T'is the pirate Cap'n Jack Sparrow! Arrgh!

September 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, so sit back and relax a spell because I'd be havin' a pirate yarn to spin.

(Don't worry, it's too hard to tell the entire story in pirate-speak, so I'll save you the headache of trying to figure out my meaning.)

Before school started, I took the kids on our traditional ‘last summer hurrah’ to Disneyland.

J, D & B

We usually go the Wednesday before Labor Day, as many schools have started back up and the crowds are much smaller. We were lucky and it wasn’t all that hot. We had a great day, as usual. We go to Disneyland a lot, but each time we try to find something special about the trip. This time, it was Captain Jack Sparrow.

Since the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are so popular, they’ve converted Tom Sawyer’s Island into Pirate’s Lair. They’ve added some cool treasure troves, ships and pirate/ghost/skeleton effects all over the island, so it’s even more fun to explore now. Well, the Island’s always been a place for me to take a break; I usually find a place to sit in the shade while the kids run all over the island, checking back in with me every five minutes or so.

B & N in one of the Bone Cages from Pirates 2

On this trip, my daughter B’s friend N and her mom had gone with us. The girls had taken off, and the other mom and I met up with my son D after he’d run around for a bit. We got to the end of the island (or as far as you can go) past the old fort, which is where Jack Sparrow sits among a huge pile of pirate’s treasure. We’d taken turns having our pictures taken with him, and then we were trying to reach the girls on their cell phones so they could come and have their pictures taken, too.

Well, there really wasn’t anyone else around, and Jack was bored, so he came over to us and started chatting us up. He took my camera and started taking pictures of us, himself, and random strangers.

Jack's Self-Portrait

When my son was on the phone with my daughter, Jack asked for the phone, and sure enough, he started talking to B and her friend over the phone. Well, the girls started screaming and screeching, as tween girls will, which Jack thought was funny.

Jack talking to B on D's cell phone.

Upon hearing that shy N wouldn’t come meet him, he asked us where they were. When D said, “At the tree house,” Jack said, “Then off we go!” And before we knew it, we were following Jack Sparrow on a search for my daughter and her friend. It was kind of funny, as he’d have to stop periodically to take a picture or sign an autograph, but he was on a mission and kept pressing on. Before we knew it, we had a small group of people following Jack – not even knowing what he was up to. When we found the girls, N ran away screaming, and Jack chased her down! Which included a rather wild run across the suspended bridge. It was all rather funny (although N was so embarrassed that she didn’t think so), and he took pictures with us and then all of the other folks who had followed him on his chase. I even managed to take some video of the hunt and chase, although I’d turned my phone vertical for some reason, so now I have to put it through some filter so it will show correctly.

It’s adventures like that which make me love going to Disneyland. I mean, how many people have proof that Jack Sparrow hijacked their camera? You usually just get a standard photo, handshake and an autograph.

A Standard Photo

One after a fun chase.

Although we won't be going to Disneyland to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day this year like we did last (because we've already scheduled to go on the 30th when the kids are out of school for Rosh Hashannah), we'll be there in spirit.

Aarrgh, me mateys! So be havin' a fine time using your pirate-speak, because if ye can't laugh, ye'd better have a pint o' grog and and join in the fun, or ye'll be havin' to walk the plank!

Me and the kido's having a ditch day from school to celebrate
International Talk Like A Pirate Day 2007.

Grrrr... Animals!

Last Sunday, my kids and I had a chance to go to the zoo. It was incredibly hot, but I had a great time. Heck, a baby was involved, so it had to be fun! We went with my big sis, my niece, my niece-in-law, and my great-niece. (That's a lot of nieces, especially for someone who has so many nephews!) Care is 18 months and is quite the independent handful. She's beyond confident; she's fearless!

Usually when we hang out with the babies, I'm the one behind the camera, so I don't really spend all that much time interacting with them. Care loves my daughter though, and on this trip she even asked my son to hold her. He didn't quite know what to do,but when she looks at you and says, "Up, pees?" how can you say no?

I was quite excited when she spontaneously held my hand, but I was beside myself when she asked me to hold her. Apparently, even my wide-brimmed hat wasn't enough to scare her off. (I know the photo isn't all that flattering, but it's the only one I got.)

We looked at the lions, the giraffes, monkeys and elephants together. When I asked her if she wanted to see the lions, she growled. When asked what the monkeys say, she said, "Ooh, ooh, ooh!"

Since she's obviously learning her animal sounds, I made sure to teach her a new one. Elephant. Yep, I can trumpet like a heffalump! The first time I did it, Care looked surprised, but after that she watched me intently to see how I did it. Sure enough, within a few minutes she was at it herself - much to her mother's joy. (I didn't want to take on giraffes. Even I'm stumped by that one!)

