The Times They Are A Changin'

Since I was little, I've liked this song "Ride, Captain, Ride," by Blues Image. (I found this cute little puppet animation video of the song on, well, that tube place you go to see videos.) When I was out and about with my sister and her husband earlier this summer, something I've been doing for, oh, going on nearly 35 years now, I finally learned what the song is about. My brother-in-law said it was about "The Pueblo Incident" that happened in 1968.

Now there's lots of speculation on the Internet about what the song was actually about, but I shared this one with Joaquin after he heard it on "Our favorite radio station Kool FM." He was very intrigued that songs can actually be stories about something. And North Korea and ships at that. I don't know why he never thought of songs that way before. Maybe it's my fault because I didn't spend what seemed like hours and hours singing nursery rhymes to him like the lady behind me on the way to Florida this summer...I digress.

So, Joaquin has been expressing more interest in music of late. Maybe because we've been listening to "Our favorite radio station Kool FM" while our "Favorite DJ, Lee Bortel" is on. No matter where I go on my music dial, I always seem to return to the oldies station. I really like Lee Bortel. He's almost like a throwback to the fifties DJs without the hair grease or pay-o-la. It's all good. You should give him a listen on the Internet sometime 6 to 11 PM, if you can get past all the commercials at the beginning of the listen live player! Nothing better to swim to, if you ask me.

June Tweets

I'm kinda late but it didn't seem to take me as long to compile these. Mainly because of LoudTwitter. I knew one of those Internet geniuses would come through. It's not as seamless as I'd hoped, it'd be nice to automatically post the tweets, but it doesn't work with blogger yet. Still, I can email myself and post from email instead of copying and pasting.

So, here's what June looked like.

Date: Saturday, June 28, 2008, 11:09 PM

• 15:39 Met the Joaquin's baseball team for trophy day. They spelled his name WQUEN. Do we look asian? #

Date: Friday, June 27, 2008, 11:15 PM

• 16:59 Discovered @ grocery store today: 1) I don't cry anymore when I go, even when I see Clamato. 2) There's a run on Blood Orange Italian Soda. #
• 17:34 We all know about Pearl "The Landlord." Have you seen her in her final performance, "Good Cop Baby Cop"? Funny: tinyurl.com/27dhle #
  

Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008, 11:11 PM

• 11:23 My office is cold...breaking out in HIVES. Do you know if people can be allergic to cold? Need to go outside for 30 seconds... #
  

Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 11:14 PM

• 22:12 Yelp removed all of the reviews I worked so hard to write. It's like Twitter deleting my tweets. Feeling slighted, I deleted my account. #
• 22:21 Cox is raising our cable rate. By "cable," I mean: WGN, WTBS, Discover & Speed. So not worth $20. Satellite TV may be in my future. Or not. #
• 23:43 Today at the public pool we saw a very crowded baby pool while the big pool was empty. Found out they HAD to clean it, so we left. Yikes! #
• 00:34 After the "Baby Ruth Incident" at the public pool, I decided to get Joaquin a pool to splash around at home. Small, but it did the job. #
• 00:36 I asked Ivan if we had something to blow up the pool quickly. He said "Yes," but wasn't sure if it had the right adapter. #
• 00:37 He proceeds to say he wasn't sure he had the right adapter something like 20x during our five minute conversation. #
• 00:40 Annoyed, Joaquin and I couldn't help but laugh and say, "Yeah, but I don't know if I have the right adapter," in response to everything. #
• 00:51 Oh, oh! Then he calls later to find that Joaquin has been swimming. He says, no lie, "I guess I had the right adapter!" #

Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 11:10 PM

• 14:14 All of my Twitter friends have such nice pictures. I gotta search for a good one. Maybe the one with the Bratz wax lips would work. #
• 22:57 Don't tell Joaquin I recycled some of his "artwork." We have so much paper piling up I need to do something. He's a drawing machine! #
  

