Yup, I made the daring leap to wordpress... don't worry, I am easy to find... Just point your browser to:
www.KathleensPlace.com
See you on the other side...
Monday, August 02, 2010
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Almost Carjacked...AGAIN!
Spent a little bit of time up north this weekend and I always seem to get in trouble when I start driving the streets of LA! This weekend, I was up at the Pantages Theater seeing Topol in Fiddler on the Roof.
Leaving the theater we got caught in traffic with everyone leaving Staples Center after the Jonas Brothers concert..ugh! But we got to Staci's house and then I left from there. Only had about an hour drive, but it was late and I was very tired! (Gimme a break - it was after midnight - I am waaay to old for those late night hours!)
So I hit the freeway and then got stuck in more Jonas Brothers' traffic...ugh! I got off the freeway and started on side streets. I hate sitting in traffic not moving... patience isn't a virtue I have.... But...you'd think after the 2006-Almost-Carjacked Incident I would know better??!??
Nope... you give me WAY too much credit :)
So... there I was, stopped at a light... hear a tap on my driver's window... look to my left at a guy holding a gun. Without even hesitating, I hit the gas and flew through the intersection (to all of those who mocked me for focusing on a car that goes 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds - HAH!). and got to the freeway as fast as possible. NO, I did NOT stop for any red lights!)
Who carjacks a corvette? You can't sell the parts, it doesn't breakdown well because of the fiberglass and a yellow 'vette isn't easy to hide...unless it wasn't the car that he wanted... shudder...
What is it about LA and me? It isn't like all the streets of LA are mean, just the ones I find myself on! There are some very pleasant streets in LA. But geesh ONE more attempted car-jacking and I am going to start taking it personally!
Although, in defense of the mean-streets-of-LA... I made very stupid decisions and have no one to blame but myself (well, and the would-be-carjackers). The Luck-of-Kathleen in full force :)
For those of you not familiar with the 2006-Almost-Carjacked Incident in the Black Corvette (which was later hit by a drunk driver when I was coming back from seeing Jay Leno in LA in 2007) ...here is a recap:
October 4, 2006
I am a huge Barry Manilow fan! There I said it. I love Barry! And my friend Staci, is the best because when she was invited to a Friends and Family Dress Rehearsal for Barry Manilow's "Music and Passion" tour, she invited me to go with her! Duh - Of course, I am going to say yes! Did I mention I like Barry :)
So....I left work a bit early and met Staci at the LA Forum Arena for two hours of Barry singing Barry's greatest hits! The concert was the highlight of my week but the adventure was far from over once I left the Forum. I had been warned the Forum wasn't in the best part of LA - I can confirm that now... The Forum is in a baaaad part of LA.
I left the Forum and figured I'd take the 110 freeway home instead of the 405 - for those of you outside of Southern California, either freeway would have gotten me in the vicinity of my house.
Taking the 110 was the first bad choice I made that night. It was dark and the neighborhood in South Central LA I found myself in wasn't the nicest. It wasn't just that it was a run down part of town, but that it was 10PM and there were big groups of people on every street corner... I am pretty sure they weren't having prayer meetings...
I was only a few blocks from the freeway so I decided to just push on through. Naturally, I seemed to get stuck at every red light, giving the bystanders on all the various corners plenty of time to yell and mock me. To call it a "rough" neighborhood would be an understatement. The light turns green and I headed out of the intersection when suddenly an SUV and a car come flying out of a side street.
The SUV pulls in front of me and slams on his brakes, forces me to do the same, and the other car pulls up right behind me. Yeah...I wasn't thinking it was good either.
As it is happening, I am taking in the large crowd in front of the Laundromat on my left who are all laughing and hollering and I am not going to lie, I was scared. Then, I see the front door of the SUV in front of me start to open. By this time, I have already started to reverse and turn the wheel of my car to try to take advantage of what little space I have between me and the SUV & me and the car behind me. (Silver lining - I do have survival instincts... and they were kickin' in!)
I knew that, at whatever cost, I had to stay in the car because I was far safer IN the car than I ever would be out of it. I have a Corvette, I figured if I could just get my car moving, even if I had to take off the front hood to get out of the space, I could outrun them, right? 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds was one of its selling points :)
At just that moment, I hear police sirens and almost cry from relief (I didn't actually cry until later. I was a big girl :) In my rearview mirror, I saw two police cars racing up behind me - the mob scatters and the two cars I am trapped in between take off.
Now in hindsight, I can laugh about it. But it certainly wasn't funny last night. One of the police cars pulls up beside me and he yells at me, if you'll excuse my language, he asked if I had "shit for brains." To which I respectfully replied, "Yes, yes sir I do. Can you please get me out of here."
Apparently there are nice people who call the police when stupid people like me venture into neighborhoods where they aren't wanted (Who wouldn't want me?) Thankfully there was someone who took the time to make that call that night because the bad guys definitely had someone call them to let them know I was there, too. So in defense of the Policeman's "bad" language, his adrenaline was pumping and I think he was almost as scared as I was. When they got the call that I was in trouble I am not sure they were optimistic that they would find me okay (Notice that TWO police cars were dispatched, not one...)
So Police Car #1 pulled ahead of me, I pulled in behind him, Police Car #2 pulled in behind me and we left South Central LA. They pulled me into a parking lot off the freeway and explained to me (loudly) the stupidity of my ways.
There are rules in the neighborhood (yup, gangs have rules!) and those rules dictated that, on principle, the gang-in-charge couldn't let me just drive my "nice" car through their neighborhood without their permission and since I hadn't asked nicely, I needed to be taught a lesson. (I promise, that my rudeness was purely unintentional).
I can't say I really understand the Gang Rule Book, but I am trying not to judge because I have NO idea what life in their world is like or what they need to do to survive. Although, I didn't think it was really appropriate to point out the Escalade SUV that had served to stop me in the middle of the street was most likely worth far more than what I was driving, but I digress...