My kids say I'm baby crazy - mostly because I change the tone of my voice (it gets more high-pitched), speak excitedly, and smile non-stop when interacting with them. If that makes me baby crazy, well, I guess I am. They're just so darn cute! And to me, nothing can beat the sense of trust a little one has when they grasp as many of your fingers as they can wrap their hand around. Wait, I take that back. They can trump that by snuggling their head onto your shoulder as you hold them. It's pure bliss!

Here's Care (with a very dirty face encrusted with sand and blackberries) giving me a hug of her own volition a few weeks ago when we went to the beach. She just melted my heart!

Love to Laugh!

A couple of days ago, my niece-in-law was talking about a post she'd seen on Sweet Juniper and how it had made her crack up. Always up for a laugh, I took a look. Heck, it was worth it just for the picture of this woman's kids alone! But the post itself was so well-written, I was jealous. Heck, it rambled a bit, including plenty of intelligent references and "SAT words", but she brought it back around to a great punch line. She talked about child prodigies, how she hates them, and how her kids would never be one - especially with her as a parent.

And I respect someone who can laugh at themselves.

In fact, I mistrust anyone who can't!

Anytime I come across something I find extremely amusing, I like to share it with those who are near and dear to me. I sent the link to my husband, but he just didn't get it. True, he was in a bit of a mood, and he finds my sense of humor odd even on good days (my family knows to pause the TV or movie if there's anything involving kids and/or animals because I will laugh so loudly and so hard that no one will be able to hear any dialog until I stop), so I wasn't all that surprised. However, later in the day he tried to return the favor by sending me a link to Cake Wrecks.

I didn't get it.

Well, I got it, but it didn't make me laugh. I felt sorry for the bride who had wanted a beautiful tartan wedding cake and got a mound of melted frosting instead. However, I kept reading the post, including the comments, and found that there were quite a few people who thought the site and its contents were truly amusing.

Not being one to give up easily, I started looking around. I checked out the fan favorites, and before you knew it, I was chuckling along. My daughter heard me and came out of her room to investigate. (She said I was keeping her awake, but she was having a sleep-over, so there was no way she was asleep anyway.) So she, her friend, and I all had fun clicking around the site until I finally came across something that made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe.

Now, I know everyone's sense of humor differs, and that different things will strike each of us as funny. But I'm dying to know which of the Cake Wrecks other people (especially those I know) will find amusing.

I'm thinking the Naked Mohawk-Baby Carrot Jockeys got me because the humor level had been a gradually building up as I looked around the site. Or maybe that it was just having to do with babies and food. Or perhaps it was because the cake was obviously one of those big sheets from Costco which is already individually portioned and marked with frosting so everyone gets an equal-sized piece with it's own individual frosting-carrot on top. Or maybe it was simply because someone bought said cake for a baby shower and decided that the way to 'theme it up' for the party was to put little plastic babies on top of the carrots. Someone, somewhere, thought that was a good idea!

But then again, looking at the Play It Again Wrecks, someone thought it was good to make a cake shaped like a bride, or a baby, or even like a pregnant woman's belly. But how is it that taking a round cake, attaching legs to it and making it look like a baby's tush (complete with diaper) sounds good to anyone? I for one do NOT want to eat anything from a diaper - topped with frosting or not! And I am not even going to go near the wart-encrusted feet. You're going to eat THAT?!?

I haven't touched on the cakes with spelling and grammar errors. Mare, you should have fun with those. I particularly liked "Time to Par-tay! Cuz it a gril!"

Now, I know it isn't nice to laugh at other people's misfortunes. However, please keep in mind that these same people are the ones who submitted their cake-tastrophies to the site. Thankfully, somehow, they saw their misfortunes for what they were (bad, yes; life-alteringly tragic, no) and shared them with others simply with the hope that we would laugh with them. And I have to give them credit for that.

Because as I've said before, sometimes if we don't laugh, we'll cry, and I'd much rather laugh than cry!

Eddie, In-Laws & a Spelling Bee

Well, the last two weeks have been just chock full! My in-laws came into town, so we had all the frenzy that getting ready for a visit entails, as well as the visit itself. However, we had a lovely time and were really glad it went well. Not that we expected it not to... but you never know with those things.

My son has spent the summer in a theater arts workshop, which culminated with a performance of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." What a hilarious play! He played 'Leaf Coneybear', a district runner-up whose technique is to seem completely distracted and scatterbrained until the word comes to him like he's possessed - cross eyed, gruff voice and all. I don't think my son has ever made me laugh so much in his life, and he's usually a pretty funny kid!

