Lets hear it for Aly and Fila!

Listening to DI this morning, and there was a featured set by 2 DJ's out of Egypt: Aly and Fila. Very good talent coming from these guys. They have that Euro happy get up and go style trance, but with more of an ambient mix to it, which makes for very full sounding "fat" mixes. You can buy them on iTunes, but I havent found much on Amazon.

a "ah ha" moment

So I had one of those this moring while commuting to work. It seems that most of my "ah ha" moments come while either travelling to/from work, or while in the shower.
Anyhow, my ah ha moment came in the form of the looking at the glass half full/half empty theory.
Without all the boring details, I have been having a struggle with a situation in my life, and today, after some random thinking, I decided to look at it with the glass half full theory. This actually worked and had me looking at the same situation with a much brighter view. I dont know how I was allowed to see it with a different view, but I have, and now I feel much better about the whole thing, because that same view that I saw, snowballed into other areas of my own persona to give me insight into those as well and make sense of some old baggage I carried but could now drop.
My long story short is that sayings like "the glass half full/half empty" that have been around for a long time carry weight with the words, and they carry that weight because they work. I mean really, if you are happier because of seeing the same "glass of water with the same volume" differently, and are happier because of it, then who the fuck really cares how much water is in the damn glass anyway? I say, be happy, its much easier on the heart.

Lemon Quiche'

Well, it is Christmas past, and I have finished my baking for the holidays. As you all know, this baking thing is not one of my special talents. But, with motivation and appetite, I sometimes venture outside my realm to bake. This year was lemon bars. Now, truth be told, my mom was a crappy cook, but she did have a few good recipes where she shined. One of these were her lemon bars. So, I called her up and asked her for the recipe to the delicious treats. As she rattled off the ingredients, I really thought nothing of it. It was short, and to the point, and I thought..... this ought to be easy.
First I was to make the dough (crust) this consisted of powdered sugar, flour and butter. pretty much your basic shortbread. I cooked it for the 20 minutes, and let it cool, just as she had said. Now time for the topping, which was the best part. I was to mix in 3 tbsp of flour, a whole lot of lemon juice and 3 eggs. Somehow this seemed odd to me, but I didnt really know why. I mixed it up adn it looked weird, but i thought, "it needs to bake, maybe thats the problem" So into the oven it went for about 20 minutes longer. The buzzer rings, I take it out, and it looks very very wrong. it looks NOTHING like my moms lemon bars. It actually looks like a quiche, with stress cracks on the top and everything. But I thought, hmm, maybe appearance is overrated and it will taste ok. So, my spoon went down into the pan, and again, it really looked like quiche, but i took a bite and nearly spat it out with jet speed. *wow* I had made lemon quiche. it tasted just like lemon juice in a flan like form. I was now convinced that mom had left something out, so i decided to look into Betty Crocker and see what she puts in hers.
I flip to a page with a lemon bar recipe, and like big bold letters smacking me the face, I immediately knew what was srong. S U G A R, there was no sugar in her recipe and I knew that was the problem. I felt a weight lifted and a renewed sense of purpose, and made a second batch. They tasted good, but I think in all of the time spent on the first batch, i got too impatient to bake the dough on the second batch long enough, so the lemon mixture soaked the crust, and became a little to gooey to eat.
But, I know the error of my ways now, and the next time I make them, they will be great.

times are a changing

I was alerted by a friend of mine that there were new, more "adult" advertisments on the backs of busses these days, but I caught this one for myself a few days ago.
It's a bit dark, but I was in a hurry cause the light had just turned green.

seven seven's

Seven Things To Do Before I Die
1. Go to Austraila
2. Own a home
3. own a vehicle that is completely paid off and still running good
4. Have a solid savings account
5. Do something life changing that helps someone or a group of others in need
6. Own a coffee shop that host's local talent
7. Organize the worlds first Trance event with a live acoustical orchestra and DJ's

Seven Things I Cannot Do
1. Sing
2. Read directions (im a more hands on kinda girl)
3. Chin ups
4. Deliver a well prepared argument in the heat of the moment
5. Be a famed dessert chef
6. Ski
7. Trim down these hips and thighs!

Seven Things That I Admire In Others
1. Ability to laugh at most anything, and the ability to be serious when needed
2. Passion (not sexual, though thats cool too)
3. Strength through being humbled
3. Intelligence
4. Determination in the face of adversity
5. Sensitivity/compassion
6. Musically or Artistically Talented

Seven Things I Say Most Often
1. Like
2. awesome
3. AYE!
4. Scheiße (sh*t in German)
5. Uhmm
6. thats unfortunate
7. Kaycee!!

