Stranger than Fiction

This is getting wackier by the minute. The above is a supposed Twitter site by the Iranian former president (still claiming to be the current president-i think he got the idea from bush). Usually, Twitter will disengage a site if someone is impersonating a celebrity or demigod. That is what happened to the third site below. It used to be the Ayatollah's Twitter site, but the comments were stripped and the site was disengaged. Now, here is the question: "Why haven't the sites of these two despots been deactivated?" Are they in fact using Twitter as a propaganda tool? If so, check out their tweets. They make for reading that is certainly stranger than fiction.

Goin' Green

Seems like wherever you go, it's goin' green. I went back up to SF to visit the new Academy of Sciences. This ecologically-aware building sports a "green" roof top and solar panels! Imagine: solar panels in SF. They never even see the sun in Golden Gate Park....Pretty funny how good the technology on this stuff is getting. They espouse that 20% of the power for the building is supplied by these solar panels. Amazing!

The experience was not all that I expected, it was more. It was a free day at the museum, which meant thousands upon thousands lined up on the never-ending sidewalk going through the park. We were lucky to be in the first 2000 so we got in the building after only a 45 minute wait. Once in, it was all a#@ and elbows. WE (the teenagers and I) bumped our way into two more 45 minute lines to obtain tickets for the Planetarium and Bug Show. Needless to say, the teens were not up to waiting three hours to get into the above shows that we waited in line just to get tickets. So we left. Of course before leaving, we marveled at the albino croc and gawked at the four story Rainforest in a bubble. We also saw the stuffed African animals that had not changed at all and laughed at the African penguins remodeling their habitat. These snapshots into the life around the world to educate us voyeuristic tourists, just do not satisfy the teenage mind. Can't say it was doing much for mine either.

So off we headed to Chinatown to get a cup of tea. The last time I had taken the kids to Chinatown the neighbor girl wanted to stop in for tea, but I said we should do it on our way back to the car since we had just eaten. They were closed when we finally made our round trip. Today I was determined to rekindle whatever fire was in that tea room for our neighbor, nearly family friend. However, today we could not find the tea shop. Again, it was a%$ and elbows, but this time it was authentic. You could smell the stinky fish. You could see the crisp bok choy and even buy some. It was a museum of the best kind. We wandered around finding filming crews shooting a movie, people living out their everyday lives, and a delectable candy shop. This is what I had come for: the magic of the day unfolding as I followed the lead of my teens. They are fantastic dates. I wish I could freeze time and keep them this age forever. Yet they are green and must grow. They must turn into the old yellow snakes like in the book Verdi by Janele Cannon.
The premise of the book is about a spunky python that never wants to turn out to be like the old yellows that only grumble and whine through their day. He tries everything to stay green. Yet nature takes its course and he ends up big and yellow like the rest. But he is not like the rest. He remains green inside. He maintains his spunk and vigor. I can only hope that I can remain green inside. That our nation can maintain this green fervor. May it not just be another fad.

So here's the real kicker: my daughter has been "green" since age five. She declared herself a vegetarian in Kindergarten. She has been eating quinoa and tofu since then. Right in the middle of Chinatown is a Veggie restaurant. Amidst all the fish eyes, fish balls, roasted ducks, and slabs of meat, a vegetarian restaurant. What a hoot!


So has the wave started? I just turned my Twitter avatar green in support of the Iranian Revolution. What else can I make green? My beer? No wait... I don't drink anymore. Seems as though the Irish have been ahead of us all with their green holiday: St. Patty's. Go fightin' Irish. You knew the Green Revolution was coming all along. Go figure.

Life is Rough

I am learning to relinquish to God. While I know my life's tribulations are trite, they are nonetheless my trials. I spent the day up in SF riding in the freezing cold wind. "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco ..." This is the truth! We had a blast anyway. My daughter finally stopped grumping and we had tea in the Japanese Tea Gardens. Next, we found a tantalizing little place to have a late lunch: Park Chow. It had a brick oven and the yummiest food (fennel soup and homemade bread for a BLTA). The "A" stands for Avocado-how California. Which reminds me of my first year in CA. I thought alfalfa sprouts, avocado, and wine pretty much summed up California, having come from Colorado, the land of beef. I would go to the grocery and get a can of tuna, a ripe avocado, sprouts, whole wheat bread, and a bottle of white zin. I would fix myself the most delectable California lunch and sit in the California sun thinking I had arrived in heaven. That is how the love affair began....The bottle and I were friends since the friend that had moved out to the Golden State with me had gone back to the Midwest. I decided to stay since I had started to take root. I shared an apartment with two other girls and had a decent job. Eventually, I would take to going to "The City" on my own to dance in the clubs. I even would head to the beach and order lobster and a bottle of champagne all on my own. I was truly "grown up." Little did I know, that I was actually stunting my growth.

