I've been hired!  I have a job (again).  I am SOOOOOO happy.

And a little tipsy.

I've been out celebrating and it doesn't take much to make me woozy.  But still, Yay!

I need to update my info. I don't support myself anymore.  Not yet, anyway.  But I am PROUD to return to the ranks of taxpaying Americans and I am looking forward to the day when Kevin could possibly lose HIS job and I could support him. 

Anyway....I start on Tuesday.  Wish me luck!

Screw you.

You think you're so fantastic and hipster that nobody deserves the right to visit your crappy little town?

I planned to spend a weekend there, I saw that you were close to tide pools and I haven't seen tidepools in years.  I saw you had a tavern with live music.  So, sounded like a nice way to spend a weekend.

But after hours of driving on the road (people who are from California know how bad Highway 1 can be) we ended up in the foggy dark looking hopelessly for the turn off.

So, it turns out the "quirky" fun people of Bolinas like to tear down the road signs.

Hah!  That's FUNNY.  And no other available rooms for miles- we ended up back in San Francisco. 

I think everybody ought to have a chance to enjoy their patch of beach though.  Why should only THEY get the whole thing to themselves?
Bolinas has an AWESOME hotel, with very reasonable rates.  I've called twice and they had all rooms available.  They also have live music and hey!- tide pools.

Get a CLOSE up map from Google and make sure your satellite GPS doesn't fail you as you drive past Dogtown (if you're traveling south) or Stinson Beach (if you're traveling North).

I think EVERYBODY needs to go there.  Visit them.  Enjoy their beach.  They've ruined my vacation (thank you very much) but you might still have an awesome time.  Apparently "the locals" don't give a crap about any business owners in the area. 
But be careful- some of the local inbreds have been known to get violent. (Infamous "Greens" attack) so if you go, bring a weapon.  Just in case.

I hope this movie comes to Fresno.  I'm not a fan of clowns; they scare me actually.  But that clown with the machete seems to be something I can work with.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/balada_triste_de_trompeta/

Spanish surrealism rocks!

Kevin and I are getting married.

But we've done this sorta backwards. 

He didn't surprise me with an engagement ring, we're going to do this all at once when we get married.  Also, he knows my tastes run to the unusual so he really wanted me to help pick it out.

After weeks of looking, I've found it.  Put it together, actually. 
The stone- sorry for the cruddy pics- is an Andalusite.  It is a naturally occurring two-colored stone.  The ring is a 2-piece set hand made that we found on Etsy.

I'm so happy!  It is a mix of the traditional with the unusual and I'll look "married" without us having spent enough to buy a second car. 
Yes, maybe this is silly- but I wanted to share our find. And we REALLY like this jeweler's work so it seems fitting to put his name out there.  He makes beautiful things!  (Bandscapes on Etsy)

Hey everybody, I had a question and I wondered what other people thought on the subject.

Women changing their names when they get married.

Now, I'm 41 and I don't have any children, nor plan to have any.
HE has said that he doesn't care if I change my name to his or not, and claims he doesn't even LIKE his last name.

But ladies, does it make it easier to prove you're married (for legal purposes) when you share a last name?  Does it bring a feeling of togetherness, somehow?

Does it even matter any more? 
Phonetically, our names are similar- thankfully.  Both are a single syllable and even have the same vowel sound.  But...I do think my full name is very pretty as it is, and let's face it: I'm 41 and have grown attached.  Oh, this is hard.  And I'd have to change so many things!

Thoughts? Opinions?

After years of being with men who always said they were spontaneous, and weren’t- I’ve finally found myself who is with a guy who never made such a claim, but is. 
Now, I’m the kind of person who likes to plan a trip.  For me, half of the pleasure is finding the perfect room with the hot tub, or the ocean view or that’s closest to the event we’re attending and also getting a bargain. I love to know what restaurants are in the area, and I’ll make reservations if I can.  I pack clothes for each stage of the trip- road trip and pit stop clothes, going out to dinner clothes, touring outfit- etc.
Its just how I like to do things and it makes me happy.
But when I had a crummy day and he said “Let’s go to the ocean.” I almost- ALMOST- didn’t go because I wasn’t packed!
We went anyway and had a wonderful time of course, but from now on, I’m determined to be ready! SO,  in addition to my usual bag of amenities I bring: toothbrush, shampoo, various lotions, emery boards, q-tips etc.etc. I’ll be grabbing a second bag.
 I already have a bag packed with the following items, but if anyone has any suggestions let me know.  (And if this inspires you, that’s wonderful!)