Seven Books (or Series) I Love
1. Gone with the Wind
2. The Vampire Series by Anne Rice
3. Harry Potter Series
4. Four Seasons by Stephen King
5. ?
6. ?
7. (can you tell reading is not my thing?)

Seven Movies I Have Watched Over and Over Again
1. Midnight Express
2. Gone with the Wind
3. Usual Suspects
4. Elf
5. Serpent and the Rainbow
6. Midnight Run
7. Finding Nemo

Seven people I would want to answer this
1. Marie-Helene
2. Kathy
3. Anyone who wants to
4. "
5. "
6. "
7. "

California in December

While a 1/3'rd of the nation is buried under 10 inches of snow, pelted by ice storms, or just plain freezing with temps in the teens, we in California experience our version of December.
Now truth be told, there are really only the 2 seasons here, Rain or Sun. This is the rainy season, but it really doesnt get into full swing until January, so we have managed to have some really nice days.
It gets chilly at night, and I had to laugh the other evening while Laura and I were watching the weather on the 11:00 news. The weathercaster was gearing up in his voice, and like a man speaking as if the fear of God was put forth into him, he remarks," and tonight we may dip into the 30's" ending his sentence with a tone that was incredibly dramatic. It is all relative to where you live, and to most of the winter bearing states, his dramatic accounts of the forecast for the night might seem a bit over the top, but to us it was time to turn on the heat!!! Luckily for us, it was back up to 65 F during the day.

Same song, different feelings

Not sure what possessed me to start listening ot Bob Seger right after Armin Van Buuren, but I thought I wanted to listen to something different, to help me analyze some data here at work.
2 songs into my iTunes oldschool playlist and I feel depressed! But still I listen, Roll me away, Night Moves, Weve got Tonight, and I start feeling like I am back in the early 80's, it's midsummer and cornfields are all around me, dirt's kicking up from a dusty road where a pick up has just passed. It might be somewhere in rural Illinois, could be Indiana, or Iowa, but definitely the midwest. I start sulking, listening to Bob singing about being lonely, hardships, and that strum of the guitar. This was not the best choice to concentrate with, because I keep having these bouts of nostalgic memories, and then feeling like I have hard times, that I dont even have anymore. Music is so awesome, to put you in a mood, bring back memories, or have you make some that you never even had.
Ahh, I am saved, Bob is over now and ELO has taken over. Still back in the 80's, but a little more upbeat. (Fire on High)

Armin .....State of Trance episode #225

This is an exceptional episode and should be a cd all unto itself. This is a great mix which can be caught on Digitally Imported FM.
You can also get the tracklistings from his website, ASOT #225. There is still 1 hour left in today's show, so grab a listen if you want. Armin never ceases to amaze me with his mixes. Everytime he starts to stray, a few weeks later he is back with a better show and mix.
You can really feel the story of his mixes and the emotion behind them.
If you get a chance to see him live, take it. I missed him when he was here in San Francisco a couple months back.

kitty cat

Here is my cat Turlow, caught in deep thought. Perhaps he was just thinking about when to get his lazy butt up to eat some more, or maybe the location of where to leave his next furball, or could be about where to lay next. Whatever the burning question, I am sure he will have it answered.

BooTASTIC!

The night of Hallows eve in almost upon us, and so is the changing of the clocks. ick, so long to daylight......... I will rise in the AM, and leave work in the without the sun in the PM once again.

I am very excited about halloween, even though I am never satisfied with my costumes. Laura and I have tickets to see a taping of the Ellen show, and they called today saying that the taping we are going to attend, is to be aired on halloween, and to wear a "daytime friendly" costume. hmmm, daytime friendly......lets see......I suppose my french maid costume with whip in hand is out. (ummm yeah, not really)
I always have the hardest time with costumes! Every year, I anticipate halloween, excited and eager to be something really cool, something that will be talked about for months afterwards. Usually, after Halloween passes, I swear that I have an entire year to think about and obtain a potentially legendary costume, and then splat! it's spring already, then summer, then fall, and by September, the panic starts to set in. What am I going to be? Do I have the funds to cover it? then, it's mid October and I find myself going to party city or Spirit superstore getting a cheesy, overly expensive costume that never quite fits the way the picture shows it should. Such is my dilemma as of today. I suppose the 3 musketeer costume will have to suffice, but again, I am already thinking of next year and what I should be, since I have a year to think about it ..............

a love affair begins.......

at last, I am on the road with my new bike! I love it and the weather has been awesome to ride. mid to upper 70's and sunny.
The first night began with this unplanned passenger hanging on, I didnt like it.




