The Carnivorous Hippy

Stupid Stuff

2009-08-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

The house is a mess. I have someone staying here while we're gone... you'd think that would motivate me to do some work around here. Wrong.

I'm sad because I've put on a few extra pounds this summer. At the moment, that's 7 pounds. I've worked really hard to lose the weight and I don't want to slip back up to my chunko size. I need to be more aware of my intake if I want to obtain MILF status.

I'm going on a bike ride with Mr. Hippy when he gets home from work and that will be nice. Though, he likes to go faster than I do, so it's not much of a workout for him.

I'm glad I've told the world my house is a mess.

~ch

In Less Than A Week...

2009-08-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

We'll be headed to Chicago to see our son graduate from the Naval Bootcamp at Great Lakes. He's been gone for the last 7 weeks and the house has been quiet and calm.
It's all good. Though, I think his sister wishes he were here. Our attention to her hasn't changed, but she'd like to think we're paying more attention to her. Hello... we've always payed this much attention, it's just there's not another distraction... She now gets all our love, the lucky kid : )

School starts in a couple of weeks. I wish I were going to school, rather than teaching, but it's all fine. This years schedule may be done already....woohoo! Assemblies are scheduled (all but two...)
I'll have two days after we get back from our sons celebration before the first day of classes.

On something different. If anyone actually reads this... do you have an ipod touch? Do you like it? What do you use it for? I think I want one, though I'd like to have it before our trip, mostly for the wi-fi. I have a classic iPod and I love it. There's still plenty of room for a ton of music and I think I have over 3000 tunes on it now... so, would you recommend the touch, or say that's a waste of money?

That's it,
~ch

It's been a While.

2009-07-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Like the title says, it's been a while since I've last written... just about a year. Since then, many things have happened. Our oldest child has graduated high school (thank God!) Our youngest child was given a horse (oh my God!) And... today, my son went off to the Navy's bootcamp at Great Lakes.
We were all ready for him to spread his wings, which is why it came as a shock to me that I've been feeling sad all day. I thought I'd be shouting with joy, but nope.
Ah well, maybe I'll keep up on this blog a little better... maybe not. We'll see.

Getting Things Done...

2008-08-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Thing 1 took the last test he needed for his GED today. He thinks he did fine and is now faced with "being done." He's put in his application for WWOOF (see previous post), but he still has myriad things to be done before he can head out.
I sat in the parking lot of LBCC for 2 hours waiting for him to finish his test. LB is just far enough away that I really didn't feel like driving all the way back home to turn around in a half an hour to head back. So, I rolled down the windows and crawled into the back of the wagon, put on my headphones and listened to podcasts and fell asleep. When I woke up, there were cars parked all around me : ) I'm still sleepy.

I'm working on losing weight and now belong to Weight Watchers. So far it's been an easy transition, but today... I'm hungry. I've eaten, but have stayed well within my points, but I'm still hungry. I think the steroids I'm taking have a something to do with this and I will overcome.

This evening is another concert in the park. My husband will be playing, so I think I'll walk down there and catch a ride back with him. That will help me feel a little better about wanting to eat so much today!!

That's it for the blog today.

~ch

WWOOF ~ World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms... Does Anyone Know Anything About this Group?

2008-08-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

My son, who is almost 18 and will be completing his GED tomorrow wants to have a plan for his future...this is good. He is very interested in WWOOF and wishes to go to an Asian country and work in the fields in exchange for food and housing. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Our son has really never "known" hard work and this would be a challenge for him, but I also really like the picture of him adapting to Asian culture and putting in a hard days work.
It comes down to this... We buy the airline ticket, plus pay a $50 (5,500 yen) application fee. He leaves the country feeling like he's not just hanging out in Corvallis spinning his wheels and we have a bit of peace. Also, with his room vacant there's a whole new possibility of a rec room.
My husband, who is more level-headed and less of a romantic adventurer thinks we would be paying for a two week vacation for our son. I think my husband is a brilliant man, but I also think he could do with lightening up a bit. It would be better for his health... physically and mentally. I'd like our son to be gone a minimum of 6 months. I need a break from the teenage insanity.
Has anyone out there worked with this organization? Would you share your insights with me? Any information is appreciated.
~ch

