same one I saw last time up there. It was shot by someone with a BB gun 3 years ago, and is now blind in one eye. It can never live on it’s own again, so it is being taken care of. We were taking pictures of the view down to the cruise ship docks and town, when one young woman in her 20’s asked if we would like a pic of all 3 of us, which we did. We ended up chatting with her and her friend (pic below) a while who were both crew on one of the Princess Cruise ships below. Both work in the kid care/activity programs. And one wants to be a nurse, so that gave my Mom and her something to chat about for a few. That same woman just spent a year in Amsterdam, now the season on a ship, then Italy for a year starting in Sept, then a year in Africa for a year after that to help medical personal over there. Talk about ambition. Anyway, we saw what there was to see, did the gift shop thing, and headed back down. It was probably 2:30pm at this point and we hadn’t had lunch, so we were hungry. We ended up at the ‘Twisted Fish Company’ near the cruise ship docks. My Mom got the halibut pizza, my Aunt the smoked salmon and baby shrimp pizza, and I got the coconut salmon strips and the salmon croquettes. Everything was AMAZING! After eating we bought our round trip shuttle tickets to Mendenhall Glacier. So hopped on one a few minutes later and away we went. The sky was amazingly blue today and really warm, which is a far cry from the weather the last time I was enjoying these sites. So the glacier was as beautiful as I remember, only a lot more crowded with people. We only stayed half an hour, then headed back to town for some last min shopping. I got some salmon jerky for my Dad as a thanks for dog sitting Nala, a small gift for each of my friend’s kids (a snow globe and a wooden sea plane puzzle kit), something small for my Great Aunt (a notepad) and a few little things for me like an xmas ornament of Santa sitting on top of a sea plane. We also had to stop and take pictures with the statue of patsy Ann. She was a dog that back in the 30’s and 40’s welcomed all the cruise ships and passengers to the docks. We ended back up at ‘The Hangar on the Wharf’ for our dinner reservations. I had a cup of clam chowder and the halibut fish and chips. YUM!! We then made our way back to the boat for the last time. We packed all of our stuff up once we got back. And now I am up at 11:30pm, alone, burning the rest of all of our pics and videos to CDs to take home with us. I think I have 2 more to go, at about 45 mins, and then I can crash. So I am sitting here looking out into the darkness of the marina surrounded by mostly fishing boats. And don’t think I haven’t mentioned it yet, but man are there some hot fisherman up here. Everywhere I turn… yummy. Maybe I should move. Anyway… ;-) So I am looking out a these boats named things like ‘Teal’, ‘Heather Rayne’, ‘Sea Breeze’, ‘Tyler Too’, ‘Schy One’, ‘Troika’ and ‘Stellar’. And then this HUGE yacht that just docked today named ‘Sea Czar’, which I thought was a clever play on words. I decided I should be up by 9am so I can look for anything I forgot to pack, call for the cab, have our goodbye waffle breakfast my Step-Dad is going to make for us, then head to the airport. We fly out to Sea-Tac just before 1pm, will have a nice layover there to grab dinner, and get all the way home around 9pm. It’ll be good to get home and see my dog and stuff, but give me a week and I will wish I was on vacation again.

