Do you... Segway?

Husband gave a great update on where things are at with us on his blog, leaving me to talk about Segways.

My dad's in town right now and he's great fun.  He has always been kinda daring, and now more than ever, is surprising us all with new adventures to pursue.  We were chatting about Jet Blue, and wondering if they were going to do their very awesome All You Can Fly pass again this year.  My dad said he'd like to go to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica?

Dad?

HUH?

My dad likes modern, safe, satellite, DVR, paved roads, assurance of services.  When I consider Costa Rica, my brain doesn't exactly associate an abundance of DirecTV.  Maybe I'm completely out of touch with Costa Rica - when I think Costa Rica, I think of incredible beaches... but anyway. 

So my adventurous father and my brother, husband and I went down to the Eggery for breakfast in Pacific Beach this last weekend for awesome food.  My father happens to glance over to a store across the plaza and leaps to his feet, exclaiming that they have Segways, and doggone it, he'd like to go see what it's all about! 

I, having just sat in the backseat driving down a busy major street to arrive at the Eggery fully carsick (weak sauce), just kinda said, well, sure dad, you go just have a look and get yer tush back here to order a'cause I'm needin' me some stomach-settlin' food already.  I figured he'd be back in a flash with some sort of pamphlet or something and we'd move along in our day. 

Oh, no. 

My brother, husband and I stared slightly openmouthed as my father donned a slightly silly looking bike helmet, leapt aboard a Segway, and proceeded to kinda awkwardly begin doing slow movements on the machine.   Lean forward, but not too fast, same with backwards, sideways, etc.  Then he started doing some practice runs in the store, figure eights, laps....  he started having this really great grin he gets when he's having a blast.

He rushes back to the restaurant and announces that we are all renting Segways for an hour when we're through with pancakes. 

My brother flatly refuses.  My husband, who's a good sport and will try just about anything, very graciously said he'd run a boring errand for me instead of Segway-ing. 

That left me.

Me is fine with any dorky-looking activity, and doesn't mind falling in front of crowds of cool beach people.  So, we signed up right after breakfast. 

We had a blast!  Flew along the beachwalk, along the marina, and saw lots of cool people, and folks, I didn't fall at all.  Once, I skidded to a halt (yes, you can skid on a Segway - but I've patented the secret and it'll cost you!).  That was about all the daring I could muster up.

People stared as if we were out of our ever-lovin' minds.  I figured no one would care about us on these things for the following reasons -

1 -we're fully clothed.  If we were in bathing suits, I would think it would be more watch-worthy.

2 -these things have been around awhile now.  It's not like it's 1998 and they just were invented or something.  We're old news on these things!

3 -there's a rental shop on the boardwalk, who give you a map/guide thing to help you navigate the boardwalk.  I'm sure people do this all the time. 

But, I was stared at.  People would stop walking and stare.  Stop conversations and walking and stare.  Once, we stopped to put some gloves on my dad's freezy fingers, and some people stopped walking, talking and waited to see how we got the Segways going again. 

My crippling stage fright almost got the best of me.

We had a really fun father/daughter bonding time that morning.  So glad I do not fear the dorkiness of things.

Later that day, we took my brother out to dinner at Flemmings for a birthday steak.  28 year olds need steak for birthdays.

YUMMMMMMYYYY  Filet Oscar-Style.

My brother was too busy eating Ribeye to look at the iphone camera.  Too dark for pictures anyhow.

That next day, we had a really awesome Sunday just husband and I intermittently napping and football watching. 

Coming back to work after football, naps, Segway-ing, family and steak is such a letdown :)

Mr. Scary Pants Doberman Who Lives in a Condo

So, do you have anything that looks like this living near your humble abode?

I came downstairs a few weeks ago for church Sunday morning. 

Waiting at the bottom was Mr. Scary Pants Doberman Who Lives in a Condo. 

My gosh.  He stared me down unlike any dog has ever done before.  I froze.  His owner, a half-asleep guy with pajamas yawned and text-messaged while I just about fell down the last ten stairs.  I have not been so intimidated by a dog EVER. 

I wish I had taken a photo... but what provokes a dog like this?  I haven't found a photo on google of a doberman looking like he looked at me.  I don't think that people who take photos like that live to blog about it though. 

Anyhoo.  I saw a native species on Amy's blog and felt inspired to share this petrifying moment of my life.

Mr. Scary Pants Doberman Who Lives in a Condo just seems to have that look though.  Not his fault he has teeth... and an expression that would melt your belly fat off.  For lack of a better expression.   When you're used to a face like this one -

You sometimes forget that there are more, shall we say, larger teeth, fangs, fearesomeness in the world. 

Most of the dogs near our condo complex look like this:

or...

or even -

....... Mr. Doberman really does not get a lot of love in our neck o' the woods.  I've seen people skirt around him like he was.....  a big, mad, scary looking Doberman.

So while looking for the picture of my puppy with a tennis ball - maybe the worst photo of him that I have, but the ears!  The tennis ball!  So cute!  I found this photo -

 

Ha ha :)  Don't know why I find this photo I took at the San Diego County Fair last year so dang funny.

Interesting. Okay, not so interesting!