The nice, wonderful, heroic policemen also told me that if I ever found myself in a bad neighborhood again he hoped I was smart enough to NOT stop at red lights because obeying traffic laws wasn't going to win me any points if I was dead. (I made a mental note of that - He did have a good point...)
After my lecture was over, they escorted me right to the freeway and I headed home. I made some stupid, naive decisions that got me in a lot of trouble. It was only by the grace of God that it wasn't more serious trouble.
So lessons learned:
1 - Just because your car has a fancy, smancy navigation system that talks to you doesn't mean you can't get lost.
2 - Trust your instincts. Sometimes when you sense danger, you should turn around and not push forward, especially when you are a single, white female driving a new corvette (without tinted windows) in South Central LA singing "Copacabana" (loudly & off-key) after dark.
3 - Not everyone is well intentioned, so at 10PM in South Central LA, don't be so ready to give people the benefit of the doubt.
4 - Risk getting a traffic ticket for running a red light versus making yourself a conspicuous and easy target for groups of dubious characters on street corners by stopping at every red light.
5 - Just because you don't turn your head and make eye contact with mean, scary gang-members doesn't mean that they can't see you...
6 - And yes, there are probably bad police officers on the LA police force, but four LA policemen are my heroes and there is nothing I will ever be able to say to them to adequately express my gratitude.
Good Guys - 1
Bad Guys - 0
I said my prayers last night & thanked God for the blessing of one more day.
One of these days I'll learn...
Love,
Kathleen
Leaving the theater we got caught in traffic with everyone leaving Staples Center after the Jonas Brothers concert..ugh! But we got to Staci's house and then I left from there. Only had about an hour drive, but it was late and I was very tired! (Gimme a break - it was after midnight - I am waaay to old for those late night hours!)
So I hit the freeway and then got stuck in more Jonas Brothers' traffic...ugh! I got off the freeway and started on side streets. I hate sitting in traffic not moving... patience isn't a virtue I have.... But...you'd think after the 2006-Almost-Carjacked Incident I would know better??!??
Nope... you give me WAY too much credit :)
So... there I was, stopped at a light... hear a tap on my driver's window... look to my left at a guy holding a gun. Without even hesitating, I hit the gas and flew through the intersection (to all of those who mocked me for focusing on a car that goes 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds - HAH!). and got to the freeway as fast as possible. NO, I did NOT stop for any red lights!)
Who carjacks a corvette? You can't sell the parts, it doesn't breakdown well because of the fiberglass and a yellow 'vette isn't easy to hide...unless it wasn't the car that he wanted... shudder...
What is it about LA and me? It isn't like all the streets of LA are mean, just the ones I find myself on! There are some very pleasant streets in LA. But geesh ONE more attempted car-jacking and I am going to start taking it personally!
Although, in defense of the mean-streets-of-LA... I made very stupid decisions and have no one to blame but myself (well, and the would-be-carjackers). The Luck-of-Kathleen in full force :)
For those of you not familiar with the 2006-Almost-Carjacked Incident in the Black Corvette (which was later hit by a drunk driver when I was coming back from seeing Jay Leno in LA in 2007) ...here is a recap:
October 4, 2006
I am a huge Barry Manilow fan! There I said it. I love Barry! And my friend Staci, is the best because when she was invited to a Friends and Family Dress Rehearsal for Barry Manilow's "Music and Passion" tour, she invited me to go with her! Duh - Of course, I am going to say yes! Did I mention I like Barry :)
So....I left work a bit early and met Staci at the LA Forum Arena for two hours of Barry singing Barry's greatest hits! The concert was the highlight of my week but the adventure was far from over once I left the Forum. I had been warned the Forum wasn't in the best part of LA - I can confirm that now... The Forum is in a baaaad part of LA.
I left the Forum and figured I'd take the 110 freeway home instead of the 405 - for those of you outside of Southern California, either freeway would have gotten me in the vicinity of my house.
Taking the 110 was the first bad choice I made that night. It was dark and the neighborhood in South Central LA I found myself in wasn't the nicest. It wasn't just that it was a run down part of town, but that it was 10PM and there were big groups of people on every street corner... I am pretty sure they weren't having prayer meetings...
I was only a few blocks from the freeway so I decided to just push on through. Naturally, I seemed to get stuck at every red light, giving the bystanders on all the various corners plenty of time to yell and mock me. To call it a "rough" neighborhood would be an understatement. The light turns green and I headed out of the intersection when suddenly an SUV and a car come flying out of a side street.
The SUV pulls in front of me and slams on his brakes, forces me to do the same, and the other car pulls up right behind me. Yeah...I wasn't thinking it was good either.
As it is happening, I am taking in the large crowd in front of the Laundromat on my left who are all laughing and hollering and I am not going to lie, I was scared. Then, I see the front door of the SUV in front of me start to open. By this time, I have already started to reverse and turn the wheel of my car to try to take advantage of what little space I have between me and the SUV & me and the car behind me. (Silver lining - I do have survival instincts... and they were kickin' in!)
I knew that, at whatever cost, I had to stay in the car because I was far safer IN the car than I ever would be out of it. I have a Corvette, I figured if I could just get my car moving, even if I had to take off the front hood to get out of the space, I could outrun them, right? 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds was one of its selling points :)
At just that moment, I hear police sirens and almost cry from relief (I didn't actually cry until later. I was a big girl :) In my rearview mirror, I saw two police cars racing up behind me - the mob scatters and the two cars I am trapped in between take off.
Now in hindsight, I can laugh about it. But it certainly wasn't funny last night. One of the police cars pulls up beside me and he yells at me, if you'll excuse my language, he asked if I had "shit for brains." To which I respectfully replied, "Yes, yes sir I do. Can you please get me out of here."
