The OC

I'm back in Orange County for a few days. As always, it's weird to be here. In my heart, I'll always be a California girl, but it doesn't feel like home anymore.

Friday Five: Five Things I'm Good At

Over at The Collective, the topic of the week is "Five Things I'm Good At", although being uncomfortable with phrases ending in a manner prepositional, I would probably restate it as "Five Things At Which I Am Good". And since I haven't done a Friday Five in a while, I thought I'd steal the theme to prompt for a blog post.

At first, this topic sounded pretty easy. I generally remark that one of the curses of being me is that I'm actually pretty good at a lot of stuff, but I'm not great at anything. So surely I could find five things wherein my performance could be described as "good". Right? But then I remembered that many of the things I do well are actually things I used to do well and haven't done for a while. Example: Dance. I was no Anna Pavlova, but I was at least good enough at ballet that my ballet teacher asked me to work as her teaching aide for some of her younger classes. But unfortunately, the summer before I was to start doing that, she had emergency surgery on her foot and couldn't dance or teach anymore, so not only was I not helping teach ballet but I didn't even have a ballet teacher myself, and I never found another instructor that I liked, and so I stopped dancing in my senior year of high school. I haven't done ballet for 15+ years and while I'd like to start dancing seriously again, my lifestyle (single parent who works fulltime) doesn't support that kind of effort. Life is about trade-offs. Oh! But I'm kind of good at trade-offs, then, right?

1. Trade-offs - I still have a lot to learn and gain in this area, but I'm pretty good at maximizing what I can do within the restrictions of what I can't. Does that make sense? Case in point: graduate school. Now, I'm as dedicated as anyone to wanting to get straight A grades, and I have for most of my life. But during the majority of my time in grad school, I was working fulltime and married. I could have done nothing but work and schoolwork the whole time, and come away with a perfect 4.0 GPA, but I decided that I wanted to spend time with my husband and family and friends, go to Disneyland, read fun books, watch movies and TV... Basically, I opted for having a life while also working and in school, and so I was willing to take a GPA between 3.8 and 3.9. I graduated with high honors and managed to do most of what I wanted. Not bad, all told. [Note: This is an engineering trait. We are essentially lazy; we devise ways to get maximum return for minimum investment and then use terms like "efficiency" and "earned value" to paint ourselves as virtuous and disguise our inherent lack of interest in putting forth any more effort than is absolutely necessary.]
2. Being a dedicated mother - I've had to accept that nobody can be a perfect parent 100% of the time, but I really do care about being a good mother and try hard at it every day. I'm going to count myself a success, because after more than 4 years, my child is still alive, relatively healthy and well-adjusted. He solves puzzles far above his age level and can do addition and subtraction in his head.
3. Traveling - My style may not be to everyone's taste, but all things considered, I'm very very good at traveling, especially internationally. I make good packing lists. I can include everything that might be needed but travel light and pack everything into an impossibly small piece of luggage. [My primary fault is packing too much reading material--books and magazines are heavy, you know--but to be stuck in an airport or airplane without something to read would be a travesty.] I try to know everything I can about my destination(s). If I'm traveling with companions, I might even put together little travel-sized pamphlets for everybody, containing useful things like maps, our itinerary and schedule (even though we don't usually stick to our schedule), phone numbers to the American embassy and our hotel/airline, even (if necessary) key phrases in languages spoken where we'll be traveling. I probably already know a lot about the history and geography of our destination(s) (see #4, below) but I'll research everything that I don't already know and then bore you to tears by telling you about it. When in country, I'll spend way too much time in museums, staring in awe at some particular artifact that is very important to me, even though it looks like just a dusty old piece of rock to everyone else. Despite my US passport, I am invariably mistaken to be German, even by flight attendants on Lufthansa, so it makes for some fun and funny confusion at times. If we get stranded anywhere, miss a flight, lose luggage, whatever, I'll be loads of fun in the airport while we wait, and I'll make sure that everything turns out all right in the end (okay, I don't have any control over most of what happens in airports, but I will always maintain a positive attitude and take care of my friends). Lets save up several thousand dollars and go to Europe together--you won't regret it, I promise!
4. Retaining obscure knowledge - I remember all kinds of generally useless facts on any and all subjects. I read a lot and have good recollection for things that I've read. This makes me a force with which to be reckoned at Trivial Pursuit. Sadly, unless I go on Jeopardy, this mastery of trivia is unlikely to be beneficial in a monetary sense.
5. Old movies - I have spent many hours of my life watching classic old movies, from silents (veritable antiques) to 1960s epics (not so old). I really enjoy films from a bygone era, and as with general trivia, I remember pretty much everything about my old movies. I can recognize even obscure character actors. I know all about German expressionism, film noir, new wave, and other cinematic trends. I have strong opinions about a lot of things related to film in general. Good times, good times.

Newark Earthworks could become World Heritage Site

The Newark Earthworks are, along with a few other Ohio Hopewell-related sites, being considered for inclusion on a list to be submitted to UNESCO for possible designation as World Heritage sites. In other words, they're short-listed to get short-listed.

