Separation

I love the Internet! The reasons are too numerous to count. But the most recent addition to that list is free video calls. My husband and I were able to talk via Skype, and he was able to see his son on his first Father’s Day.

I should back up a bit. My husband, a jet specialist in the Air Force, is currently in U.A.E. He has been there since mid May and won’t be coming home till mid September. This is the very first deployment that we have been able to see each other during it. That being said, the call was bittersweet. Even though we were able to see each other, he is still thousands of miles away from home and away from his baby boy. While we have been through many deployments in out nearly 8 years of marriage this is by far the hardest. Not so much for me but for him. He is missing the little milestones that Avi achieves every day. I think as a military wife, or any other family member of a deployed service member, we often think about how hard it is for us to be without our lived one—we have no help with chores, our best friend is gone and we are taking care of the kids alone. But we have it easy by far. We are at home, in our own bed, and we GET to be with our children every day while our loved one is in a strange land, with strangers for the most part, in shitty beds, with shitty food and working their asses off for peanuts.

So while my husband is away, doing his part in for this war—or  whatever the politicos are calling it now—I  am doing everything I can to capture all the wonderful things our son does through pictures, which I email and load on Flickr, and videos that I post as private on YouTube, all so he can see Avi. But for Avi, I don’t want him to not know his daddy, but that is hard since he was only three months old when his daddy left and will almost be 8 months old when he returns. So, I show him videos and pictures and talk to him about his daddy—where he is and how much he loves him. I do know how lucky I am though; my husband was home throughout the whole pregnancy and he was by my side for Avi’s birth. There are so many fathers who are far away in some crappy desert tent city missing that precious moment and many times the whole first year of their child’s life. But it is not only fathers who get separated, there are tons of new moms out there that have to go on deployment; the military’s first priority is not the family unit. It is hard enough knowing what my husband is missing, I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes as a mother missing those same things. My thoughts and prayers go out to all military families who are separated.

The heat is on

I am feeling very yelly these days. It doesn’t help that my place has sporadic air conditioning (bear in mind I live in Sacramento) so I’ve been sitting at my home desk trying to concentrate while I have two fans blowing at me from either side. My cats are drooping somewhere in the corner; they’re fine, but droopy. My girl kitty tends to get overheated so I do keep an eye on her. So far we’re all right.

And then I come across stories like this: Seven show dogs die in hot van.

… and it just makes me even yellier. How many animals (and kids, for that matter) have to die in hot cars before people realize that ANIMALS AND KIDS FOR THAT MATTER CAN DIE IN HOT CARS?!? I mean, honestly, lady, you couldn’t just bring the dog into the house with you?

Look. Numerous studies done have shown that the internal temperature of a car can rise at a shockingly high rate in a short amount of time. The education is out there. So is the personal experience. Most of us know what it’s like to get into a stuffy, overheated car, when the steering wheel is even to hot to be touched. And remember how much good cracking a window does? As in, none at all? Yeah. So why would you let anybody suffer in there?

Take care of the goofy guy in your life

Here’s one study that shows an hour-by-hour increase. And here’s another on NewScientist.com–excerpt following:

“On 16 cloud-free days in Northern California, the team measured a car’s inside temperature at 5 minute intervals for one hour post-parking. Ambient temperatures on the study days ranged from 22°C [71°F] to 35°C [95°F]. They found that, regardless of outside air temperature, the car heated up at a similar rate – gaining 80% of its final temperature within 30 minutes. Cars that started out comfortable 22°C [71°F], for example, rocketed to over 47°C [116°F] after 60 minutes in the sun. And keeping the windows open a crack hardly slowed the rise at all.”

If you can’t bring the dog in with you, don’t take the dog with you. It’s really that simple. REALLY. And then you don’t have to try and find a way to tell your kid why the dog didn’t come home with you.

So that’s my rant. I was going to rant about dental insurance, but I think I’ll save that for next week.

Fare thee well, Maddy St. Clair!

Bye Maddy! You're the greatest!!!

When I began working at Solano Magazine in October 2007 (WOW!) Magdalena (Maddy) St. Clair was instantly my new best friend, well, best WORK friend I know it’s not right to pick favorites … but … if it was life or death I’d pick YOU Maddy!!! (Don’t worry, readers, the other staffers could really care less. )

This is simply a formal farewell to the loss of a great co-worker. She’s moving on to bigger and better things. The ONLY reason I accept her departure is because she promised to support my comedy endeavors in the future So thanks in advance for that! Her last day is Friday, sadly I won’t be there as I’m departing to VEGAS (woot!). If I win big, Maddy, I’ll give you five whole dollars! Hey, it’s the least I could do! Well, I guess $0.01 is the least I could do. Maybe I’ll just get her a shot glass or something…

Goodbye Maddy! The office won’t be the same without you!