Apparently there are nice people who call the police when stupid people like me venture into neighborhoods where they aren't wanted (Who wouldn't want me?) Thankfully there was someone who took the time to make that call that night because the bad guys definitely had someone call them to let them know I was there, too. So in defense of the Policeman's "bad" language, his adrenaline was pumping and I think he was almost as scared as I was. When they got the call that I was in trouble I am not sure they were optimistic that they would find me okay (Notice that TWO police cars were dispatched, not one...)
So Police Car #1 pulled ahead of me, I pulled in behind him, Police Car #2 pulled in behind me and we left South Central LA. They pulled me into a parking lot off the freeway and explained to me (loudly) the stupidity of my ways.
There are rules in the neighborhood (yup, gangs have rules!) and those rules dictated that, on principle, the gang-in-charge couldn't let me just drive my "nice" car through their neighborhood without their permission and since I hadn't asked nicely, I needed to be taught a lesson. (I promise, that my rudeness was purely unintentional).
I can't say I really understand the Gang Rule Book, but I am trying not to judge because I have NO idea what life in their world is like or what they need to do to survive. Although, I didn't think it was really appropriate to point out the Escalade SUV that had served to stop me in the middle of the street was most likely worth far more than what I was driving, but I digress...
The nice, wonderful, heroic policemen also told me that if I ever found myself in a bad neighborhood again he hoped I was smart enough to NOT stop at red lights because obeying traffic laws wasn't going to win me any points if I was dead. (I made a mental note of that - He did have a good point...)
After my lecture was over, they escorted me right to the freeway and I headed home. I made some stupid, naive decisions that got me in a lot of trouble. It was only by the grace of God that it wasn't more serious trouble.
So lessons learned:
1 - Just because your car has a fancy, smancy navigation system that talks to you doesn't mean you can't get lost.
2 - Trust your instincts. Sometimes when you sense danger, you should turn around and not push forward, especially when you are a single, white female driving a new corvette (without tinted windows) in South Central LA singing "Copacabana" (loudly & off-key) after dark.
3 - Not everyone is well intentioned, so at 10PM in South Central LA, don't be so ready to give people the benefit of the doubt.
4 - Risk getting a traffic ticket for running a red light versus making yourself a conspicuous and easy target for groups of dubious characters on street corners by stopping at every red light.
5 - Just because you don't turn your head and make eye contact with mean, scary gang-members doesn't mean that they can't see you...
6 - And yes, there are probably bad police officers on the LA police force, but four LA policemen are my heroes and there is nothing I will ever be able to say to them to adequately express my gratitude.
Good Guys - 1
Bad Guys - 0
I said my prayers last night & thanked God for the blessing of one more day.
One of these days I'll learn...
Love,
Kathleen
Friday, August 07, 2009
Pretty is as Pretty Does...
I can't tell you how many times I heard this from my mother while I was growing up - Pretty is as Pretty Does. While I think she was trying to make me feel better for being a bit frumpy (those of you that actually knew me "way back when" can refrain from confirming this for those of you who didn't...:) my wise momma was also trying to teach me that if you act ugly, you are ugly. And God doesn't like ugly.
I see adults who don’t even look at their waitress when placing an order. I see parents who let their children talk rudely to store clerks. I see people who don't even bother to get off their cell phones as they check out at the grocery store. AND I saw this all before lunch today!
I’m not suggesting we engage in a deep, philosophical conversations with the ladies at the dry cleaners or the man who works the drive-thru, but I would suggest we start looking them in the eye when we speak to them.
And for the minute it takes to check out, order a meal, go through the drive-thru, or pick up your drycleaning... hang up your cell phone.
Growing up on different military bases, I remember seeing the same bulletin board shouting "Courtesy is Contagious." Don't you think we would all do good to catch a little of that?
Pretty is as pretty does. Act pretty :) Thanks, Momma.
Love,
Kathleen
I see adults who don’t even look at their waitress when placing an order. I see parents who let their children talk rudely to store clerks. I see people who don't even bother to get off their cell phones as they check out at the grocery store. AND I saw this all before lunch today!
I’m not suggesting we engage in a deep, philosophical conversations with the ladies at the dry cleaners or the man who works the drive-thru, but I would suggest we start looking them in the eye when we speak to them.
And for the minute it takes to check out, order a meal, go through the drive-thru, or pick up your drycleaning... hang up your cell phone.
Growing up on different military bases, I remember seeing the same bulletin board shouting "Courtesy is Contagious." Don't you think we would all do good to catch a little of that?
Pretty is as pretty does. Act pretty :) Thanks, Momma.
Love,
Kathleen
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Stopping to smell the flowers!
I LOVE yellow flowers. Nothing makes me happier - not sure what it is, but there is just something about sunny, yellow flowers even if they are "just" daisies. So I stopped on the way to work to take this picture - so pretty!
Love,
Kathleen
Sunday, August 02, 2009
MY Cash for YOUR clunker...
Grrrrr!
I really don't want to make this another blog that rants about the questionable programs coming out of Washington right now....I just got angrier and angrier this morning as I was listening to radio news shows.
We are paying people to trade-in perfectly acceptable cars, scrap these perfectly acceptable cars, dilute the trade-in market, subsidize government-owned auto makers and create unfair competition for those automakers running solvent and successful businesses who didn't need to take government money? All the while increasing my tax burden? Oh and it gets better... some of these eligible cars are made in Korea... so we are actually subsidizing the Korean economy? Oops... I started ranting....
BUT for the moment, let’s just pretend to ignore the fact that the Obama brain trust developed a program that was designed to run for three months but ran out of money in four days... more importantly, what does this suggest about their (in)ability to forecast anything about the economy or their (in)ability to administer your healthcare?
Cash for Clunkers just makes me more and more despondent about the prospect that Congress may soon be making my health care decisions for me. I am not saying healthcare doesn't need fixing, I am just saying I am tired of having to be the one to pay for everything.