Tracy Arm Cove to Juneau

I woke up at 9am, of course right after my Aunt just saw and took pics of some Dall porpoises in the bow wake. Oh well. However, I did get to see a couple more whales blowing and swimming by in the distance. Just more sitting on the bow in the cold watching the water, jumping salmon, waves, cruise ships, and the many fishing boats that speckle the coast. We are still 2 hours out from Juneau, passing Taku Glacier (FAR into the distance) and listening to Phantom of the Opera. There are spots of blue sky here and there, so hopefully the weather is mild when we get into town late this afternoon/evening. My Aunt and I are going to treat my parents to dinner tonight and tomorrow night as a thank you for hosting us this week. So we arrived back to Juneau simple enough, around 2pm. We just kind of freshened up and went into town. We headed straight for the cruise ship doc to check out city/glacier tour info. But think we are jut going to take the shuttle back and forth to Mendenhall in the morning. So we just went shopping instead. When in this one large superstore of a souvenir shop (was kind of like the Hilo Hattie’s of Juneau, for those familiar with Hilo Hattie’s). They had several TVs on in the store playing various things. But one as on a news station playing Palin footage with the headlines “The Countdown” and “The Goodbye Girl”. I was fully aware that she was officially leaving office as of yesterday, but being out at sea for the last 6 days, it slipped my mind. So I thought it interesting that firstly, I was in Juneau at the time she left office (even if she was technically in Fairbanks). From talking to some people up here from cabbies to store employees to seeing some funny mockery of her on a store display (I have pics), I get the jist that she wasn’t well supported up here. Our can driver this morning even said that every house surrounding the Governor’s Mansion had Obama signed displayed. And secondly, I wasn’t aware until I got up here that this is the 50th Anniversary of Alaska’s statehood. Kind of some interesting memories for the trip. But anyway, we picked out a hole in the wall Mexican place called ‘El Sombrero’ for dinner, since the touristy saloon we wanted to eat at was a mad house. It was decent. Then stopped off at the restaurant we want to eat at tomorrow night (seafood place, on the water, overlooking the sea-plane dock) to make 7pm reservations. Then next door I bought a neat watercolor of Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm we just saw the other day. This artist does the watercolors of a place, overlaying a map of that location. I’ll have to take a picture of it to post. Outside that store was a newspaper stand, with the Juneau Empire (I think it’s called) with a pic of Palin and the headline “It’s Official”. I collect newspapers from when momentous things happen, so thought it would be cool to have the Juneau paper on the subject. And I accidentally pulled 3 newspapers out of the machine and not just one. They are thin, I didn’t notice. Ooops. We then walked back to the boat, after a quick detour to the local grocery store for some ice cream to bring back for dessert. But it’s now 11:30pm and I must crash so we can have one last full day tomorrow before I have to go home on Wed.

Outside Ford’s Terror, Dawes Glacier, Tracy Arm Cove

So, we had intended on leaving around 7am, but didn’t until almost 9am. I woke up a bit after that so wasn’t aware that the fog delayed us. But we headed off on our 3 hour ride to Dawes Glacier, in the sun. Again, just like 2 years ago. Funny we are having the same weather pattern. I joked that since we leave on Wed, and my Step-Bro and his girlfriend arrive on Saturday, that they may have the opposite weather pattern. Good weather at the beginning of the trip, and bad at the end. And they will likely have the same itinerary. We shall see. My Aunt and I thought it may be fun to meet up with them for dinner after they get back from their trip to compare notes on the 2 different vacations. But anyway… we made our way up within ½ a mile of the Glacier which is further than last time. There was a dense ice field up ahead which made our stopping point very specific. But we turned the boat off and just sat there for a while to take in the view and take the obligatory million photos. It was great the weather was so nice. And we played ball with Merlin on the bow, as a distraction to him wanted to play laser light with him. And for some reason I was his new best friend for doing that. On the way back I spotted 2 dolphins as we sat on the roof of the boat, but then they disappeared. And the only animal life we had seen up to this point was a handful of seals, a couple of eagles, a million other birds, some salmon and those dolphins. We were bummed about no whales. Well once we got back in the channel next to Sumdum (Some Dumb ;-) ) Glacier, I remembered that it was in that spot that a whale played around our boat on the last trip. And what do you know, my Step-Dad spotted a whale’s back and tail going into the water right in that area. The rest of us didn’t see it, so we put the boat in idle and went on the lookout. We ended up seeing its back and spout a few more times before we continued on our way back to the cove for the night. It was almost 5pm at that point and this is our last night anchoring out before heading back to Juneau. So my Aunt and I wanted to take the kayaks out one last time. So we put them in the water, and of course I tipped mine enough while getting in, to allow some water in. Well I got to sit in that the whole time. Lovely. But we spent an hour paddling around the bay, and my Aunt managed to get more water dumped on me in the kayak. Conspiracy I tell ya ;-) When we got back to the boat after 6pm it was time for some pork loin w/ chutney and some yams for dinner. No boxed dinners on this trip I tell you. We watched ‘The Reader’ after dinner which I thought was good. However, the timeline threw me off and after I got it straight once the movie was over, I wanted to see it again so it made more sense. One of these days. Well, I decided to type this up before crashing… and it’s now 11:35pm. So I am heading to bed, so I can be up and ready to enjoy our last 6-7 hours of cruising tomorrow.