Date: Monday, June 23, 2008, 11:12 PM

• 19:37 "No Bunny" was just picked up. So quiet around here. #
• 20:31 Who in their right mind would go to Florida in the middle of summer? One guess. #
• 23:47 Lost my keys today. Thought I left them at Costco, but I dropped them in my sister's car. It was that kind of day. Now doing laundry. #
• 23:54 Yesterday, I discovered my favorite time of day is 7:00 PM, which is dusk around here. It's not so hot and the sun makes a beautiful glow. #

Date: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 11:10 PM

• 11:39 Read today that Tasha Tudor died on June 18th. Why this didn't make national news is beyond me. The term 'National treasure' comes to mind. #
  

Date: Friday, June 20, 2008, 11:08 PM

• 22:40 "No Bunny" is on the way! #
  

Date: Thursday, June 19, 2008, 11:12 PM

• 16:30 You know it's a busy day when you discover at noon that you forgot to zip your pants when getting dressed that morning. #
• 17:05 Take a look at this pic from our car and you'll feel better about the weather where you live. tinyurl.com/3vy6el #
• 00:58 Just finished watching "Hell's Kitchen." I think I know what Chef Gordon Ramsay will be serving in his new restaurant: Scallops and risotto. #
• 00:59 G'nite. #
• 01:04 BTW, have you heard "Adele"? Wow. www.myspace.com/adelelondon Ok, now, g'nite. #

Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 11:23 PM

• 11:39 Trying to list job duties and responsibilities...What do I do?...What do I do? Hmm...Would Tweet fall under duty or responsibility? #
• 20:41 Took a long nap this afternoon. "Excessive Heat Warning" made me do it. 8:30 PM, 102°F 17% humidity. Bun-chicka's been inside all day. Ugh. #
  

Date: Monday, June 16, 2008, 11:15 PM

• 17:32 I don't know if it's the 110°F temps or the 14% humidity, but my car's air-conditioner turned into the little AC that thought it could. #
• 17:58 No swim lessons. Joaquin was in the mood for "Cars" this afternoon. We had dinner over an hour ago, just like senior citizens. #
  

Date: Sunday, June 15, 2008, 11:11 PM

• 19:50 Popo (Joaquin's grandfather) won over $800 at the casino. Now that's a nice Father's Day. #
  

Date: Saturday, June 14, 2008, 11:11 PM

• 23:44 In the mood for "Paris Train" by Beth Orton. Listen tinyurl.com/4wsotv and tell me, is that not one of the prettiest songs? #

Date: Thursday, June 12, 2008

• 18:04 I've been watching "Laverne & Shirley, Season I" for the last three days! #
  
• 20:16 I cannot stop laughing at this video of a little pig in boots! tinyurl.com/5me97r , especially at 0:51 when she starts walking! #
• 22:25 "Mom, I look like Elvis," which is what Joaquin said before they cut off all his hair. Ahhhhh, relief. P.S. How's he know who Elvis is? #

Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 11:14 PM

• 16:14 Sixty freaking dollars! For 14.98 gallons of gasoline! I coulda bought a dinner with that extra twenty dollars.
• 21:00 Chef Ramsay got rid of Bobby on Hell's Kitchen. I liked Bobby, thought he was very cool, not highly emotional like some of the others.
• 21:38 Joaquin got an earworm today. "Strawberry Fields Forever" from "I Am Sam" soundtrack. Annoyed, he asked to listen to the radio tomorrow.

Date: Monday, June 09, 2008

• We got another fish. A beautiful maroon Beta. JJ Yealy, The Second. I hope he lasts longer than JJ Yealy, The First. 11:06 PM
• Never noticed the British English spelling of Favorites under Stats. It is now bothering me for some reason. 10:28 PM
• Jury Duty excuse merely POSTPONED the inevitable. "Do not have child care" not a good enough excuse, I guess. 05:44 PM
• Oy, now my tomatoes are tainted. When will it end? 02:14 PM
  