Also... in my recent, informal Kathleen poll.. there are two problems that the majority of Americans are concerned about - the growing debt and the lack of jobs.
YET... the two issues Congress is quagmired in are .... energy and health. What am I missing? How are they supposed to reduce debt and create jobs?
Someone somewhere thinks putting a bigger burden on small businesses will make the economy all better? COBRA subsidies, minimum wage pay increase, supplemental tax hikes ... brilliant. For many, it's not about the money. It's about the sheer hassle of compliance with the tax laws and the complete loss of control you feel when dealing with the government.
I know I got a B in economics, so obviously I don't know much about the economy - supply, demand, stimulus, recession are all very complex. However, I do recall the best way to stimulate the economy is to stop taking money from taxpayers to begin with!
Sigh...
I wanted a renewed sense of optimism. Yup, I voted for the other guy, but I wanted change, too. I think we were a nation that was a little bit broken. But, I wonder if, as a nation, when we went to the polls we voted based on charisma versus experience? Now we have a bunch of newbies with advanced degrees trying and ...not succeeding.
I have advanced degrees... a BS, an MBA, a few professional certifications AND a Red Cross babysitting certificate.... I think that makes me qualified to run... the Department of Treasury.
Love,
Kathleen
I really don't want to make this another blog that rants about the questionable programs coming out of Washington right now....I just got angrier and angrier this morning as I was listening to radio news shows.
We are paying people to trade-in perfectly acceptable cars, scrap these perfectly acceptable cars, dilute the trade-in market, subsidize government-owned auto makers and create unfair competition for those automakers running solvent and successful businesses who didn't need to take government money? All the while increasing my tax burden? Oh and it gets better... some of these eligible cars are made in Korea... so we are actually subsidizing the Korean economy? Oops... I started ranting....
BUT for the moment, let’s just pretend to ignore the fact that the Obama brain trust developed a program that was designed to run for three months but ran out of money in four days... more importantly, what does this suggest about their (in)ability to forecast anything about the economy or their (in)ability to administer your healthcare?
Cash for Clunkers just makes me more and more despondent about the prospect that Congress may soon be making my health care decisions for me. I am not saying healthcare doesn't need fixing, I am just saying I am tired of having to be the one to pay for everything.
Also... in my recent, informal Kathleen poll.. there are two problems that the majority of Americans are concerned about - the growing debt and the lack of jobs.
YET... the two issues Congress is quagmired in are .... energy and health. What am I missing? How are they supposed to reduce debt and create jobs?
Someone somewhere thinks putting a bigger burden on small businesses will make the economy all better? COBRA subsidies, minimum wage pay increase, supplemental tax hikes ... brilliant. For many, it's not about the money. It's about the sheer hassle of compliance with the tax laws and the complete loss of control you feel when dealing with the government.
I know I got a B in economics, so obviously I don't know much about the economy - supply, demand, stimulus, recession are all very complex. However, I do recall the best way to stimulate the economy is to stop taking money from taxpayers to begin with!
Sigh...
I wanted a renewed sense of optimism. Yup, I voted for the other guy, but I wanted change, too. I think we were a nation that was a little bit broken. But, I wonder if, as a nation, when we went to the polls we voted based on charisma versus experience? Now we have a bunch of newbies with advanced degrees trying and ...not succeeding.
I have advanced degrees... a BS, an MBA, a few professional certifications AND a Red Cross babysitting certificate.... I think that makes me qualified to run... the Department of Treasury.
Love,
Kathleen
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Doctor Says...
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Misty is still doing well! She went in for another check-up with Veterinary Oncologist and...
1. Xrays show her lungs to be clear
2. Blood work looks good
3. No more lump/bump/mass on her tongue
4. She the best dog ever!
Okay, #4 was an editorial comment....
So we'll go back in two more months and hope for the same!
Love, Kathleen
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Spoiler Alert
Really? Do we really need spoilers? Why would anyone want to do this to their car? Is it a guy thing? I don't understand it. This confuses me.
Not that you care Mr. Spoiler, but as I drove by, I made fun of you from inside the solitude of my car (sans spoiler). I even questioned the size of your... brain.
I mean who uses their car to draw attention to themselves? THAT is just plain ridiculous! :-)
Love,
Kathleen
Friday, July 24, 2009
Oprah, are you there? It's me, Kathleen...
The Oprah Winfrey Show - it is like "Sesame Street" for adults.
I haven't watched Oprah in years, but apparently she says you teach people how to treat you - If someone does something and you don't say anything...you have given them permission to do it again.
During dinner tonight, while discussing our boy problems (we moved on to the failing economy next), I got in trouble with an angry mob of girlfriends for being too permissive, too accommodating, too slow to anger and... too nice. Dang it - I hate it when I am too nice. Wait... I do?
Hold on - I thought being nice was a 'good thing'. Treat others how you want to be treated? To live in harmony don't we need to show consideration for others and be able to put the needs of others ahead of our own?
That got me to thinking... what is "too nice"?
Here is what I have decided and Oprah may or may not agree with me. If we live our lives in such a way that allows others to discount our needs, ignore our wants, and we don't receive the respect we deserve, we are being "too nice". If you’re nicer to a guy than you are to yourself OR if you’re nicer to him than he is to you, that’s "too nice".
Until we find our perfect partner, we’re going to walk down a lot of one-way streets; make a few lousy picks; and we’re going to kiss a lot of frogs. It isn't in vain. Each time we end up our proverbial rears, we stand up stronger.
SO, don't underestimate nice girls. We may look like pushovers, but we aren't. We hide a fierce inner strength and nice doesn't mean weak.
However, in the interest of full disclosure, I do think sometimes us nice girls ARE too permissive, too accommodating and too slow to anger... :) Not always, but with this particular boy, I definitely was. I get that NOW - with the clarity of hindsight :)
Oprah and the angry mob of girlfriends had a point - People choose how to treat me - I just need to be more aware of what I allow. Ah-ha!