But the thing I've been waiting for since February was going to see Eddie Izzard in concert at the Kodak Theater. I've seen him several times, sometimes in rather intimate settings during his work-in-progress, but I've never seen him in a theater as big as that. It was pretty darn amazing.
Here I am in my souvenir t-shirt. In "Dress to Kill," Eddie does a bit about how the Spanish Inquisition never would have worked in Britain. It would have been something like: "Tea and cake or death! Um... cake, please!" So I had to get this shirt.

Of course, to make the evening perfect, Al went with me. I just love having a blast with her! You know it's great when you have a friend you can crack up with, even before the comedy show and without any 'social lubrication.'

After we'd parked the car, we were trying to come up with a mnemonic to remember where we'd parked. Well, it was "3H," so I came up with Hollywood and Highland (where the Kodak is located.) Of course, being downtown Hollywood, it also used to be where 'the ladies of the night' used to work - like in "Pretty Woman." That is, before they cleaned it up and Disney moved into town at the El Capitan Theater across the street. (Yes, Times Square, we Angelenos can sympathize with the Disney sanitizing effect - although I think we like it.) So Al said the only other "H" she could think of was "Ho." We quickly morphed it into "Ho, ho, ho" and went off into peals of laughter. At that very moment, we were approached by some promoter, asking us if we'd been drinking yet that evening. You know, I think he was genuinely surprised when I said "No, I don't drink at all!" He asked, "Really??" To which I replied, "Nope! Not a drop!" I left him standing there with his mouth agape. He didn't know what to say to that! He must have thought we were completely sauced already!

I'm just so lucky to have a friend like Al! We should all be so fortunate to have someone who 'gets us' - laughing at us and with us. Glamour Pi forever!

Earthquake!

So, this last Tuesday, Southern California had its first sizable earthquake in quite some time. A 5.4 quake hit Chino Hills, about 28 miles southeast of downtown LA.

Wouldn't you know it, me, the earthquake baby (the 1971 Sylmar earthquake started mom's labor with me) didn't even feel it! I mean, when the 1994 Northridge quake hit, I was visiting LA for the first time in years since moving away to go to school. (I'd come to town for mom's birthday, actually; we're just a 'natural disaster' birthday family, I guess.)

Everyone has their earthquake stories, though, and our family's were relatively amusing. My husband was on the phone with a client who was having some problem with his computer. He asked the client what he'd done to try to fix the problem himself, and the response was, "Earthquake!" The client was about 10 miles east or so of us, so the quake hit him first. They stayed on the phone for 10 seconds or so (my husband was watching the atomic clock on his computer screen) before they mutually agreed that they should get off the phone and take cover.

Have you ever seen the movie "LA Story" with Steve Martin? There's a scene where they're at a restaurant and an earthquake hits. No one gets up from the table, they all just look around and take guesses at how strong it is. A couple's table shakes by them - the couple eating and drinking as if nothing unusual is happening. While that's taking things to the extreme, it's actually not very far from the truth. Those of us who have ridden out several earthquakes in our lives aren't quite that blase about it, but will often wait to gauge the strength of a quake in order to determine if preventative measures need to be taken to insure our safety.

At the 30 second mark (remember - atomic clock on the computer screen), my husband finally decided that he'd better stand in the doorway. Early on in our marriage, an earthquake hit one Sunday morning while we were still in bed. My mom had trained me well, and I jumped up out of bed and braced myself in the door frame. My husband just watched me from the bed, as I shouted at him to move. He had apparently judged that that particular earthquake didn't call for movement on his part. Sure enough, it wasn't very big, it ended as quickly as it had come, and my husband went back to sleep. Now that I think about it, this happened a couple of other times at our homes in Reno and back down here in LA - he just rode them out. So for this quake to actually spur him to movement meant it was pretty big.

My son was at summer school. No, he didn't need remedial studies; he's taking Theater Arts Workshop. So he and his class were doing a run-through of their play - "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Their first indication of the impending quake was the large bay doors rattling. Their teacher - who was watching from the audience - then shouted to the kids to get off the bleachers upon which the 'spellers' were sitting. My son decided to dive under the bleachers, not thinking of the gear swaying over the stage (and his head.) He was well-protected, though. His character happens to have a habit of falling off the bleachers, so he wears a bike helmet on occasion. They'd already passed the point in the run-through where he put on his helmet, so at least his head was covered. He was the last one off the stage - much to his teacher's chagrin - but he did pass through the quake, shaken but unscathed.

However my daughter and I were completely unaware that it had even occurred. I'd just picked her up from acting class (yes, my kids love to act), and was driving her home. In fact, we'd just passed the high school where my son was when it hit. I dropped her off at home and headed out to my massage therapy session. The first I heard of it was when I was on the table and my therapist was asking how I'd handled the quake. Puzzled, I asked her what she was talking about. Apparently, it was severe enough to send the chiropractor, the therapist, and the rest of the staff and patients scurrying outside the building.