It would be a wonderful (and, to my surprisingly optimistic mind, not entirely unlikely) thing if the earthworks would make it to the official list of amazing things on the planet. First of all, Newark seldom is recognized for anything positive, and having a World Heritage site would raise this area's profile in a very good way. It could possibly even have a beneficial financial impact by bringing in tourist revenue.

Second, this would be good not only for Newark but for the earthworks themselves. Anthropologists and archaeologists have been surprisingly reluctant to invest much in studying these huge relics that are essentially the North American equivalent of Stonehenge. Becoming a World Heritage site would drum up interest in the earthworks from a scholarly perspective, AND it would increase interest and effort in preserving what (comparatively little) remains of these amazing monuments.

Third, the inclusion of the earthworks into the list of World Heritage sites will serve as yet another reminder of our shared heritage and experience. We have differences, yes, but in reality, we are all people and more alike than we are different. Whether I visit the Newark earthworks or another Ohio mound site, or Stonehenge, or the Colosseum in Rome, I get a sense of being connected with it all, a participant in the great stream of humanity. Anything, even just a really big pile of dirt, that causes us to pause, put down weapons, and look at one another as human beings, is something worth saving and promoting.

YOU can be involved in this effort. Read the article from the Newark Advocate, and consider possibly writing to the Office of International Affairs (e-mail jonathan_putnam@nps.gov) or signing an online petition. I sent an e-mail, so I can't vouch for how well the petition site works. The basic text of my e-mail to Jonathan Putnam is below so that you can just adapt it for your purposes if you don't want to write your own e-mail from scratch. The deadline is January 12 (this upcoming Wednesday).

Dear Jonathan Putnam,

I'm writing to urge that you and the Office of International Affairs continue to pursue the nomination of major Ohio earthworks, designated as Hopewell Ceremonial Centers, to consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage site. I would also urge you to add Ohio's Serpent Mound to the nomination to add to the possibility of recognition for this entire cluster of ancient monuments.

Despite being little-known even in the international anthropological community, these earthworks are among the most important and impressive prehistorical structures on the planet. The Ohio earthworks sites deserve to be recognized and appreciated for their significance and contribution to human history and culture.

Sincerely,
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Summer Vacation

The Little Bug and I flew and drove all day yesterday (Friday) in order to finally arrive at lovely San Diego. We're tired but having a great time with Willow, Mama Mia, and several other family members. It is unseasonably chilly but we're coping.

More later.

Happy Christmas Days

Well, this is the fourth day of Christmas. Keep that jolly post-solstice cheer flowing! I've been busy in the past few days. I've been working on setting up the apartment (still), puttering around the house, hanging out with the cats, and occasionally leveling my various characters in WoW. Jeff went to Mt. Shasta on business travel on the morning of Dec 26, and was gone for a few days. So in the meantime, I have ended up taking an impromptu trip with Dan and Jennifer. I initially had not intended to go, when they invited me to hitch a ride with them to SoCal to see our family there. But Jeff reminded me that he would be working out of town, then working in-town, during the days (Dec 27-30) that I'd be gone, and ALSO, it is just about my last chance to just drop everything and go visit the fam on a spur-of-the-moment whim.

SoCal friends, I decided to come along late during the night before we left, so I didn't get a chance to contact you and make plans. I will call as many of you as I can, and see if I can work with Dan and Jennifer to meet up with you (I don't have a car to drive myself, so I'm dependent on them). We're staying with Mumsie Willow and Dad, and Mike is here, too, along with one of his nice friends from HMC (seriously, I almost always like Mike's college friends). We will see Mia and Tim on the weekend, when they've returned from visiting Tim's family in OR.

In other news: Yesterday before I left, I had another visit with the ob/gyn (it's lame, but in the final two months, I guess a pregnant woman has to have doctor visits every two weeks). The verdict is good: Both the baby (nicknamed Fuzzy) and I are in great health, my blood pressure is normal (120/70, when it is usually in the 90/60 range), my blood chemistry is fine, and my gestational diabetes test was negative.

Well, as far as Holidailies is concerned, there isn't much I've offered that is in tune with the festive holiday time. In the exchange of gifts, I must admit that my favorite present this year was Super Scrabble, from Jeff. I'm really looking forward to playing with friends and family.

Arrived

I was trying to post every day of December, in the spirit of Holidailies. However, I have to think that there can be a teensy bit of grace extended to people who put posting on hold for a weekend while packing up and moving to another state.

Yes, I survived, and so did the cats. The move was accomplished due primarily to my parents (who gave up two weekends to come help pack and clean), Jeff's parents (who helped me so much that it would be impossible to list everything that they did, and who have been as good to me as any human beings can be to another), many helpful young Tulare County homeschoolers (names unlisted to protect their underaged identities), and some people whose names I do not even know who volunteered their time to load the truck on Friday afternoon (while I was still working).