I think the biggest (scariest) risk involved in teaching people how to treat you better is the risk that some of them might go away. Sometimes you just have to let them.
Love,
Kathleen
I haven't watched Oprah in years, but apparently she says you teach people how to treat you - If someone does something and you don't say anything...you have given them permission to do it again.
During dinner tonight, while discussing our boy problems (we moved on to the failing economy next), I got in trouble with an angry mob of girlfriends for being too permissive, too accommodating, too slow to anger and... too nice. Dang it - I hate it when I am too nice. Wait... I do?
Hold on - I thought being nice was a 'good thing'. Treat others how you want to be treated? To live in harmony don't we need to show consideration for others and be able to put the needs of others ahead of our own?
That got me to thinking... what is "too nice"?
Here is what I have decided and Oprah may or may not agree with me. If we live our lives in such a way that allows others to discount our needs, ignore our wants, and we don't receive the respect we deserve, we are being "too nice". If you’re nicer to a guy than you are to yourself OR if you’re nicer to him than he is to you, that’s "too nice".
Until we find our perfect partner, we’re going to walk down a lot of one-way streets; make a few lousy picks; and we’re going to kiss a lot of frogs. It isn't in vain. Each time we end up our proverbial rears, we stand up stronger.
SO, don't underestimate nice girls. We may look like pushovers, but we aren't. We hide a fierce inner strength and nice doesn't mean weak.
However, in the interest of full disclosure, I do think sometimes us nice girls ARE too permissive, too accommodating and too slow to anger... :) Not always, but with this particular boy, I definitely was. I get that NOW - with the clarity of hindsight :)
Oprah and the angry mob of girlfriends had a point - People choose how to treat me - I just need to be more aware of what I allow. Ah-ha!
I think the biggest (scariest) risk involved in teaching people how to treat you better is the risk that some of them might go away. Sometimes you just have to let them.
Love,
Kathleen
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Raise your Glasses!
Alright already! Stop nagging me - here is my MOH speech. Although, I hope your expectations are very low - not my best moment. I got a bit emotional at the end. But she is my baby sister :-)
Saturday, July 18, 2009
I am Woman, Hear Me Roar!
Helen Reddy is singing to me while I am getting ready for a date. Don't laugh. Don't judge. It is a great song!
But as I listen to this "Girl Power" song, it has made me wonder... what happened to MY roar?
Craaaaaap... I need to work on reclaiming my roar.
I better listen to the song, again... Wait, this might call for more drastic measures... I might need to listen to a little P!nk... I AM a rockstar and I got my rock moves :-)
Love,
Kathleen
But as I listen to this "Girl Power" song, it has made me wonder... what happened to MY roar?
Craaaaaap... I need to work on reclaiming my roar.
I better listen to the song, again... Wait, this might call for more drastic measures... I might need to listen to a little P!nk... I AM a rockstar and I got my rock moves :-)
Love,
Kathleen
Thursday, July 16, 2009
My Stalker
He knows where I live. He knows what car I drive. He has followed me when I take Misty out for a walk. He is usually there waiting for me to get back from a run. He seems to always be sitting at the curb at the corner of my street....
He is 8 years-old :)
Tommy lives around the corner from me. Cute, little boy. Always waves when I drive by; says "hi" when I run by. After a time, he worked up the courage to stop me with "Excuse me, Miss. Cool car." So I stopped to chat, seemed rude not to.
A little while later, when we were talking after one of my runs, he worked up the courage to ask if he could look inside my car? I said of course! If his mom wanted to bring him down to my house, then I'd even let him sit in the car :) Five minutes later, he was dragging his poor mom up the walkway to my front door.
A few days later, his mom said he wouldn't stop talking about the car... would I mind driving him around the block? Of course! I put down the top and we drove around our little neighborhood - he was laughing the whole way. You know that laugh - that great, little kid laugh...such pure joy that makes your heart smile and your soul shine.
He brought his friends to my driveway to 'look' at my car, but he warned them not to touch because only certain people could touch... and then he proceeded to touch it in a display of his importance :)
When he sees me go out for a run, he waits for me to finish and then runs the last block with me - he thinks it is fun to beat me to my own driveway..show-off! :) (In my defense...he didn't just run 10 miles ...)
Today, Tommy told me he wants to marry me when he grows up. I asked him why? He said because I am "cool." From the mouths of babes... :)
Love,
Kathleen
He is 8 years-old :)
Tommy lives around the corner from me. Cute, little boy. Always waves when I drive by; says "hi" when I run by. After a time, he worked up the courage to stop me with "Excuse me, Miss. Cool car." So I stopped to chat, seemed rude not to.
A little while later, when we were talking after one of my runs, he worked up the courage to ask if he could look inside my car? I said of course! If his mom wanted to bring him down to my house, then I'd even let him sit in the car :) Five minutes later, he was dragging his poor mom up the walkway to my front door.
A few days later, his mom said he wouldn't stop talking about the car... would I mind driving him around the block? Of course! I put down the top and we drove around our little neighborhood - he was laughing the whole way. You know that laugh - that great, little kid laugh...such pure joy that makes your heart smile and your soul shine.
He brought his friends to my driveway to 'look' at my car, but he warned them not to touch because only certain people could touch... and then he proceeded to touch it in a display of his importance :)
When he sees me go out for a run, he waits for me to finish and then runs the last block with me - he thinks it is fun to beat me to my own driveway..show-off! :) (In my defense...he didn't just run 10 miles ...)
Today, Tommy told me he wants to marry me when he grows up. I asked him why? He said because I am "cool." From the mouths of babes... :)
Love,
Kathleen
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Hugs not Drugs
My friends often tease me that I am always thinking and that I do the often-committed offense and "over-think" everything.
Guilty as charged...
