Seriously

Any time that my camera would like to reveal its current location that would be great.

Even St. Anthony has offered no assistance. Should I learn the St. Anthony chant in Italian?

Sans camera my faithful readership, all four of you, are missing pictures of my newest hobby, my sister's recent visit and loads of other stuff.

And just how am I supposed to make my millions selling stuff on ebay without digital pics?

Snow

As it's not Chinese New Year yet I'm not feeling overwhelmed by the new year. Or does that logic only work if you're Chinese?

In addition to not thinking about the new year yet I also don't make resolutions. Who ever keeps those? I make goals. They seem much more obtainable.

I've gotten a jump start on one of my goals for the new year by being more active. That doesn't necessary mean exercise but walking to more places, I'm on the hunt for my third bike and so on.

For the past two consecutive Sundays I've gone on day hikes within San Diego county.

The first was up the northeast ascent of Cowle's Mountain. It's the highest peak in San Diego. The guide book claims that on a clear day you can see nearly up to San Clemente (a quaint beach town an hour north). It was a hazy day and we couldn't even see the ocean. It's three miles round trip and very, very steep.

The week's Sunday took us to the Laguna Mountains to Cleaveland National Forest, forty-minutes away from San Diego proper. We were at 6000 ft. elevation and we weren't prepared for the 32 degree weather. That's right, 32 degrees and there was snow on the ground. In San Diego!

Completely unprepared, I had to stop at the general store and buy fleece pants and gloves to keep warm. Lucky for me they were black stretchy gloves with snowflakes on them. I did get learn where Mount Laguna Lodge is. I've great things about these tiny cabins and now know exactly where it's located.

The scenery made it all worth it. Our small group of four are all from the northeast and there was a comfort being in landscape like that.

Disclaimer: We posed the photo. However, the snow was very close to the cactus.

Caring

I vacillate between paying attention and being appropriately outraged by the current political climate or chose ignorance. In my defense I have to pull my five square inch tv off the shelf, plug it in, extend the antenna and tune the station.

This morning I came across the article Why You Should Care at www.saveourcourts.org.

Save Our Courts is a joint venture from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund.

In addition to commentary on the day’s nomination hearings (NPR is of course doing their own as well) they are also posting free .pdfs of the entire day’s transcripts, which are good for placing the sound bites from the news in context - imagine, thinking about something in context.

Recyle Almost Anything

Meant to post this awhile ago.

The recently defunct magazine Organic Style (that my former roommate subscribed to, I just lived in the apartment where it was delivered) ran this piece on How to Recycle Anything. My favorite was finding a use for bridesmaids dresses.

I also think that if you tell the post office that you’re mailing something that’s a donation there’s a different form to use so that you can itemize it – if you do that sort of thing.

Thrift Store Victory

Things are a bit tight these days after the Red Baron’s $423.56 trip to the mechanic on Tuesday.

A friend had helped me with the diagnostics on my car and many other favors that day in the very early and chilly hours of the morning and since buying him a few beers is out of the question, I found out he has a major sweet tooth.

I have a great chocolate cake recipe that makes grown men cry with its sweety goodness. However, I was one bundt pan short of completing the plan.

I estimated I couldn’t get out of Target without spending $9 for a new bundt pan. And how often does someone really use a bundt pan?

So I headed to Max’s 99 cent store, which should really be named Max’s Nothing Over Two-Fitty. They have everything in there. Everything except bundt pans.

The Baras Thrift Store is located two doors down and voila: a bundt pan for $2!

It’s a little smaller than most but very cute and will serve the purpose.

I’m just amusing myself until which time it is financially feasible for me to have a social life again. Expect more thrift store victory reports.