All I could say was that I was grateful it had occurred when it did . As it was, I hadn't felt it, and so without my adrenaline pumping, I was able to relax and 'enjoy' my (at times, very painful) massage. If it had struck just 15 minutes later, I would have been on the table, disrobed, and then abandoned by my therapist! I think that therapy session would have been a wash!

Perspective

I was looking around the web this morning, and I realized I hadn't visited the "yeah, Dave yoga" blog in a while.

There I found a post about dealing with tragedy. He was talking about how he dealt with his own emotions about his daily life in relation to huge tragedies like the earthquake in China. When considering your daily stresses like paying the mortgage or doing your job, it pales in comparison with the emotional grief people experience in true tragedies. What got me was the kicker closing paragraphs:

Be nicer, more generous. Love fully, without hesitation. Breathe deeply, slow down.

Human beings are like fragile little ants beneath the furious footsteps we call cyclones and earthquakes. But don't be scared to die. "Everyone dies. Not everyone really lives."

Kinda helps put things into perspective, don't you think? Not only do we need to remember to not be scared to die, but we need to be unafraid of being hurt - much more common occurrence in our daily lives. I need to remember to love fully, without hesitation; I can't allow my experiences to jade me so that I lose that part of myself. Because if I did that, I wouldn't be really living, honoring the core of who I really am - a loving, generous, vivacious, caring person. If others can't truly cherish or appreciate that (or can't reciprocate), it doesn't mean I should stop being who I really am. I must really live my life, without hesitation, without being jaded. If I'm not true to myself, then I'm not really living.

So keep your chin up, smell those daisies, and find those silver linings. Smile, put a twinkle in your eye and a spring in your step. Slow down, breathe deeply. Take in your surroundings and acknowledge the people you brush by throughout the day. Give someone a complement and lift their spirits. We are fantabulous! We are Glamour Pi forever!

Reunion!

This weekend I attended my 20 year high school reunion. I'd gone to my 10 year, and it had been OK, so I was hoping the 20 year would be as good. I was a bit wary, though, as I'd taken a friend with me for the 10 year, and this time I was going stag. (Extrovert marries introvert, proving opposites attract!) I have to give all of the 'significant others' who attended my complements, though, especially if they didn't attend the school. What a fun way to spend the evening - with a bunch of people you've never met before!

Since I'd been to the 10 year, I knew more or less what to expect. You check in, you get your picture taken for the memory book they'll charge you an arm and a leg for later, and then you hit the bar to get a drink and hopefully scan the room for people you recognize.

Well, I'd come prepared. Not only did I dig out my old yearbook (heaven protect us from the styles of the '80s!), but I looked on the official school alumni website as well as Classmates. Not one to do things half-way, I cross referenced the people I remembered on the list with the photos in the yearbook, and vice versa. So I felt pretty well prepared to remember who was who - provided, of course, that people looked anything like they had in high school!

Unfortunately, this year, new arrivals had to 'run the gambit'. After checking in, you had your picture taken for the memory book. But instead of going into another room where it was just you, the photographer, his assistant and anyone else waiting to be photographed, this year the backdrop was set up right next to the registration table in the main hallway of the hotel! So you get there, it's a new situation, you're feeling awkward, and you have to have your picture taken in front of a bunch of strangers! Give me a break!

Well, I got myself set up in my most flattering pose and the photographer gets off a shot. Then he (loudly) tells me to 'work it!' Really?!? I mean, I only have so many poses. It's not like I took modeling classes. Wait a minute! My daughter is taking those right now, and last week when we were trying to pick out a dress for me to wear, she'd shown me what she'd learned. Whew! So quickly scrambling for another pose or two, I move around so the photographer can get off a couple more shots. Then mercifully it's over and the next victim steps up to the camera.

Talk about Kismet! As I'm stuffing my receipts, etc., back into my purse, I happen to look up at the 'new guy'. Hey! I know him! We were on the school paper together! His photo session was mercifully short (no 'work it' yelled to him - I wonder why?) I re-introduce myself and we're off for the evening. Turns out his very pregnant wife sent him out alone, so I have a fellow married person to hang with.

What was amazing to me was realizing the dichotomy of people. Obviously we'd all changed a lot in 20 years, but by the same token, we all had stayed the same! My newspaper buddy and I had spent most of 4th period journalism class yapping about anything and nothing; it was the same through dinner 20 years later. That was the case with just about everyone I spoke to - the dynamics of the relationships we had 20 years ago were still firmly in place, as if we'd just graduated yesterday. I guess I haven't changed much, either, though; while I was in the middle of some enthusiastic retelling of some story or another, I overheard an old friend explaining to someone else that I'd always been that animated.

In short, I had a blast and am so glad I went! I'm really happy with where I am now in life, but it was nice to revisit the past and have a good laugh... or two, or dozen!