Inside Ford’s Terror to Outside Ford’s Terror

So I woke up this morning to sunshine… amazing. And too funny because 2 years ago when I was here and my Step-Bro came with me, the same thing happened. We entered Ford’s Terror to a downpour and woke up the next day to sunshine. And I felt a little queasy when I woke up this morning, but 90% better than last night. We watched eagles fly around as we had cream of wheat for breakfast, and some chamomile tea for myself. Easy on the stomach. By mid-day the sun started to go away, but still warmer here at 63 degrees than it has been. We decided to take the dinghy down and go over to this gorgeous waterfall we saw on the way in. I just have to go get my warm clothes on. We also had to plan our itinerary for the next few days. Tonight will be our second to last night anchoring, and then 2 nights back in Juneau. Booo!!! We are on the downswing of the trip. Today we will play around in here, then pass Ford’s Terror passage between 4-5pm at high tide, then weather depending, go kayaking on the other side by the waterfalls. Then tomorrow start our day around 7am and head to Dawes Glacier. See that and then head back to Tracy Arm Cove for our last night anchoring out tomorrow. There was this sailboat in the bay when we exited Ford’s Terror and it looked like they were debating entering Ford’s Terror because of the way they were going around the bay. My Aunt and I hopped in the kayaks and were heading to this waterfall in the cove, which was past their boat. So we yelled Hello and asked if they were entering, but they said they couldn’t find the entrance and it was too late now because of the tide. So we continued along our way and headed toward the waterfall, but the tides were iffy so we turned around. Then there were some icebergs in the bay, so we paddled over to a few of them to get up close and personal and take pictures. We also saw a seal or 2 that kept popping up all over. After about an hour and 15 mins we headed back to the boat. When we got there, the couple from the sailboat had come on board and they were all visiting. They are from Switzerland and originally sailed from Europe, across the Atlantic and made their way to Hawaii, Canada and Alaska. Now they leave their boat here, and fly home every winter to work. They were telling the story about entering Alaska one time, and the humorous hassle with customs. And they said “Well I guess Canada is pretty lenient about people growing pot, and apparently they smuggle it on Swiss sailboats.” They were joking and it was pretty funny. The also told of their 19 day trip last year from New Zealand to the South Pacific. Interesting stuff. Then tonight was leftover night, and let’s just say that I won’t be eating last night’s leftovers in fear of getting sick again. After dinner we watched ‘Bedtime Stories’ which was cute. And we are anchored right next to a waterfall so I am listening to that as I type. I just went outside a few minutes ago and actually saw stars for the first time this trip, cool! Now tomorrow we leave at 7am, although I doubt I’ll be up that early.

Tracy Arm Cove to Ford’s Terror, Endicott Arm

We left a bit later today because be had to hit Ford’s Terror at high tide, which was around 4:15pm. You can not get through the passage at low tide because of the rocks. So we listened to ‘Twilight’ (in the cove with us again last night) hailing a boat in the channel about the weather. Apparently they are waiting on a sea plane to land in the channel (either picking up passengers or dropping off), well La Di Da ;-) So we made it by the swirling tides to get out of the cove, then on the way we went. 53 degrees out today, which is warm for out here. My Aunt and I sat on the bow for quite a while in a white out. So that meant we were on iceberg duty. It was hard to spot them up ahead as our visibility distance wasn’t so hot. It was pretty much just the misting fog for the most part. But then it started raining so we went inside for some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies my Mom made… as my Aunt snuck a spoonful of cookie dough and then licked the bowl. We had an hour to kill outside the Ford’s Terror narrows before high tide, so we took that time to anchor by the waterfalls and have egg salad sandwiches for lunch. And yes, I realize I mention food a lot in this blog, since we seemed to have yummy things to eat every time we turn around. So around 4:15pm at high tide we could finally get through Ford’s Terror. So we slowly made our way through. It was beautiful and pretty foggy, but we were just getting misted on and not rained on. The fjords around here are awesome, even in the rain. The tops are pretty obstructed by the fog but you still know how tall they are. I just had my Mom check on a map and as we came into Endicott Arm, the rock walls on one side were 5,200’ and on the other 5,700’. Amazing. And as we came into our cove past another dozen waterfalls, we ended up in a punchbowl of fog. There is a waterfall at one end of the cove, near where we anchor, that is pretty loud. Reminds me of the sound you enjoy in Hawaii of the waves crashing as you go to sleep. So we sit here and watch the fog roll in and out. Sometimes you can see the shore, and sometimes we’re in complete whiteness. Dinner tonight is crab linguini. About a pound of fresh crab they just got last week with some onion, butter and spices over linguini. Spells pretty good from where I sit…. OK, well it was delicious, but… I seemed to be the only one of the 4 of us that seemed to get a bout of food poisoning. OK, technically it couldn’t have been, unless they were immune, but that’s what it felt like and I was SO sick the rest of the night. Not fun, and could not fall asleep until super late because of it.