So yesterday as we ambled around the Haight after our delicious lunch, I wanted to shake the youth lounging on the street begging for money or plying for sympathy with sad little rubber ducks that they offered up for adoption at a buck a duck. One girl "adopting" out these rubber duckys had such gorgeous eyes she could easily rival the most famous eyes from National Geographic. I turned to my daughter and said "that girl has eyes that are only second to yours. She should not be on the street." I wanted to bottle up all my misery from my youth and show her that she is wasting time. Time is precious. Start living!!! She would not have heard me anymore than I would have heard warnings in my youth. So I pray that my daughter will see what I see and avoid some of the pitfalls of my life. Don't we all want that?! Yet we all must take our journeys and arrive at our own destinations. It is truly the events in my life that have brought me here today. I would never have had empathy for the youth in front of me if I didn't know the allure of alcohol. I turn it over and pray that they come out of it safely. I hope my own daughter has the wisdom now that took me 43 years to find. I know no matter how rough it gets, there is always worse. Imagine a grater for toilet paper!!!

I came back to check how close to one year of reality I am. In just 45 days I will have made my first real milestone. I still can't believe I had time to drink before. Now that I gave up drinking, it seems like I even have less time. I am trying to figure out how I got things done before. As my brain feels like it is constantly spinning, I am looking to emulate these monkeys. That was the appeal of the bottle. I could stop the thinking and march onward. It didn't occur to me all that I could be doing. Now the battle lies in how to calm myself down. These monkeys know the secret to living on earth. Enjoy the blessings all around. I bet this Japanese monkey had a rough day at the office. Running around pulling bananas off trees and starting a food fight must have pushed him to the limits. Thank God for the hot springs.

I thank God for the gym. I have engrossed myself in building a 6-pack instead of downing one. I have traded in the wine bottle for the vitamin water bottle. And I have traded in the size 12 dress for a size 10. Not all bad. Not all perfect either. Life still has its bumps. My car was broken into last Friday night and my computer was stolen. I spent all day Saturday replacing the window and computer (uploading files and software). I blew up at my boss for over reacting to a situation, and I canceled on an obligation, teaching my son to lie. Let's see, maybe getting sober is not all its cracked up to be. While I know I say this tongue in cheek, I often wonder if I was drinking to self-medicate to mask all my deficiencies. Duh!!!!!

So I will focus on my strengths and turn those weaknesses into blessings. Yes, we are given our weaknesses to realize our interdependence on others and God. Without them, there would be no need to reach out to our fellow human beings. So my weakness, my cross has brought me closer to those needing help from my strengths and vice-a-versa. So all is not for naught. Being an alcoholic ends up being a blessing. Imagine that!

Time to hit the tub. :D

Earth Day

Make sure to scroll down and pause playlist to stop music before playing the Earth Day video.

Ahhhh, the beach!

Yesterday was a great day taking in the waves and salty air as the kids made their beach sculpture. I am eternally grateful for all the blessings in my life. My kids are making my day and my life. They are great fun even with all their shenanigans. I couldn't ask for anything better! Thank God I woke up out of my drunken slumber in time to enjoy all of this.

Holy Week

It's Holy Week and now is the time for prayer. As I walk this path, keeping my eye on my own cross, I realize how fickle we humans can be.

I am faced with the supreme challenge of loving a friend whom I have worked so hard to sever the ties with. This friend was my drinking buddy, my hiking buddy, my working buddy. She even landed me my job, which is my passion. But things got toxic. Her husband is a mirror of me and my former self. It was just nine months ago to the day that he hit what looked like the bottom. It scared me so much that I started blubbering to my dad that I was not far behind. I could see myself in him. So I quit. He has since hit other depths and tonight is yet another. I know this because his daughter is my daughter's best friend. She has come to spend the night. I don't ask what has happened because I know. It is a beautiful spring night and the heart takes flight with a lovely glass of chardonnay on these nights. The heart soars to the heavens after a bottle. So now I dig for love for a friend that is suffering because of this substance which is supposed to be nectar of God. Why does this stuff have to exist?

This so called nectar is my cross. So here is the path that I must follow. I must realize that no matter how tantalizing that glass of wine is, I must not turn away from the cross. I must keep walking down that path toward a different kind of flight. The flight my heart takes when my child looks to me and says, "Thanks mom." The heavenly laughter from two children who are growing into fine young adults. The blessing of being able to be someone else's rock. These are the flights I must keep my eye on.

Also, I must try to love the friend that had been my best friend for nearly 25 years. I have to look past all the annoyances and find compassion in my heart for this woman who struggles for the same love as me.