As a result, I haven't been sleeping well recently. I know.... I just need to realize there are going to be some questions I'll never get answers to.
But no matter what I tried, I'd wake up and start "thinking"... and then I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep! And, with the exception of Gilligan Island re-runs, there is absolutely NOTHING to do at 2AM! Grrrrrr!
I went for LONG, hard runs trying to wear myself out. I tried watching movies, reading books, journaling, blogging, not even Misty wanted to go for a walk at that hour of the morning (...or is that night?) The fail-safe Tylenol PM wasn't even doing the trick. Nope... heartache won and I just couldn't sleep more than a few hours each night.
But ... I had lunch with my best friend. I haven't seen her in awhile and it was just the two of us in this tiny restaurant in San Clemente. She listened, she made me laugh, she let me cry, but most importantly ... she hugged me.
I slept that night for 8 hours...straight.
Love,
Kathleen
Guilty as charged...
As a result, I haven't been sleeping well recently. I know.... I just need to realize there are going to be some questions I'll never get answers to.
But no matter what I tried, I'd wake up and start "thinking"... and then I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep! And, with the exception of Gilligan Island re-runs, there is absolutely NOTHING to do at 2AM! Grrrrrr!
I went for LONG, hard runs trying to wear myself out. I tried watching movies, reading books, journaling, blogging, not even Misty wanted to go for a walk at that hour of the morning (...or is that night?) The fail-safe Tylenol PM wasn't even doing the trick. Nope... heartache won and I just couldn't sleep more than a few hours each night.
But ... I had lunch with my best friend. I haven't seen her in awhile and it was just the two of us in this tiny restaurant in San Clemente. She listened, she made me laugh, she let me cry, but most importantly ... she hugged me.
I slept that night for 8 hours...straight.
Love,
Kathleen
Sunday, July 12, 2009
All Good Things Must Come To An End?
Do they? Do all good things have to come to an end? Or do things come to an end because they weren't good? Nah... sometimes things just weren't meant to be :)
He wanted to see other people. I made him choose. He just didn't choose me.
I am still confused. Maybe a bit dazed. I mean, really, how could any man NOT want me? That just defies ALL logic. (At least that is what my sister says and I've always thought her to be quite smart :)
I am not bashing, not hating, not mad, not bitter, not name calling. I am not angry, vengeful or remorseful. I am hurt. I am sad. I'll miss him. I still think he is special... he just didn't think I was special... enough :)
I do have some great memories and it was good while it lasted - at least until the end with the tears and the sleepless nights :) That part kinda' sucked....
BUT what I decided earlier today... today is the day I get my head out of my arse and stop feeling sorry for myself :)
Love,
Kathleen
He wanted to see other people. I made him choose. He just didn't choose me.
I am still confused. Maybe a bit dazed. I mean, really, how could any man NOT want me? That just defies ALL logic. (At least that is what my sister says and I've always thought her to be quite smart :)
I am not bashing, not hating, not mad, not bitter, not name calling. I am not angry, vengeful or remorseful. I am hurt. I am sad. I'll miss him. I still think he is special... he just didn't think I was special... enough :)
I do have some great memories and it was good while it lasted - at least until the end with the tears and the sleepless nights :) That part kinda' sucked....
BUT what I decided earlier today... today is the day I get my head out of my arse and stop feeling sorry for myself :)
Love,
Kathleen
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Pretty Witch
Not everyone likes me. What!??! A lot of people do like me but there are some that don't. I think if I had to tally it up - more people like me than don't like me. I am pretty sure the "likes" outweigh the "dislikes," so all in all, I can be okay with that.
Recently, my sister has been teasing me about running into people I don't WANT to run into...everywhere! People I would really prefer not to see/talk to have been at a breakfast cafe, at the hair salon, at the gym and now... at the Chevron station around the corner from my house.
I pulled in to the gas station to put in $5000 worth of gas this morning. Okay, it was more like $50.... but I am prone to exaggeration :)
Anyway, I was fighting tears and I really HATE for people to see me cry. It had just been a long night, I was tired, my "heart" hurt, I couldn't get my hair to stay up, my run hadn't gone well, I felt fat, I was tired, kids are starving in Africa AND the song on the radio was Garth's "The Dance" - the world was trying to make me cry! Seriously!
So this "person" at the Chevron station said hello to me AND as he walked away he muttered under his breath AND I CLEARLY heard him say... "So the Pretty Witch does have a heart..."
Seriously? Wow. Really? Kick me while I am obviously down? NOW I feel perfectly justified for sidestepping his advances a few years ago...
But there is always a silver-lining...he called me "pretty" :)
Love,
Kathleen
Recently, my sister has been teasing me about running into people I don't WANT to run into...everywhere! People I would really prefer not to see/talk to have been at a breakfast cafe, at the hair salon, at the gym and now... at the Chevron station around the corner from my house.
I pulled in to the gas station to put in $5000 worth of gas this morning. Okay, it was more like $50.... but I am prone to exaggeration :)
Anyway, I was fighting tears and I really HATE for people to see me cry. It had just been a long night, I was tired, my "heart" hurt, I couldn't get my hair to stay up, my run hadn't gone well, I felt fat, I was tired, kids are starving in Africa AND the song on the radio was Garth's "The Dance" - the world was trying to make me cry! Seriously!
So this "person" at the Chevron station said hello to me AND as he walked away he muttered under his breath AND I CLEARLY heard him say... "So the Pretty Witch does have a heart..."
Seriously? Wow. Really? Kick me while I am obviously down? NOW I feel perfectly justified for sidestepping his advances a few years ago...
But there is always a silver-lining...he called me "pretty" :)
Love,
Kathleen
Friday, July 10, 2009
Here Comes the Bride...
Nope, not me :) My little sister married Joseph on June 13th. Over a year of planning and the big day finally arrived. Now, in hindsight, it is hard to believe that the big day has already come and gone!