Tracy Arm Cove to Tracy Arm and back

Today I got up at 8:30am as usual, but was tired so went back to sleep until 10am when they started the motors. We were heading into Tracy Arm today to see if we could make it as far as the N and S Sawyer Glaciers. Two years ago when I was here, I think we made it half way, or maybe ¾ of the way there but ran into an ice field and decided to turn around before getting there. Today the icebergs were broken up pretty good and we made it all the way. I sat on the bow in my Coleman rain suit (wish I had that 2 years ago) and was bundled up pretty good. We passed probably 50 waterfalls from the tiny to the amazing. We ended up seeing the N Sawyer Glacier in the distance to the left first. But it was barricaded by an ice field and huge icebergs that our boat could not penetrate. So we headed off to the right to see S Sawyer Glacier. And as it became visible around the corner, it was awe inspiring. It was several hundred feet tall and the brightest blue. We’ll see if my pictures do it justice. It is the prettiest glacier I have seen so far in Alaska (yet only my 3rd or 4th). It was awesome. We turned off the boat just to look at it and take some pictures. Then we headed back the other direction (another 3-4 hours back) stopping to get up close to a few waterfalls along the way. We also saw the boat ‘Captain Cook’ in the arm with us, who 2 years ago pissed us off to no end. The boat was in the harbor in Juneau with us, when the captain or mechanic, decided at 1:30am to start trying to get his prop off with a metal mallet or sledgehammer. Oh, we were irritated. So when I saw him today, I was like, “Look, there is that asshole from 2 years ago!”. ‘Twilight’ also passed us in there as well. I decided to take a shower while underway, so that once we got back to our cove and anchored, we could have dinner. Got to love looking at waterfalls and beautiful scenery through the porthole in the shower. My Mom made some homemade chili and cornbread that I have smelled cooking all day. YUM!!! By the time 6:30pm rolled around, we were ready for bed. Although logic said we couldn’t crash that early. So my Step-Dad went to bed to read and crash and my Mom, Aunt and I watched ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and ended up crashing around 10:30pm. No reading tonight, I was out light a light.

Taku Harbor to Tracy Arm Cove

Up at 8:30am again to the sound of Merlin’s collar while playing and Kingston Trio on the iPod speakers. I did my ‘3 point turn’ to toss and turn a few times, then just got my butt up. It was definitely low tide as the pilings were raised far out of the water showing their barnacles. Then we headed out around 9am to a small craft advisory (we’re larger than a small craft), so it was a bit wavy. My Aunt and I sat on the bow for quite a while in the very rainy and freezing 39 degree weather. Luckily as we approached the cove, the rain stopped. Sundum glacier was off to the left and as cool as I remembered. As we got closer, the fog gobbled it up. There were also many icebergs at the entrance to Tracy Arm that we had to go check out. 2 of them are the largest I have ever seen… one the size of a two story house. We then anchored inside the cove around 1:30pm. We took the dinghy out to get up close and personal with about 3 icebergs, which we quite awesome. After a nice little ride we came back for some cheese, salami and crackers with a fresh fruit salad. Then some quiet time for everyone as we just look out at the beautiful large snow capped mountains, and watched the fog roll in. We also watched 2 large yachts (both probably 55’-65’) come into the harbor later in the evening. The larger of the 2 was named ‘Twilight’. We had kielbasa, rice and spinach salad for dinner. Then watched a Dean Martin Variety Show hour on DVD. Nice flashback to the 70’s while watching Dom DeLuise, Crystal Gayle, Dionne Warwick, Jonathan Winters, Shirley Jones and a few others sing and stuff. Then after chatting about our possible itinerary for the rest of the trip, we crashed. I bought Tori Spelling’s new book ‘Mommywood’ before leaving so I have been reading that before bed each night. Almost halfway done already.