::what’s the emoticon for a hug???::

(((Maddy)))

%^D

p.s. The photo above was taken at the Blue Frog Grog & Grill in Fairfield, CA. Gotta love their stuffed mushrooms and Hefeweizen!!! All day … every day … mMmMmMmMmmmm.

Hippie heffers

I have some family friends in the Suisun Valley area, Chris and John Pray, that have a great hunk of land out there. I visit on occasion and last time I went I was halted by the Scottish Highland Cattle (aka “kyloe” according to wikipedia.org) that live on the property.

Hairy cows! I would tip them, but I don't wanna mess up their "do" ... maybe if I brought some hair gel ... LOTS of hair gel.

Uh oh, I've been spotted! That's Hillary. By the size of her horns you can be sure she's the dominant member of the group. It is quite fitting that she's named after our Secretary of State.

OH! ... VERY mature Hillary. Stick your tongue out at ME will ya ... well try THIS on for size: 8-P HA! Didn't wanna have to do that. What's that? YOU WANT MORE!?!?! Well there's PLENTY more where THAT came fr... oh ... she's eating ... well ... this is embarrassing ...

This is the baby steer, Angel. So meek, so timid, so "put in his place." One day Angel, you'll be BIG! I promise. Just like Tom Hanks.

I was looking around for Lucille who suddenly disappeared. And then, out of the corner of my eye … ::(gasp!)::

How'd you like to see THIS in your driver's side mirror? Lucille is a "formidable redhead named after Lucille Ball," says Chris.

In the distance you'll find a lone Hillary in her habitat with a fantastic view of Solano County. Joy.

Despite their very large stature, these creatures are rather gentle. “Extremely gentle with something wonderful in your hand to eat,” says Chris. It seems these cattle will eat anything, including poison oak. Something that makes the Scottish Highland Cattle even more unique in addition to their long flowing locks. Umm … not much else to say about these cows, other than that they are fun to watch and have great personalities. They remind me of really big dogs … if dogs had horns.

Paragliders Anonymous

Lately, I’ve noticed something on my drive to work. There’s a certain spot in Vallejo where people seem to like hanging out. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the fact that they’re hanging out … in mid-air!!! For what seems like hours on end…

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ... a human?

I’m so jealous. I want to join! Take me with you!!! There was only one paraglider on the day I finally managed to have a camera on hand, but in the past I’ve seen maybe 3-5 at a time. Quite an amazing site to see, actually. You can find them on Columbus Pkwy. just across from Solano College’s Vallejo campus. I started to drive up St. John’s Mine Road to try and meet these paragliders. There was a sign at the bottom of the hill that said “No Trespassers” and I thought ‘Hey, I’m a journalist … taking risks is what I do!’ But then, after driving maybe half a mile up a winding road, there was a big sign that said: “Trespassers will be ARRESTED.” Yeah … a little too risky for me, especially with two speeding tickets under my belt in the last month I couldn’t turn around since there wasn’t any space so I put it in neutral and coasted back down the twists and turns in reverse. I was proud of myself when I reached the end.

In conclusion, I left my card in their “Paraglider News” box at the bottom of the hill. I hope they call! (707) 428-4440. (Ask for Matt Larson ) Until then, I shall gaze at this awesome hobby? activity? sport? … with desperate envy:

So peaceful ... so eco-friendly ... it's no Willy Wonka flying elevator, but darn close! One day... that'll be me! I hope... (707-428-4440!)

Babies and work, oh my!

I can’t believe it; Avi is already four months old. Time flies when you are having fun, but I truly believe that it goes by at triple speed once you have a baby. I’ve been back to work now for a little over a month and I am very fortunate to be able to bring Avi with me. It has taken a little getting used to for everyone—me, Avi and the rest of the staff—but it sure beats the alternative, daycare, which is just so expensive. Luckily our office is pretty small and we are like a big family; in addition to Avi, we have Elli the Siberian husky and Roxy the Yorkie mini-pincher as regular visitors. But I must say, while Avi makes a lot more noise during the day than the dogs, he has never relieved himself on the carpet.

In the weeks leading up to my return to work I searched blogs and websites for tips and advice about what to do to make having baby at work a success for everyone. In my search I found tons of information and opinions. One website that was very helpful was Babiesatwork.org. It has a great resource section that is full of not only tips and suggestions from other moms who bring their baby to work but also a list of companies nationwide that have official baby at work programs and a whole packet to set up your workplace as a baby-friendly work environment, sort of like a pre-made employee handbook. I highly suggest that if you work in an office and you are interested in having this at work check out this website. I say office because I am not sure that non-office jobs would be good for a baby, e.g. retail. While our office is way too casual for actual documents laying out the rules for a baby at work program, most aren’t.  So read through all the various documents on the website, that way, when you are ready to talk with your boss about setting up a program you will be able to answer all of their questions and look like a superwoman.