• Mini glass bottled candles- 3 pack. Got them at Dollar Tree- they’re small, won’t leak wax and look nicer than tea lights.
• Portable DVD player.  Good for movies, but I tend to use it as a CD player. (No Ipod, I’m oldschool.)
• Various romantic music CD’s- no words in these, usually guitars, piano or Middle Eastern drumming.
• Plastic Champagne Flutes
• Handful of truffles (I’m a cheatin’ vegan…and chocolate is soooo romantic!)
• Colored bath Fizzes
• Couple of dark silky scarves- I drape them over light fixtures, or over an appliance if its appearance is jarring in an otherwise beautiful room.
• Miniature Hookah- Okay, this is a fib- the hookah isn’t actually IN the bag, but it IS in our trunk so it will always be where we’re going! 
• Extra shishas – to go with the hookah, these ARE in the bag.  I wouldn’t want them to dry out.
• Extra lingerie…just because.
• Small sized (like picnic sized) bottle of champagne
• Hot Chocolate packets and Earl Grey (his favorite) packets

Anything else?  I thought about rose petals- like the silk ones.  They make a very pretty effect I suppose, but then I or the hotel staff would have to clean them up and it just seemed like a hassle.  So, if its going in the bag it has to be something I probably wouldn’t duplicate in my regular overnight bag and something that isn’t in danger of breaking, leaking or taking too much room.

Any more suggestions, folks?

GREAT movie.

Totally rocked.  Tarantino LOVES his dialogue, but this time there's no idle chatter.  Its just awesome.
WWII should have ended like this.

Okay, haven't seen it yet, so don't spoil it for me-

but I can't WAIT to see: Inglorius Basterds

AND

Zombieland (wheeee!)

AND

Avatar

AND

9

SO many good movies coming out...I can't wait!
I LOVE Movies! Yay! Aren't ya glad to be alive now and not in the 1500's? Not only the Bubonic...but no Burton, no Tarantino. ...Its a good time to be alive.

I just thought it was interesting.

I took a "naughty" test- it was called "How important is "size" to you?"- and would rate whether or not you were a "Size" queen at the end. 

(Personally, I've always been of the thinking, it isn't the size of the pen, its the way you sign your name at the bottom, but I digress...)

So, what is it with all of these "straight" men I saw taking that test?  Okay, curiosity is one thing I suppose...

But then why are they registering 85-90% "Size Queens".
Wow- I find it fascinating that phallic length and girth is even more important to these heterosexual men than to me. Hm!
...Um, boys?  Is there something you'd like to share with the group?

These are the actual words from mysoginists.  Ladies, I kid you not, the threat is real.

"Bullshit. Every man knows they have to EARN respect.
They DESERVE to get laid.
A decent looking man who earns a good living and does not abuse women DESERVES to get laid. Period.
The fact that so many do not, is a crime.
And in a just society, all crimes are eventually punished."

(In Reference to mass murderer George Sodini)
"I am calling him a hero for being a symbol for the consequences of denying men sex, not for killing those women."

"The vast majority of Women simply do not understand how volatile, dangerous and downright violent this thing can be here. Men KILL over pussy. Wars have been started over it, big and small. And Women aint exempt from the bloodletting. Indeed, if anything they are increasingly being targeted, as the targets." (Translation: Ladies, you better be ready to spread your legs or more of you will die.)

"Just having women in the work place is often a wrench thrown into the gears of male cooperation. Male bonding and cooperation is the only reason anything gets done in society, but the precious little snowflakes never understand this."

That guy wasn’t weak he was strong he recognized he didn’t like life. He left. That takes a man stronger than me. I spent two years with a gun to my head and could never pull the trigger. He shit on all he was raised with and the religious bullshit to make himself happy. To not go through the toil of life that he didn’t think was worth it. I salute the fucker.
(Never mind the fact that he killed three women and shot 9 others- women he didn't even know.)

I dont know the answer to that one.But I know this;”the system” sure had better become fair-er if those who benefit by/exploit it dont wanna get shot.
Dont care about unfairness,girlie? Who cares about gunshot victims either? (Trans: Once again, lie down and take one for the team or there are going to be more dead women.)

In most cultures he would have been “assigned” a wife. He’s sufficiently functional for that. (Really? What cultures? Are they any place that we'd want to live in? And "Sufficiently Functional"?  Wow.  Who wants to volunteer their sister to be this guy's "assigned" wife?)

"Actually I prefer to have my women with their vocal cords removed so I don’t have to hear the constant white noise of they’re ‘opinions’"

This guy is a fucking HERO. I salute him. Had he not done it, his cries would have been ignored by society. Let this be a wake up call.

These are all separate posts from DIFFERENT POSTERS!  I don't think I duplicated once. And I didn't even get an eighth of the way through the list.

This is not all men.  Most men I know are decent guys- but these men are something else.  And they think nothing of using trickery and deceit on women.  Some of the most volatile quotes are off the page that I can see, which is almost a pity.  I'm sure it wasn't remorse but anxiety that made them remove them.  I'm posting this site as much as I can- I want this mindset and these people to be exposed. 

Once again, these quotes are from this site:
http://roissy.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/game-can-save-lives/