29 July 2008

just the facts ma'am

It was actually only a 14 hour flight. I watched 21 and Horton Hears A Who. I slept 8 hours or so. I had 2 vegetarian meals and I read a magazine. It was uneventful mind the turbulence. I am here. We are here.

Spent the day on Maling road - ladies who lunch (and My Heart), shopping... simple stuff to keep us moving and awake.

Aunt M is making home made pizza for dinner. Waiting for Uncle P to get home from work. All is well.

Tomorrow we do the lunch tram from there we'll see what else transpires.
We leave for New Zealand on Monday.
We come back to Melbourne for another weekend and then head home on the 11th of August.

I don't know what day or time will show up when I publish this but it is Tuesday, July 29th at 6pm... 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles.

27 July 2008

the blume of it all

Are you there God? It's me, Margaret...

I turn 30 in 5 days. I leave tonight on a 16 hour flight to go celebrate down under. I am ready to be 30. I am ready to start this next chapter in life.

Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of Friend A's death. We did the midnight bike ride to the beach in celebration of his life - or maybe more in celebration of life. He had barely begun this journey into 30-dom before it all ended. Yet, he lived more and gave more in that short amount of time then any other human I have ever met. I can't describe Friend A because he is beyond words - he was that amazing.

His wife, Friend C, has left Australia and is now in solitude in Bali. She is nothing short of amazing herself. I found that on this anniversary of Friend A's death, her absence was more of a hole in my heart than his. I've grown familiar with the fact that he is gone and I've found comfort in her presence.

A & C have an amazing love story. One I could never do justice here. I can only say that knowing their story has taught me so much about love, so much about life. I appreciate each day I have and each day I share with My Heart.

Turning 30 alone is special but turning 30 together and continuing on our journey is a precious gift that I am thankful for with every breath I take.

22 July 2008

one tall order

If I wasn't already going on an adventure down under for my 30th birthday (or saving up to buy my dream house), I'd treat myself to these in honor of the next decade of my life...




I've also been wanting a pair of riding boots for the past decade of my life so maybe I'd have to get these also...

20 July 2008

machine is my favorite word

There's this piece of me that has always had a thing for vintage cars. The beauty of an era passed, the sophistication in these true machines. In particular I have a love for the Ford Falcon. I envision having a first or second generation (1960 to 1965) restored sitting in my garage waiting for that Sunday afternoon drive up the coast.

Yesterday Glendale had it's annual Cruisin' Night in downtown. My Heart and I rode our bikes over to it and I got some photos (with my new camera) of these great classics all restored to look even better then they did in their hay day. Sadly, no Falcons.








17 July 2008

midnight snack before midnight

Tonight is the full moon. May explain my crazy self today. All the work may also be to blame. It's really great to have a good team on your side on days like this.

I need to let go and trust my assistant more. He gets it done and he's really good people. We have such laughs and it's definitely more sincere than the last time. He may not have that technical know how of the last time but at least he's good spirited.

Yesterday was the last day of one of our team members. When I first started I thought she meant trouble. I can honestly say I will miss her. She told me I was eternal sunshine. That felt great.

Driving home from work tonight at 10pm after 13 hours of non-stop excitement I caught a few moments of the firework show at the Hollywood Bowl. It was a nice little spy.

I need to decompress so I can sleep and hopefully fight off this cold I feel coming on.

16 July 2008

brain helmet

It's a Stage 1 Malignant Type S Skin Tumor.



And it's a good thing we caught it early.

15 July 2008

hidden power of birth control

This past weekend I picked up The Bell Jar. I had actually bought it during my last trip to Colorado but never ended up reading it. I decided this was the time to do it. I don't know why. I've never read anything by Sylvia Plath before and I don't really know anything about her other than she committed suicide.

I wonder why girls aren't encourage to read this book? In the end it leaves one optimistic and hopeful about the strengths we have as women (until you shut the book and think about where things ended up beyond it's pages). It's actually a funny and charming book. I felt very comforted by her experiences, her struggles even if they were during a time so removed from my own. I think Esther Greenwood is our Holden Caulfield ladies.

I wish 16 year old me had read The Bell Jar but I also wish 16 year old me would never find out that Ms. Plath eventually stuck her head in an oven.

14 July 2008

brings tears to my eyes

My Heart and I used to have date night once a week where we would cook a new meal together and spend the night in peace - no TV. We still do no TV Tuesdays and Thursdays but we don't cook together as often as we used to.

On Friday we were going to do fajita and margarita night but due to a long week at work it ended up being fajita and bottle of wine night. I got out of work a little later than we had hoped so he started without me...



He's usually sensitive to onions so I always had to cut them - that is until I bought him the onion action goggles. And they really work!

10 July 2008

these cards aren't stacked

Yesterday I read a mommy blog. Well, at least it started out as a mommy blog in April but became something more in June. In June this mommy lost her youngest child in a tragic drowning accident. The blog has become her therapy. I couldn't stop reading through my tears because of this woman's amazing journey in such a short (and recent) time.