And there she is, I LOVE my new bike. (not a flattering photo of me though) It rides very smooth, and handles nice. Of course this is my first bike, and my 2nd day riding, but, for a beginner, I can say it handles easily. It is exactly what I wanted, to commute and have fun with.
My biggest problem thus far is making sure I always turn off my signal. It takes getting used to, since after turns, it doesn not shut of automatically like a car. The first day I just rode around the neighborhood and luckily, there really isnt much traffic on our side streets, so forgetting about the signal light didnt cause confusion to any drivers. But by the 2nd day, I only forgot it once.

a little grumble helps the world move along

So within 3 hours of my blog concerning my grumpy day and waiting for my shit to arrive, 3 out of 5 things have arrived.
I do declare that a little rant to cyberspace can do some good.

random thoughts

-change brings new experiences. experience can create wisdom. dont be afraid of change, use it to your advantage.

-being sorry means saying your sorry. those 2 words can mean a lot to a person. we seem to throw around hate and fear, defensive attacks and offensive language, but the hardest thing it seems for us to do is say we are sorry. take the time to say your sorry, sincerely, when you can.

-people just dont think (at times niether do I ). I bought a FAKE crow at Target for a halloween decoration in my office. 3 people, 1 of them a software engineer who you would think had some sense, thought it was once a real bird, that I stuffed and now had displayed. this is a $4.00 bird people, that I bought from Target, and doesnt really look like a real dead bird. Comon people, I am not into taxidermy.

-why are there so many fucking cereal choices? they have devoted an entire aisle to cereal. doesnt this seem a bit much? do we really need that many choices?

-walk your talk, otherwise shut up. I am guilty of this, and I try to correct it when i am conscious of it. (if thats mis-spelled, i am too lazy to fix it) Sometimes i need to say less, it says more.

-an ex smoker never stops having smoking dreams. Had one last night, freaked out thinking I was cheating, and wondered why I was smoking. hate those.

-after all this blather, im just not grumpy anymore. it helps. hmmmmm........

sometimes we just cant win

Now, how many times have you experienced the over eager sales person who starts barking at you the minute you walk through the door, hangs within 7 feet around you like a hawk, watching your every move. They wait with anticipation incase there is anything you might need, you will let them know.
They are so aggressive that we fantasize in our heads about telling them to just "buzz the fu** off" and we will let them know if we need them, when we need them and not a second sooner.
Then there are times where we can experience just the opposite. We walk into a store, meander around a bit, look at the merchadise to be sold, waiting for someone to notice us, and say "hi, is there anything I can help you with", but this doesnt happen. We might look around, like we are trying to telepathically send them "notice me" messages.

Such an occurence of the ladder happened to me today. At first I felt jilted, wondering if they thought I was just not worthy of their time. and didnt I look like I was going to spend money, so they werent going to "waste their time"
Eventually I was helped, and the sales clerk was very nice, not displaying any characteristics of prejudice. As I left the dealership, I thought to myself, how silly of me to think that they might be profiling me, and not helping me because of some status quo issue. It was an ideal situation, I wasnt harrassed, and the staff was accomodating. I found it funny, because I am so conditioned to being "jumped" by sales people, that when the time comes that I am not flooded upon, my first thought is that there is something "wrong with me". It took a moment for it to sink in, and then I started to enjoy the act of browsing a store and not being bothered or feeling pressured for "just looking". I was amused by my reaction and my rationalization and finally my realization. it was a good "ah ha" moment.

hooked on another......

.......program. It is the fall, and it is also the season for the new series and shows. Old favorites are back, new ones emerge and our Tivo is getting full.
I decided to give the show "surface" a go and see how it was. Its hoakey, but not hoakey enough to turn me away. in fact, after the first showing, I reluctantly muttered "im hooked " . After the second show this Monday, I confidently proclaimed, IM HOOKED.
It could really turn out to be a bomb, but just the hint of scifi and world destruction by giant lizard mammal water creatures was enough for my imagination to fill in the void, and decide to tune in until I get bored.
I saw another great movie last night, "Schultze gets the Blues"
This was such a good movie. Very random scenes, and a story told more in pictures then in dialogue. The main character is soooooooo lovable, and it sucks you in fast.

brooding?