Juneau to Taku Harbor

I woke up around 8:30am and we started up the engines around 9:30am to head out. It was a gloomy day but not very rainy. We puttered past Juneau and the 5 cruise ships in dock this morning (A Princess, Celebrity, NCL, Holland America and one liner we didn’t recognize). We had some cereal, fresh fruit and a homemade blueberry scone (with some homemade kiwi jam my Aunt made) for breakfast en route. My Aunt and I sat on I the bow for most of the trip in the 36 degree weather. We bundled up and looked quite silly. Once we got here, we saw spots of sun but still very overcast for the most part. As we sat here chatting we saw an iceberg float into the bay we were in. That is pretty unusual since we are a bit North of the glaciers, and we weren’t expecting to see any icebergs until tomorrow. So we put the dinghy down and went over to it to take pics and touch it. It was my Aunt’s first iceberg. Then after sandwiches for lunch, I took a late afternoon nap. I’m so tired up here for some reason. Fresh air and a rocking boat will you do that to you. We chilled a bit more and then BBQ’d fresh salmon they were given by a local fisherman the other day. After dinner we all watched ‘Knowing’ which was entertaining, yet thoroughly predictable. It’s almost dark out at 9:45pm and there are about 8 boats on this dock and about another 15 or more (mostly fishing boats) anchored out in this bay. And just after I typed that, one of the fishing boats shot off a couple of fireworks at the end of the bay. Tomorrow we are heading one bay (about 5 hours away) closer to the glaciers. Hopefully we catch some whales and icebergs along the way.

1st Morning in Juneau

Yesterday's flights were uneventful for the most part. Had lunch at this Alaska Tavern place at Sea-Tac for a cheeseburger and an Alaskan Ale. Then our second flight to Juneau. Rainy when we arrived, but still got to see a little of the pretty descent into Juneau's airport. We got out bags, then I called for a cab. We got down to the marina, dropped our bags, then took a walk up to the store for some last min food items. Back to the boat to have my Mom's chicken broccoli casserole and spinach salad. YUM!! We also saw a harbor seal in the marina swimming around. Then we chatted until 10pm, but not sure how I lasted that long, I was a zombie! I tossed and turned a little bit as the mattresses aren't the quality of ones you have at home, but slept well for the most part. Then woke up at 8am (9am California time) after I had been laying there for a while. We just turned on the boat engines for the first time about 5 mins ago. So I am off to make myself a cup of tea, and watch the city of Juneau and the cruise ships as we pass by. Hoping to see my first iceberg today. I'll write more when I have WiFi again in a week. See ya.

Gotta love vacation adrenaline

Do you wake up on the morning your vacation starts, at some awful hour, just wide awake and ready to go? Well that's me. I once had a 7:00am flight to Maui, and because of the distance I was to the airport at the time I had to be picked up by the shuttle service at 3:30am, after 2 hours of sleep. But since I was so excited for the trip, I hopped out of bed and was ready to go.

Well, that's the same thing for this morning. I am a night owl by nature, so didn't go to bed last night until after 2am. I had set my alarm for 6:15am so I could be out of here by 7am. Well to my surprise, I woke up around 4:40am, and after staring at the dark ceiling for about 5 mins I just got out of bed. Let's just say that I'm sure I'll crash around 8pm tonight, about 6+ hours earlier than the norm. But at least I don't have to worry about being late. I cracked open an Amp energy drink (since I'm up, but not fully awake) and have been playing on the web. Something I would likely have done when I got up at the original 6:15am wake-up call time. But this time I won't make myself late.

Anyway... in 6 hours I will be enjoying some clam chowder maybe (at a favorite place at Sea-Tac) or something else just as delicious. And in about 11 hours I will be touching down in Juneau. Which happens to be the most beautiful decent into an airport I have ever experienced. I can't wait to see it again. And it will be good to see my Mom and Step-Dad after they have been gone for 2 1/2 months now.

My Mom cracks me up

So, my Mom had been meaning to send my Aunt and I a list of the toiletry, etc items that she had on the boat, and that we wouldn't need to pack. The boat isn't all that big with 4 adults and a dog on it, so the less you bring the better. This e-mail arrived in my inbox yesterday evening and I cracked up. Besides the obvious, it's meant as a joke :-)
__________

Dear Cruise Passenger;
We are delighted that you have chosen the mv AQUILA for your 2009 Alaskan Glacier Adventure. We want you to enjoy your trip. Following is a list of items which we carry that are available to you at no additional fee. Remember, this a casual cruise. Formal nights have been eliminated due to lack of interest.