You have to be realistic though; you aren’t going to get as much work done as you would without the baby there. Statistically workers who have their children at work lose about 30 percent of their productivity. But, you are more loyal to your job, miss less work, are able to breastfeed longer and save a ton in childcare expenses. Also, having a baby around makes most people more relaxed, with the exception of the few people who don’t like babies. And as much as we would like to think those people don’t exist, they do.

A few things that I have found to be helpful:

My own office with a door. This is perfect for feeding and when Avi is napping.

A baby carrier. My favorite is the Moby Wrap. Check out my blog entry on March 29, 2009 called Baby wearing.

A bouncy chair. This is great for when I need to get typing done or make a phone call, I just stick him in it and bounce away with my foot; he’ll stay quiet for quite a while.

Avi at four months. He is almost too big for his bouncer.

The Boppy nursing pillow. This is not really a convenient thing to lug around, but it’s great for hands-free breastfeeding.

And lastly, great co-workers. [Awwwww!--Coworkers]

Congratulations, Solano College Theatre students!

It might be best to post (nearly) verbatim and complete information I received the other day, instead of trying to paraphrase:

“Three Solano College Theatre Actor Training Program students won the grand prize in the Monty Python’s Bright Side of Life Video Contest, celebrating the California premier of Spamalot at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco. The winning video will be featured in a Spamalot TV commercial during the 2009 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7 on CBS 5. Michael Doppe scripted and filmed the video, which features himself, Carmen Hanson and Kristin Martin performing the famous Monty Python Song “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life.” The complete video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPFsm8BSP-M&feature=channel_page.”

They got some cool prizes, including tickets to the show itself. Many congratulations, ya crazy theater people, and enjoy the show!

Seeing the valley through the vog

Well, I’m back from Hawaii, and true to form, and despite my best efforts, I got a bit sunburned. Sometimes it is hard to avoid. But slather on the aloe at every opportunity and you’ll come through just fine!

Our story about the Big Island–and trust me, it IS a Big Island–will appear in our November 2009 issue. I can’t wait to show you pictures and talk about the food! In the meantime, I am pleased to say that our group got a sneak peek at a brand-new tour by Hawaii Forest & Trail that hadn’t begun for the public yet (official tours opened this month) through the Waipio Valley.

Our tour guide, Matt, was amazing; he knew all the old myths and stories about how streams, waterfalls, valleys, gullies, trees came about. As with a ton of older cultures–and, it seems, especially those so heavily influenced by the natural environment–there are a lot of myths. But I think what was so impressive was his personal control of the weather. On our 3-mile hike, we frequently hit scenic viewpoints which were covered, no visibility whatsoever, by vog (basically volcanic smog), but then he’d start telling a story and slowly, slowly the vog would lift to reveal an amazing view. What powers! (I wish the photo here was more amazing, but my camera was crapping out.)

Here are more scenic points:

The taro plant, up close…

More to come in November …

Meet Frank, the petrified orange

It was only a matter of time before my citric companion made it to the blog. Meet Frank, the petrified orange.

Frank

He was gifted to me by our marketing and sales assistant Maddy St. Clair in October 2008. She thought it had gone bad since it had hardened to nearly rock-solid, but now, more than 6 months later … Frank lives on…

For months I have been staring at this anomaly, contemplating its purpose in life. I’ve actually gone so far as looking up pictures of moldy oranges online, just to remind myself that yes, they’re supposed to rot. Frank doesn’t rot. Oh no … Since I’ve kept him on my desk he has lost a lot of mass; very light now. You can still squeeze him as hard as you can and not even dent the skin. He used to smell like an orange. Not so much anymore … BUT … it doesn’t smell BAD!

I should take it on a trip with me across some border, so that when they say “Are you traveling with any fruits or vegetables?” I’ll hold up Frank and say, “You tell me.”

I’m getting a bit worried. I’m just waiting for the day when it explodes with maggots and disease, but after 6 WHOLE MONTHS—MOLD doesn’t even wanna eat this thing! Something ain’t right here…

It’s from Australia. Riversun Exports to be exact. It’s a navel orange, number 4012. They’ve obviously injected it with something to preserve it on its trip to America. Am I nuts? Is this type of behavior considered normal with Australian citrus? I sure don’t want to eat anything from this place after befriending one of their specimens…

I’m not sure what to do with this thing. I’m going to wait a year then try and break something with it … or dissect it like a mad scientist … or just keep it in a jar for eternity …but one thing’s for sure, this piece of former fruit is not obeying the rules appertaining to the circle of life. Perhaps it’s a sign … pigs are flying, oranges are petrifying, hell should be freezing over any day now…

I named him Frank. He’s my petrified orange … Don’t judge me.