poison oak

2008-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm covered with it... my skin is swollen and hot to the touch. This is an effin' nasty plant that needs to be eliminated off the face of the Earth.
I've been given a shot of steroids and a prescription for some potent antihistamines... I hope they make a difference soon.
I came home (after teaching and going to the drs) and started to work on the kitchen. Garbage is left out and I even found a bag of rotten cherries on the kitchen island. Where did these come from??
Thing 1 has taken to sleeping on the couch...why? He's got a great room, with a comfortable bed. He seems to be turning another room into a junk pile. I worry that he's got transient tendencies.
My mood is poor.
ch

Home again

2008-07-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

I came home this evening covered in poison oak. Blisters are everywhere and I hurt badly.
Met with my husband and talked about finances. I don't know if I can manage to feel any more guilt than I already do about doing anything.
Thing 2 is crying because she wants her own horse. Yep, I'm home.

Going to See my Mom!

2008-07-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

I'm heading down to California to see my mom. I miss her and look forward to my visits with her. I get down there about once a year, stay for a couple of nights, then I'm ready to be home : )

This is the first time I've ever gone on my own. We usually travel as a family, but as the kids get older and have jobs, it's not easy to do.

Soon, I'll be like Boggywoggy and have an empty nest and my husband and I can go together : )

I'm going to take my time. Drive the speed limit and get maximum gas mileage (my hope.) This will be a two part trip that will go about 5 hours on day 1 and 6 the next. I didn't want my knee to be in a chair for 11 hours... ouch. So, I'll geocache (which my husband only tolerates, so it's best I do it now) and mosey.

I'll take pictures and hopefully post while I'm on the road. If not, I'll post when I get to Pacific Grove.

Night,
~ch

On GED's, Geocaching, Traveling and my Husband!

2008-07-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Quesadilla man?

This week was a busy one for the hippy family. Thing 1 and 2 have been enjoying their summer and I've been wrangling.

Thing 1 has decided that school is not for him and that the GED is the route to go. I agree with him that school is not a fit for him... after 11 years of arguing and struggling through the school years, I'm ready to let it go. Although, there's a huge part of me that just wishes he would conform to the norm.... and then then there's another huge part of me that would be soooo sad if he did (I can have two huge parts.) He has one final test to take and then he's done! He's passed all four sections with scores that are higher than 80% of graduating seniors. I know he's retained the information and he knows how to apply it.

Successful GED obtainers include...

Conductor, Zubin Mehta

ABC news anchor, Peter Jennings

Microsoft's Bill Gates

Actors,Bill Cosby and Michael J. Fox

Unsuccessful GED obtainers...

uh, I dunno.

I started Weight Watchers last week. We'll see how this goes... I'm diggin' counting points. I've turned it into a game. How much can I eat and still have a boat-load of points left over?

Da Vinci Day's was this last weekend in Corvallis. I didn't think I'd be available, so I didn't volunteer... but as it turns out, somehow I volunteered and didn't know about it : ) I helped out in the Geocaching booth. These people are great...and funny! Friday night was set up and very few people actually came to the booth. Friday night's usually all about the head liner band. Last year it was Pink Martini (SO MUCH FUN!) This year was Beau Soleil, (sleepier than I prefer, but I think many people enjoyed themselves) I left after the third tune.

I wasn't available Saturday, but was there for Sunday morning... the kickoff of the Geocaching Competition. I signed people in along with one of the organizers, Matt. We gave them rules, a gps and a start time... and then, sent them on their way!

My wonderful husband had two concerts to play in yesterday. I played in the first one (in Corvallis) then we headed down to Eugene where he played with the Eugene Symphonic Band. They were OUTSTANDING and I was so proud to be his wife... especially when he played the tuba solo on "If I Only had a Brain" from the Wizard of OZ. Those of you who know us will understand why that was particularly ironic.