Date: Saturday, June 07, 2008

• Joaquin wants to see "Don't Mess With The Zohan" rated PG-13 for rude and sexual content, language and nudity. Do I want to deal with that? 12:23 PM
• Joaquin asked the Dr. for pills, not syrup. It's so hard for him to take I wish we could force it down his throat like we do with the dogs. 10:12 AM
• "No Bunny" is visiting again this weekend. Just gave him an unexpected brushing and now we're BFFs. 10:02 AM
• Elaine, of the pack of 40, how many mini brownie bites have you baked? Six. How many have you eaten? Thirty. I think I feel a little whoosie 12:40 AM
  

Date: Friday, June 06, 2008

• Last baseball game. Entire family was there, even Dad. It was VERY nice. I missed Mom. Today is the four month anniversary of her passing... 10:05 PM
• @shokufeh It's time? I didn't realize that! I'll have to check in. 05:20 PM in reply to shokufeh
• I haven't had a chance to get on Twitter once today until now. Blasted work and parental obligations. Le' see what's everybody been up to. 04:25 PM
  

Date: Thursday, June 05, 2008

• I forgot to mention JJ Yealy, the goldfish we got a couple of weeks ago. He died four days later. That's probably why I forgot. 10:58 PM
• I'm not a very big fan of chocolate, but these Nestle Mini Brownie Bites keep calling out to me RAW! 08:22 PM
  

Date: Wednesday, June 04, 2008

• I love to watch Bun-Chicka-Bunbun eat blueberries. I'm starting to think a bunny is the perfect pet. 11:05 PM
• Oh, Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam. Who knew? Everybody 'cept me, huh. 09:49 PM
• Listening to "I Am Sam" soundtrack. Beatles songs by non-beatles. Eddie Vedder, sounds like guy in Roseanne Roseannadanna skit. Love him. 09:41 PM
• I feel sorry for Hillary. I'd be like, "Wahhhh! I worked so haaard. I spent so much money, flew so many miles. I'm movin' to Canada." 08:28 PM
• How do you buy a Father's Day gift for a dad who doesn't play golf, doesn't grill, doesn't camp, doesn't use tools and doesn't go anywhere? 03:08 PM
• Well, Joaquin has strep. I don't know if I feel good about my diagnosis or bad. 12:22 PM
  

Date: Tuesday, June 03, 2008

• Me and the Internet have diagnosed Joaquin with Scarlet Fever. He has a Dr. appointment tomorrow. My throat feels a little scratchy... 04:47 PM
• Just so you know, I'm not the only one who chuckled when she said that. We don't even know this woman. 12:33 PM
• When she said, "I don't know, he tried to stab me," when asked if her brother should contact her, I chuckled. If true, is there a dilemma? 12:24 PM
  

Date: Monday, June 02, 2008

• You did know that all "Zonies" go to San Diego for summer vacations, didn't you? 06:54 PM
• 103°F today made me think that getting stuck in 5 o'clock traffic in San Diego doesn't seem so bad especially when home's on the beach. 06:53 PM
• Second day of summer vacation and he's got a fever. Total bummer. 03:39 PM
• Sad because I missed the Wells-Fargo stagecoach and horses taking the new state quarters to the Capitol. This is what excites me these days. 01:31 PM
• Wish I was a gourmet brown bagger: Uncrustables for breakfast and Weight Watchers frozen entree just ain't gonna cut it. 12:29 PM
• Being analog in a digital world: I'm gonna miss my hand-held tv set (with rabbit-ear antenna!) come February, 2009. 12:26 PM
• Uncrustables, why do you so taste so good? Because you're Smucker's, that's why. 08:58 AM

Nothing But Me

I like these meme things. I think that's what they're called, me me, all about me. This one, you're supposed to answer each question with only one word.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? working
3. Your hair? messy
4. Your mother? gone
5. Your father? home
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? seaside
10. The room you’re in? living
11. Your church? lapsed
12. Your fear? vegetable
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? content
14. Where were you last night? Target
15. What you’re not? content
16. Muffins? doughnuts!
17. One of your wish list items? furniture
18. Where you grew up? Arizona
19. The last thing you did? laundry
20. What are you wearing? nightgown
21. Your TV? big
22. Your pets? borrowed
23. Your computer? borrowed
24. Your life? borrowed
25. Your mood? eh
26. Missing someone? mom
27. Your car? parked
28. Something you’re not wearing? pants
29. Favorite store? Amazon
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like(love) someone? yes
32. Your favorite color? green
33. Last time you laughed? tonight
34. Last time you cried? afternoon
35. Who will repost this? nobody

Shiny Happy People

Well, we're back from Florida. Other than the humidity and sweat, I had a good time. In every picture of me, I have a shiny face. My sister said I needed blotter papers. I couldn't carry the amount of paper for all the blotting I needed to do.