Lately?  Me?

Well, I've -

almost run out of See's lollipops from Christmas

almost forgot it had even been Christmas

found out I gained about 5 pounds from Christmas

decided that we were too good for sucky ol' you know where anyway

decided i want to go north or east for school

bought a home 60 hr tax course

got a Roth IRA

my dad came to town!  Will stay until Feb 15 in his really decked out (DirecTV satellite thingy, etc) RV a mile or two away from us. 

gained in the stock market

lost in the stock market

discovered that I read too much

...but I don't read enough

found pictured of my puppy when he was tiny, and pictures with him now -

and all in all have had a good first three weeks of 2010.

Had an amazing time in Hawaii for Christmas this year. 

It's good to be home.

And still not overly obsessing about schools.  Have to know that we'll end up where were supposed to end up!

Oh yes - and half the eucalyptus trees at UCSD fell over in the rain storms.  Silly trees forgot to grow roots!  Seriously, these eucalyptus (even spelled it correctly!) trees have thin, shallow, short roots, and as pretty and leafy as they are, have almost zero stamina to weather.

Lovely day to ya!

TAPE GUN!! Ode to the lost.

You are lost, dear tape gun.  I saw you but a few weeks ago.  Where did you fly to?

Tape gun, I cannot build boxes without you.

Sigh.

I have searched.  Dug.  Peered.  Even whimpered.  Alas, foul tape gun, you remain stubbornly hidden.

I have piles of books.  Don't you see, darned tape gun?

Heaps of items destined to be stored for just a short while.

No boxes though.  The boxes cannot be, they just cannot come to pass without you.

Maybe you're in the truck.

The truck went to seminary for the day.

Grrr.

Sigh.

The waiting!

...Is great! Is terrible! Is exciting! Is too many adjectives and too many exclamation points.


We’re waiting to hear back from schools for husband’s PhD applications. Could hear next week from our top school.


Yesterday, and I think on Tuesday, the days dragged on, I was not dealing well with the stress, and was just overly anxious.  Today, I'm mellow, smiling, and decidedly better perspective-ing.  Everything will work out great.  I think because the year has been nutso that I'm not in the most positive of perspectives.  And as my brother pointed out (and I think 60 or so other people have pointed out), either we're going or we're not going, and God knows anyway, so why worry? 


Monday, Wednesday and Friday – not bad. The days have been easier. Last night, husband and I went out to dinner, just the two of us. It’s been almost 3 weeks since we’d gotten to do that, what with the holidays and travelling. It felt like old times, when life was mellow-er, and was just so good to talk, laugh, and eat quiche and sweet potato fries. Food for the soul!


I figure that in the next week, I’ll tackle some fun and menial projects, like updating my Vista to Windows 7 (hurray, inexpensive license from work!), moving some stuff out of the tiny condo to a new 5’x6’ storage unit, walking the puppy, random web browsing, lots of movie watching.


I’ll tell you what I won’t be doing:


Looking at Waco housing prices.


Looking at Milwaukee housing prices.


Checking email every 10 minutes (I’ll keep it to, say, every 15 minutes – they notify candidates of admission via EMAIL. It’s strange how technology has reduced some of the greatest notifications in life to an EMAIL! I guess it’s better than US mail, which can take an unnecessarily long time to arrive?)


Dyeing my hair or thinking of dyeing my hair (too blonde! Story to follow later).


Talking about schools, applications, deadlines, anticipated decision dates, besides the occasional, casual update to folks who actually ask. I feel terrible for the people who have asked me how I’m doing this week. They were inundated with school talk. At least I stopped when their eyes began to glaze over... I think!


Drinking too much caffeine – this does not aid in the relaxing.


Anyway, here's the helpful biblical principle of today - whatever you sow, you reap.  Sowing crazy (thoughts, anxious thinking, etc.) will reap crazy.  Sowing mellow will reap mellow.  Sowing cheeseburgers will reap yummy tummy. 

Happy Friday, and even Happier Weekend!!

Happy Christmas to me ~ ~

All I want for Christmas is.....

The laundry done, folded, and put away.  Lame, oh lame am I.

This year, it was so nutso busy that about two days before we were supposed to leave for the last half of December, I had a meltdown about the list of 20 or so vital must-do things to take care of before we left. So, figuring I liked sanity more than money this year, I assigned about four of them to husband, then found a housekeeper-person, who in this case was a 24 year old guy who was out of work (unexpected!) who came and helped me get the house in order, the laundry folded, and everything done way better than I've ever done it myself.  

I left with a clean house and am home yesterday to a clean house, which is glorious in it of itself- going back to work tomorrow with the house in order is just a breath of fresh air. Have you ever came home from a trip, had to immediately get back to normal work schedule, then came home and had to do laundry all night? Tomorrow, I figure I'll brilliantly slog off to work (showered?) and smilingly get through the day and enjoy it to the best my tattered sleep schedule will allow (a week of Hawaii time followed by a week of Texas time) and do it all with a laid back sense of humor.  Why the $*@# not, right!

Best Christmas present? Holiday memories? You?

Happy Monday is Tomorrow and the Holidays Are Over till Memorial Day. :)