The past couple of weeks a co-worker/mentor/friend/mommy has been dealing with the struggles of her own child's health. He's been in the hospital for multiple surgeries - so young but so sick. It's been heartbreaking standing by watching while she fights not only this battle with her son but also carries half of our company on her shoulders.

Today we dropped the puppy off for his tumor removal surgery. And although I've seen some perspective from these mommies I couldn't help but shed a few tears for my baby.

I have been on again, off again as to whether or not I actually wanted to have children. Most of my adult life was a no until I got serious with My Heart. I know how much it means to him and I would love to give him that gift. I am more than willing to adopt a child in order to try and make their life better in any way that I can. I'm still not completely convinced however, that I am ok with carrying a baby of my own.

Here's my biggest concern though - am I strong enough? I'm worried sick about a puppy. How much more intense must these feelings be if it's a mini human - not to mention a mini human that you've grown inside your own body!? Am I meant to be a mommy?

09 July 2008

rosetta stone anyone

#2 Be forgiving

#18 Learn French

#23 Own a hybrid vehicle

#25 Pick up the guitar again

#39 Vacation in Costa Rica

08 July 2008

where the dryer takes you

Over the 4th of July weekend one of the cable channels was doing a marathon of Holiday movies and not necessarily the holiday you would think. Yeah, sure it was Independence Day and all but these holiday movies had more to do with Santa Claus saving the day than Will Smith saving the world.

When my sisters and I were young we had this VHS tape of animated holiday specials we had recorded off of TV during winter vacation. We would pull it out during summer vacation, cover the windows with blankets (made it feel more like winter) and pretend that Santa would be paying us a visit any day. Talk about Christmas in July.

I wonder if my sisters remember doing this like I do or if it's something I was enchanted by alone. I don't know but it sure brought a warm fuzzy feeling thinking back to those days as I watched Nicole Eggert realize how great her real life was in Holiday Switch (sure to be an instant classic).

Guess I've always loved the winter.

07 July 2008

the cap i wear

I'm starting the week rested and relaxed after a wonderful 3 day weekend.

Got to leave work early on Thursday after an extended lunch with old friends. That evening had delicious sushi and received my anniversary/early birthday present from My Heart... the amazing camera I had oh so been longing for.

Lazed around the house on Friday until the late afternoon when we decided to go see Wanted. It was a good movie but not great. My Heart also found a fun Fourth activity for us in the valley that concluded with an amazing fireworks show.

Got up Saturday morning for a hike up Runyan Canon with Friend A, My Heart and the Captain - lucky dog had to be carried most of the hike because of the heat. Came home for a nap and a shower before heading over to Friends R & B's house warming BBQ.

Did the grocery/household shopping yesterday and concluded the day with a group of friends at the movie theater. It was Friend C's birthday so we all went to see Hancock together. Again good but not great - definitely not as bad as I thought it would be. Although the visual effects were pretty bad and I'm not a fan of the director. It's always nice to go to the movies with friends though.

Now on to the work week... and running. I officially start my training for the 5k this week. And the Captain has surgery to remove his tumor on Thursday. We have tickets to a Ricky Gervais warm-up show on Thursday night in Brentwood if anyone is interested. Don't think we'll have it in us to leave our puppy for a few chuckles.

03 July 2008

when grapes aren't the worst of it

The Captain has a tumor.

Turns out his mange may have just saved his life. So far so good on the grape consumption but the little ball that developed on his ear about 3 months ago (or at least that's when we noticed it) is a sort of skin tumor that can be malignant. They will remove it next week along with the surrounding tissue. It will be tested further to see exactly what it is. If it is malignant, hopefully they will have removed it all and he will be ok - better yet, let's hope it's benign. But still, the Captain has a tumor.

I'm starting to question the month of July.

02 July 2008

the daily gotham

I am officially signed up for a 5k on September 21st.
I will officially begin training next week.
I will do some cardio including the treadmill this week.
I am scared.
I am excited.

In other news...

Looks like my puppy will be ok. We will know more later this week.

I am on disc 2 of season four of Sex and the City and never realized I would actually like this show. I've wanted so badly to hate it. We've started working on the home video campaign for the movie so I've got to get through all these episodes and see that movie before work ruins it.

I do not care to see Wall-E but I can not wait to see The Dark Knight.

Tomorrow will be 3 years that My Heart and I have been dating. We are going to a fancy sushi restaurant for dinner.

25 more sleeps until Australia.

01 July 2008

oranges and apples really

My puppy has mange. Worst though, we fed him grapes last night. It was cute but apparently deadly. His first tests came back ok but he has to get more blood work done on Thursday morning. Who knew that grapes were poisonous to dogs and could cause their kidneys to fail!?! Oh, and they're doing a biopsy on this growth on one of his ears. Not a good day.