But I think all things considered, it was a great celebration of the love two people have for each other. The slideshow below is a gathering of pictures from a whole bunch of different people - my sister is the star of most of them, but I managed to sneak into one or two :)
Rumor has it that there is video out there of me making my MOH speech. IF, after screening rumored video, I deem it appropriate (meaning not embarassing to me in any way) then I'll post a link to that as well. :)
Love,
Kathleen
But I think all things considered, it was a great celebration of the love two people have for each other. The slideshow below is a gathering of pictures from a whole bunch of different people - my sister is the star of most of them, but I managed to sneak into one or two :)
Rumor has it that there is video out there of me making my MOH speech. IF, after screening rumored video, I deem it appropriate (meaning not embarassing to me in any way) then I'll post a link to that as well. :)
Love,
Kathleen
Monday, May 25, 2009
So long as I get somewhere...
That was the quote that my sister used in her Graduation speech at UT Law. Hard to believe three years later she was walking across the stage to receive her JD - it isn't that she was graduating that was hard to believe, it was that it had been three years since I helped her get settled in Austin!
But graduate she did and in typical Lorraine style, she did it with class and accolades. She was elected as Permanent Class President and that gave her the opportunity to address her class on graduation day. She gave a great speech (even in my non-baised opinion :))
The trip to Austin was a whirlwind - I flew in at 10pm Thursday night and then out on Sunday at 6am. We managed to drive to San Antonio to visit my grandmother and Uncle, a wedding dress fiting for Lorraine, a visit with an old high school friend, graduation, and dinner with family and friends :)
Next big thing - THE wedding in Dallas on June 13th :)
Love, Kathleen
But graduate she did and in typical Lorraine style, she did it with class and accolades. She was elected as Permanent Class President and that gave her the opportunity to address her class on graduation day. She gave a great speech (even in my non-baised opinion :))
The trip to Austin was a whirlwind - I flew in at 10pm Thursday night and then out on Sunday at 6am. We managed to drive to San Antonio to visit my grandmother and Uncle, a wedding dress fiting for Lorraine, a visit with an old high school friend, graduation, and dinner with family and friends :)
Next big thing - THE wedding in Dallas on June 13th :)
Love, Kathleen
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Good NEWS! The wicked,old tumor is gone!
So today was a great day! (Forget the fact that I left the house at 6am and didn't get back until 10pm... LONG day.)
More importantly, Misty had a 30-day check up and the tumor on her tongue is all GONE!!! The last 30 days were nervewracking - at her last check-up, the tumor was still there. Granted, something about a biopsy determining the cells were not dividing was supposed to make me feel better... but NOW I feel better!
At this point, we'll go in for another check up in 30 days. Then every two months after that will be xrays and blood work. And for my beautiful, 13-year-old puppy, I am going to keep her happy and healthy as long as I can. She is curled up at my feet as I type this making cute, doggie snores.
Misty's good news has been the really only noteworthy thing to report. I noticed I haven't posted anything since February and that is because life hasn't been that exciting :). I did make a trip to Dallas for my sister's shower in early April. I just got back from teaching two days in Denver (trust me, I can't believe people WANT to hear what I have to say, much less PAY to hear what I have to say!)
Next, I take off for Austin (sister's Law School graduation), followed by a trip to Dallas (sister's wedding) and then there are a few other tentative trips planned (for ME!). I also need to get a trip into NYC though.. can't break the tradition! I am still signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon and so far that is going according to plan - fingers crossed!
Life is never dull, at least for me. There are some days though that I'd give anything for a little "dull" :)
Love,
Kathleen
More importantly, Misty had a 30-day check up and the tumor on her tongue is all GONE!!! The last 30 days were nervewracking - at her last check-up, the tumor was still there. Granted, something about a biopsy determining the cells were not dividing was supposed to make me feel better... but NOW I feel better!
At this point, we'll go in for another check up in 30 days. Then every two months after that will be xrays and blood work. And for my beautiful, 13-year-old puppy, I am going to keep her happy and healthy as long as I can. She is curled up at my feet as I type this making cute, doggie snores.
Misty's good news has been the really only noteworthy thing to report. I noticed I haven't posted anything since February and that is because life hasn't been that exciting :). I did make a trip to Dallas for my sister's shower in early April. I just got back from teaching two days in Denver (trust me, I can't believe people WANT to hear what I have to say, much less PAY to hear what I have to say!)
Next, I take off for Austin (sister's Law School graduation), followed by a trip to Dallas (sister's wedding) and then there are a few other tentative trips planned (for ME!). I also need to get a trip into NYC though.. can't break the tradition! I am still signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon and so far that is going according to plan - fingers crossed!
Life is never dull, at least for me. There are some days though that I'd give anything for a little "dull" :)
Love,
Kathleen
Friday, February 06, 2009
Misty's DONE!
Today was the 6th and final dose of radiation for Misty's tongue and lymph nodes!!
She has been uncomfortable this past week and the next two weeks will get slightly worse. I am managing her pain with pain pills and I'll step up the dose starting today just to make sure she hurts as little as possible. I've switched her to moist food so she is still eating well and always wants to go on walks. I think that as long as both those things continue, we are doing just fine! We'll go in for a recheck next week and then every 3 months.
Life is slowly getting back to normal after the trip to Dubai. Sleeping is still irregular, at best! Can't keep my eyes open after work and am then up at 2am. I am hoping that I can beat the clock this weekend and actually sleep a full, 8-hours when normal people are sleeping :).
Adventures didn't stop with my return to SoCal. My first day back at work, I blew a front tire on the 'vette. Not just a little hole, but a great, big, gigantic hole. Thank goodness for AAA. Although, it was late, car rental place was closed so... I took a cab into work the next day. Finding a cab to take me and Misty to work (she had her 5th radiation treatment that day) was a little challenging, but I perservered! Thanks to the generosity of co-workers, I borrowed cars and made it everywhere I was supposed to that day! And of course, I now have two new tires because you can't just replace one... And you don't even want to know what those tires cost!