Jeff flew in on a redeye flight Saturday morning; it wasn't supposed to be a redeye, but it kept getting delayed. Jerry volunteered to pick Jeff up at the airport so that I could sleep. Rob and Candace had (Jeff's brother and sister-in-law) had driven up from Whittier the night before, so we all met up at Mimi's for Rosalee's birthday breakfast later on Saturday morning, then finished packing and loading up the final miscellaneous items. Then we figured out how to fit two human adults and two (unhappy) cats in pet carriers into the cab of the truck. and were off. I didn't think I would be emotional about leaving, but I cried a little bit.

The drive was long and bumpy, but we survived, and with only three stops (Gorman, Ontario, Blythe). Jeff had the harder part, as he had to handle the driving. I just sat there and tried to shift positions every so often, to keep my back and legs from cramping up. We enjoyed listening to KFI AM 640 when we were driving through the LA area. It's hard to find good talk radio that we both like. The worst part of the drive, by far, was dealing with the cats. I was terribly worried about them, and Jeff said it stressed him out to have me fussing about them all the time. I tried to relax. Touchy was such a good little traveler, overall. He mewed a few times, but then just huddled down in his cage and was quiet, although he did seem to look out of the window while it was still light. Hobbes, however, was loudly miserable. Mrow mrow mrow! I would talk to him and put my hand down by his carrier, so that he would know I was there, and that seemed to help. Eventually, he must have just given up hope, since he was mostly quiet during the latter half of the trip. I offered them water and comfort when we stopped for our breaks, but they were too traumatized for anything. They are resilient, however, because within 15 minutes of being introduced to their new home, they were cautiously nosing around, and within an hour or so, they were frisking about and exploring with perfect ease. Neither of them seems to hold a grudge.

Yesterday (Sunday), there was the big task of unloading the truck. Fortunately, we had great help from Sam and Mel and Dan and Jennifer. Everything got unloaded and into the apartment. Jeff said, "We have too much stuff!" Yes. Yes, we do. It won't happen overnight, but we are on our way to simplifying our lives!

I am working on setting up the kitchen today, as well looking at some other tasks. On the agenda for the rest of the week: going to the ob/gyn (we'll let you know if we have an ultrasound that provides us with the sex of the baby), finishing unpacking, getting into a good schedule with Jeff in our new home, calling OfficeTeam (for whom I have worked in the past, and who have done a great job placing me in employment, so far), calling other potential employers, contacting schools in the area to find out about tutoring, and seeing about re-establishing myself in WoW.

Day Trip

Last weekend, on Saturday, I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You see, our school's EL (English Learners) Department had organized a field trip for good, high-achieving students, and on a whim, they asked me to participate as a chaperone. And I had SUCH A GOOD TIME. Since I am accustomed to working with budding criminals and just plain naughty children, it was a revelation to be among hard-working, well-mannered young people. Nobody cussed at me or threatened to sue me; nobody threw things or argued unnecessarily. Wow, I thought, if I had the right group of students, life could be almost this good EVERY DAY. Whoa. Almost enough to make me want to teach in middle or high school again. Almost, but not quite. I was given five young ladies as my charges. We stuck together throughout the day, learned some stuff, and had fun.

We saw some jellyfish:

And a kelp forest, including some tiger sharks:
And penguins:
We also visited the Monterey State History Park, which was well-done and educational. Did you know that Monterey was the first capital of California? And that it was a center of the 19th century whaling industry? [Why, oh why, didn't I take pictures? Guess I was too busy learning and having fun.]

Then we walked along the historic Fisherman's Wharf (although we avoided infamous but boring Cannery Row). We had a close encounter with a sea otter, that swam right up to the dock where we were loitering. The girls named it Cecilia the Sea Otter, for reasons never revealed to me.

I particularly enjoyed the quaint Bruce Ariss Wharf Theater. They were doing a production of H.M.S. Pinafore at the time. In addition to being an active participant in the thriving local arts scene, the Bruce Ariss Theater is a sort of little theater museum, with posters and artifacts from its history of more than half a century of performing great dramatic and musical productions, as well as a little gallery showcasing local artists. Very cool. I took the girls inside and pointed to posters and pictures on the walls, identifying musical plays (Annie, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, Cabaret, to name a few) and explaining their origins and plots, and occasionally, even singing some snatches of the scores. My young ladies bore it with patience, although one or two betrayed genuine interest. Most interesting of all, we could go into the actual theater and see the set for their current play. There was a man working there, who was about five feet tall and 100 years old, who creaked over to turn on the lights and let us in, and gave us as much time as we wanted to see the Pinafore set. Again, I wish I'd had presence of mind to take pictures. *sigh* But I was able to explain some principles of set design and demonstrate to the girls how clues from a set can aid a viewer in understanding a play's setting, even with no actors on the stage to speak dialogue. In the case of Pinafore, I pointed out that we could immediately tell that the play was set on a ship, thanks to the set, and we could also see that the ship was named the H.M.S. Pinafore, because the ship's life preservers had that name on them. We could tell that Pinafore was a British ship, thanks to the Union Jack and portrait of Queen Victoria (which also signaled to the viewer the time period of the play's setting: mid-late 19th century) on display.

I also enjoyed spending time with some great coworkers, who were fellow chaperones.

And I can't forget the quality time spent with the candy cigarette, given to me by a student who had bought a pack.