On Friday, we went to Epcot. I was hot and miserable, one big pool of sweat. We visited "The Seas With Nemo and Friends" and "Honey, I Shrunk The Audience." Both were amazing. We had to leave the HISTA show early because Joaquin got a little scared with the 3D effects. I should have just removed the glasses so he could have seen how non-threatening it looks like without them. We also went on "Journey Into Imagination With Figment," a character my sister fell in love with. Then, of course, there were the countries around the world in the different pavillions. Joaquin's favorite was England for some reason. He even got a flag.

We only got about halfway around the park before we had to stake out a spot for the fireworks; being July 4th, we knew it was going to be spectacular. It was so hot and my feet ached so much that at one point I was tempted to stay in the ladies room where there was air conditioning and a place to sit, even if that place was the commode. Still, according to Ivan and Pauline, we really didn't see anything. Oh well, maybe again one day. Joaquin is just not that into Disney. Shocking, I know, but true.

I enjoyed my Saturday with Pauline visiting and having lunch in Mount Dora which is a really cute litte town. Was too full to get a cupcake at Mount Dora Cupcakes but did get one at Cupcake Couture. They were very good, but I've not yet been blown away by a professionally baked cupcake. I must have a very unsophisticated palate because I like Betty Crocker just fine.

We spent many hours at Downtown Disney. Wednesday night when we got there, Saturday and Tuesday before leaving. We even saw the "Indiana Jones" movie there while waiting for our flight home. I was shocked when my Brother-in-law told me I'd spent three hours in one store, the World of Disney! I could have probably spent more too. The Lego store was like a magnet to Joaquin.

Sunday we spent the day at Daytona Beach. I even got in the water which doesn't happen in San Diego, CA. because it's too cold. Joaquin, of course, had a blast. He loves the beach.

Nothing we did on this trip can trump Joaquin's trip with his dad to Daytona for NASCAR. They had pit passes! Wearing his Blaniac t-shirt, he got lug nuts from Dave Blaney's pit crew, got several of the driver's autographs and signed the finish line. The pictures tell the real story.

I was a basket case on the way home, July 8. It was Mom's and my birthday. This was something just the two of us shared and it was special to me. "Happy Birthday, mi hija" "Right back at ya, Mom." Although I wanted to just let it pass unnoticed, turns out that I was grateful for the messages left for me. My aunt left a happy birthday song message on my phone which had me in tears at the Orlando airport because Mom used to sing the entire song to us when she called us on our birthdays. According to Joaquin, they were having a birthday party for Grandma in heaven. I hope so because we all know she liked to party.

KSC in FLA

Not a whole lot to say about Kennedy Space Center except I loved the rocket garden (got some good pics) and got goosebumps at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Love the message they were putting out there: they failed but kept perservering, in other words, "Failure is not an option." Words to live by. I'm gonna try to change some of my thought patterns and try not to give up on things so quickly. Stop laughing, I said try.

It wasn't too crowded. Who in their right mind would be out there this time of year. It was a really humid day, I found myself sweating just standing there and got mosquito bites during the bus tour even though I used bug spray. Oh, and Joaquin was a moody booger this morning. He eventually chilled out and became tolerable, even apologized on his own accord, but sheesh, does he have to take after me so much in the "difficult person" area. For a kid who loves planets, meteorology, engines and math, this was not the most interesting place to him, but the gift shops got his attention, of course. This is one of his photos.

I want to go back again when Joaquin gets a little bigger, maybe have lunch with an astronaut and see a few of the other things we missed.