Hope all is well in your world(s)!
TGIF!
Love, Kathleen
She has been uncomfortable this past week and the next two weeks will get slightly worse. I am managing her pain with pain pills and I'll step up the dose starting today just to make sure she hurts as little as possible. I've switched her to moist food so she is still eating well and always wants to go on walks. I think that as long as both those things continue, we are doing just fine! We'll go in for a recheck next week and then every 3 months.
Life is slowly getting back to normal after the trip to Dubai. Sleeping is still irregular, at best! Can't keep my eyes open after work and am then up at 2am. I am hoping that I can beat the clock this weekend and actually sleep a full, 8-hours when normal people are sleeping :).
Adventures didn't stop with my return to SoCal. My first day back at work, I blew a front tire on the 'vette. Not just a little hole, but a great, big, gigantic hole. Thank goodness for AAA. Although, it was late, car rental place was closed so... I took a cab into work the next day. Finding a cab to take me and Misty to work (she had her 5th radiation treatment that day) was a little challenging, but I perservered! Thanks to the generosity of co-workers, I borrowed cars and made it everywhere I was supposed to that day! And of course, I now have two new tires because you can't just replace one... And you don't even want to know what those tires cost!
Hope all is well in your world(s)!
TGIF!
Love, Kathleen
Friday, January 30, 2009
Dubai... the adventure draws to a close....
Day Six
Today was a fun day again. We slept in a bit – we are on vacation and sleep has been a bit challenging so we take it when we can get it! But down to breakfast for our final breakfast buffet.
After breakfast we dressed for our day at Ski Dubai (http://www.skidubai.com/ ). A quick cab ride through the city and we were at the Mall of the Emerites, home of Ski Dubai, the world’s largest indoor ski slope!
Neither of us were “expert” enough to ski the slopes, but we did rent ski pants, jackets and boots to go inside the snowpark. It lived up to my expectations – quite amazing the amount of snow that they have and that the can make it feel like the actual ski slopes I have been to!
We did buy lift tickets and we rode the chairs to the café, stopped for a hot chocolate, got back on the chairs for a ride all the way to the top… and then back down again. And then we repeated it one more time :). It was a ton of fun to watch all the skiers and snowboarders. We did sled down the hills and had a blast laughing like kids! Playing in the snow in the middle of the desert! Who would have thought it possible!!??!
After we were done playing in the snow, we met Eliza for lunch Eliza and her family live in Dubai so it was fun to pick her brain and ask her a ton of questions! Lunch was enjoyable but then Jenny and I were game to squeeze in a bit more touring.
Another quick cab ride and we were in the middle of downtown Dubai. We briefly peeked in the Dubai Museum and we weren’t impressed so we walked around and wandered through the Textile Souq and an area that appeared to be Little India. But the BEST find find of the day was the Abra (boat) loading and unloading stations. The Abras are used as mass transit and the only way I can think to describe the chaos that goes into docking and loading/unloading is to say…bumper boats! The boats plowed into each other, honking horns and slamming into the docks. It was the craziest thing! Jenny and I just stood there and I am sure our mouths were hanging open!
After that little adventure, it was back to the hotel to get ready for our early flights in the morning. We took a break and went for a drink at the hotel bar to relax a bit. We met two nice gentlemen from Dubai and they were quite fun to quiz about their country. That makes only three people that we have met this entire trip who are actually from Dubai. My guide book says that only 10% of the population is actually from here… so guess we were lucky to meet the three locals that we did!
So this will be my last post :). My flight leaves in 6 hours and so I am wrapping things up. I enjoyed the trip, but all good things must come to an end. I really miss the pets so I am very much ready to go home. However, I am not looking forward to the 29 hours that it is going to take me to get there! I’ll land at LAX Saturday night at 10pm…
Thank you very much for keeping up with me – I hope you enjoyed reading my travel log and looking through the pictures!
Love, Kathleen
Dubai...still an adventure!
Day Five
Another day in Dubai, but it was very foggy when we first got up. Neither of us slept really well again, I think that we are still fighting a bit of jet lag. A 12-hour time difference is quite a change for my body clock! Jenny read somewhere that it takes a day for every hour of time change…so 12 days later… I’ll be back home.
So we got out of bed and head down to yet another breakfast buffet. Then back up to the room for a little catnap before we met our car for our trip to the Jumeirah Mosque, which was one of the highlights of our trip so far!
The Jumeirah Mosque is the only Mosque in the city which is open to non-Muslims. We made it for the 10am tour and the next 1.5 hours were really enlightening. I had been to a Mosque in Malaysia, but it wasn’t a formal tour or educational experience. This tour was incredible.
We started by observing the pre-prayer cleansing ritual, as well as the religious meaning behind it. Then we were shown into the Mosque (we had to remove our shoes and as women, we had to be all covered except our feet.) We were given “lectures” on Islam – history, tradition and beliefs. We tried to learn as much as we could in the 1.5 hours, but still has many more questions. We were also shown the prayer ritual and the meaning behind the steps. Our teacher was a Kuwaiti gentleman, who lived in the US for 20 years, and a British woman, who had lived in Dubai for over 15 years. I wish I could explain what we learned but it was just so much! And I wonder if so many of the world’s problems could be solved just by learning more about each other and discovering that we aren’t as different as we think!
Then after our Mosque tour, we headed back to the hotel and grabbed lunch – Chinese food :). We enjoyed a relaxing meal. Then, for me, it was off to do my helicopter tour. One of the pricier ones that I have been on, but it was enjoyable. The best part was that the pilot was a friend of mine from college so it was fun to reminisce and catch-up. We then took off to meet another friend of mine who was also in town, and Jenny met up with friends of hers. So all-in-all, it was a night of great fun!
Love,
Kathleen
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