- Shampoo (Pantene)
- Conditioner
- Shower gel
- Body lotion
- Sunblock (#8, #15, #30 and #45)
- Insect repellent (yes, there are mosquitoes in Alaska)
- Curling iron
- Hair dryer (can only be used when we are in port)
- All linens
- Laptop
Cd's for storing and/or sharing photos
- First Aid supplies including:
Ibuprofen, Excedrin, Benadryl, Tums, and various ointments
Seasick medications (holistic as well as Dramamine)
- Numerous paperback books in the library
- Binoculars

Some items that will be necessary for you to bring: (the temperature in the fjords near the glacier is often in the 20's F) One does not need to spend much time outside. One can stay in the heated salon. However, most of our guests prefer to look at icebergs from the outside deck.

- Warm coat (or layer lighter ones)
- Rain slicker or umbrella if it rains in Juneau while you want to
site-see
- Cap (we have a few available to borrow)
- Gloves
- Good walking shoes for site seeing in Juneau
- Shoes that can get wet (it may rain either while we are in Juneau
or while we out of port)
- Personal medication
- Camera

Some items that are not necessary to bring:

- A hard sided suitcase. Storage space is at a premium and a duffel that
folds will work best.
- High heel shoes

Miscellaneous information:

- The cruise line has a small dog as a mascot. Dog lovers only are encouraged to take this cruise.
- We are a "no smoking" cruise line
- There will only be cell service while in Juneau.
- There will only be internet service while in Juneau.
- Email service will be available on Aquila's satellite system while away from
port.
- Kayaks are available at no additional fee
- In order to keep the capt. on an even keel, please feed him chocolate at
regular intervals
- BYOB or beer, etc. Alcohol may be consumed both in port and during cruise,
however it is not provided by the management
- Please feel free to bring to spare boat parts
- A limited number of DVD movies are available. Feel free to bring your own. They will be a wonderful addition to our "Popcorn at the Movies" evenings
- Earplugs may eliminate equipment and other miscellaneous noises

We hope this helps with your trip planning. We are anxious to meet you and begin the adventure. Remember, gratuities are gratefully accepted.

Sincerely,
Phred - Captain, Maintenance Engineer, and Entertainment
Joan - Admiral, Chef and Cabin Steward.

The countdown begins...

In 5 days I'll be leaving for Alaska for 10 days. I can't wait. Although I'm psyching myself out and already started thinking about the trip being over. Time just goes way too fast when you are having fun. But I think I have that mentality too because my Step-Bro and his girlfriend fly up for a week a few days after I get back. So I'll be back home with my trip being over knowing they are up there having fun. Blah! But it will be so nice to escape these heat waves and head to the land of icebergs.

I was in Juneau 2 summers ago, so I have kind of done almost everything there is to do there in town. That doesn't cost over $200 at least. But one day I will splurge and do the zip-line and helicopter/dogsled/glacier tours. But since my Aunt (who is going with me) hasn't been before, we'll probably take the tram up Mt Roberts and the City and Mendenhall Glacier tour. According to weather.com's 10 day forecast, we will have "showers" next Mon-Fri (that's as far out as it forecasts). However, I never trust weather.com, as they are consistently wrong. So about 3 other weather sites I checked said "cloudy with a chance of rain". But it is what it is. I will have just as much fun getting drenched outside on the boat (see below from 2 years ago), watching beautiful scenery go by, as I would in the sun. And I can't wait to go kayaking around icebergs again. YAY!


So I just have to start packing and getting organized. I have my packing and to do list already, just have to gather the stuff. And that includes the boat parts, magazines, books, medications, stuff for Merlin, etc to bring up to my parents. Just hope it doesn't take up my whole duffel bag ;-)

Nala and her funny habits...

This is just a follow up to the blog I wrote on March 6th about Nala sitting in the window still all day long. At the time, she wouldn't perform for the camera and only got her part way into the windowsill. But tonight she was sitting there as usual, and I actually thought to grab my camera this time. So here are a few shots of her in her favorite place.