This is my cat, and like my cat, I sometimes too have this look. It is a look I get while trying to figure out just why I blog. is it for the fact that I am writing crap that no one really reads but me, or is it because I am an exhibitionist, or because I want to keep the few that do read it informed of my goings' on inside my head.
Whatever the reason, I keep doing it.

all said and done

Well, in 6 days, I went from never touching a motorcycle to getting my license. Today I took the written test at the DMV and passed. Yippee! So, dont you all feel safe now that you know it has taken me only 6 days to do this? yeah me too.

I learned something today.......experience far outweighs written comprehension.
So, as I mentioned earlier, I went to the DMV today to take my written motorcycle test. In filling out the paperwork ( and much to my surprise, the clerk was very friendly) The clerk asks me if I have taken the written test for driving a motor vehicle within the past 12 months. Of course I hadn't and she tells me that I will need to take half the test again, and gives me a handbook, and says you "might want to brush through this".
Being that it's DMV, I figured I at least have an hour or so to read up on the latest "rules of the road", but oh no, not today. No sooner did I finish signing my name on the application, did she say, ok, go to window 20 and they will take your picture and then you can start your test. EEEKs I thought. so on my walk around to window 20 from window 14, I rapidly thumb through the handbook looking for ANYTHING slightly unfamiliar.
This might prove to be an embarassing day, I might get my motorcycle permit, but fail the regular test.
Then what do I do I thought...I've had my license, and been driving for 20 years, and now it might go away? How would I get home? Would I have to break the law? Because I am certainly not going to leave my car there.
Rest assured, the test had not really changed since 1984 when I last took it, and the same stupid questions are still there.

So, with a sigh of relief I am finally legal, and can ride my motorcycle that I havent gotten just yet.

afternoon thunder

I had to make a post because I m soooooo excited. Here it was a sunny day in California, like it has been for the past 3 months, and then around lunch it started getting dreary. then about 2 ish, it started to rain, thunder and lightening. Now, about 4 people in the office were like "ooohh, it's earthquake weather" which comon people, there is no such thing!
Back to my delight, it's thundering, thundering as I speak and I am getting chills, I miss storm so bad living out here. I miss the musty smell of a good storm brewing and the low groans and bellows that mother nature can unleash.

1 step away from the road

So this weekend was mostly spent in the hot sun with a helmet, gloves, boots and a long sleeve jacket. You might be thinking why??? well I took my motorcycle safety class this weekend, which I highly recommend to anyone thinking about riding.
There was about 8 hours of theory and a written exam, and then 8 hours of riding instruction, followed by a riding exam. Now I have wanted a bike for a long time, and wanted to ride a motorcycle, the only problem was, I didnt know how. I had never set foot on one. I was quite petrified at first, but by the second day, I found myself becoming more comfortable with going faster and turning quickly. It was a challenging test, because they make you do these tight figure eight's within a small bounding box, then there are cornering and swerving techniques that are evaluated, including proper speed, not too fast, but not too slow. You learn a lot more about bikes, and I also have a newer understanding of motorcyclists that go inbetween cars when traffic is slow or stalled. It is much harder to control a bike going slow or in 1st gear behind traffic, then if it can go quickly between a tight spot. You also develop an awareness for all the things in and on a road that are hazardous to a bike, that you would never encounter with a car. I am happy to say I passed, and my score was pretty good considering I had never ridden a motor bike before. There were 4 excersizes we were judged on, and I aced 3 of the 4. My fourth one I had points taken off for rolling off the throttle slightly while I was in my 130 degree turn, but over all, I think I did pretty good, especially since 1/3 of the class already rode motorcycles and had their permit, but were going for their license, and I scored slightly better then them. little kudos to myself there. I am just so happy. I want to go out and get my bike tomorrow and start riding!! But.... there is one more step, so it's off to the DMV to get my license first, then I will get my bike!
I will also point out the importance of good riding boots. Mine were not. They were soft leather, very soft leather and after 2 days of riding, I have a little bruise on the top of my toe because of all the shifting.

Sunday Sunday........

I had this song running through my head, and it is Sunday afterall, ending yet another wonderful weekend. Saturday was spent mostly relaxing at home and watching a movie. This morning started out with a drive (in the mini) to Twist cafe for some breakfast, (eggs, potatoes, and toast if you are curious) and then it was off over the hill to Santa Cruz for the Mystery Spot. I had been a few times, but Laura had not been, and well, you just cant really explain it, so it's something you need to experience for yourself. It made me dizzy, like it always does, but it also makes me laugh and boggles my mind. It's a place where laws of physics, gravity, and your sight do not agree with eachother. Things roll uphill, and you can lean at a 45 degree angle without really falling.
Next it was off to the Boardwalk and Wharf to take some pictures with the mini. It was a beautiful day, and a really fun time.