We came back to town and the night sky was beautiful! Best of all, both (BOTH I tells ya!) children were going on sleepovers....Oh happy day!!

My plan is to leave for California on Wednesday morning with my gps, palm, iPod and handheld PC and drive slowly down to Cali while geocaching all the way. I wish my husband had some time to take off, but it's not going to happen this summer. He went to Chicago last week for a couple of days for work... that's not any fun, but he was able to spend some time with his mom and that was good. Maybe, we can go on a weekend to the coast before summer's out.

Boggywoggy wants to spend her day at home getting things done. That's what I should do, but I hear the satellites calling....

I hope to start blogging more, I like it once I get going!

~ch

Didn't Catch One...

2008-07-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

But had a great time!
So sore today... I don't know why, because there wasn't a lot of exercise involved.
Played golf this morning to try and work out the kinks... ooooh, I didn't play well.
I'm looking forward to two packages that will hopefully come this week...
One is a data transfer cord for my gps. I want to download waypoints without having to do it manually.
The other is a bike mount for my gps. This way I can search for caches and have BOTH hands on the handlebars...yipeee!
Summer is moving by way to fast for me. I need to work the last week of this month and I don't want to. I really wish I could just have a complete summer, but whine, whine, whine... I know!
c'est la vie,
~ch

Goin' Stergeon Fishin'

2008-07-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

in the morning... why am I up now??

I'm excited. I hope I catch one this time!

Wishing We Were Wealthy

2008-07-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

If we were wealthy, we could have summer all year long... no school, no extra jobs to earn greens fees, no saying... we really shouldn't go out tonight.
We could follow the sun (insert Beatles song here.) Just as soon as it starts to be continual rain, we'd head South and East to warm up a bit. Maybe we'd go to Spain, Southern Italy, Greece, Australia.
We would have a boat (power and sail.)
I would have nice golf clubs.
We would have a gaming room where the kids and their friends could come over and play. There would be enough space for them to stay... but being wealthy would not give me calm.
I would have a "Sven" who would be a personal trainer and chef... you know, kind of what Oprah has.
I would keep all of my current friends and have infinite fun.
I would get a tattoo... not that it costs a lot, but I would feel I have the freedom to do what I wanted.
My husband and I could take up some hobby together and date more. I think having separate hobbies is good too.
I would drive convertible European sports car and have a Vespa and a Harley Davidson.
I would have clothes that fit me well.
I would have super cool jewelry.
I would have manicures and pedicures without a second thought.
My post has changed from a "we" to an "I" wish list...
I'll have to check in with my man to see what he would want and how different our wish lists would be... hmmm.... maybe it's a good thing we're not wealthy.
~ch

This Past Week...

2008-05-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the unfortunate luck of getting food poisoning. I thought I was going to die. I'm on the mend, but still being very careful on what I'm eating. So, what caused it? The only thing I had that Thursday evening was miniature turkey burgers from Ruby Tuesdays. Even as I wrote the words of what I ate, I still get a little queasy. I'm sure it was the turkey burgers...

For something more uplifting...

Happy Mothers day! I don't know what I'll be doing today... my son was already at work by the time I awoke and my daughter's still asleep. The weather doesn't look like it's going to be great, but I think my husband and I will try to find something to do to get out of the house. Perhaps Costco? I like going to Costco, but I can't buy the stuff I want, because I'm apparently the only one who wants that stuff.

The husband will be changing jobs at the end of the month. He'll be with a different company and will take a pay cut. Hopefully, it's a one step back, two steps forward sort of a deal. It has me only slightly nervous. I know we'll be OK. I just hope I can be helpful and cut my spending... you see, I've always tried not too spend much. I buy most of my clothes at Goodwill, and Ross. I really don't know how I can cut down any further except to ride my bike more... which I can (and can't) do. I travel between schools for my job and sometimes it would be impossible to make it on time if I were to ride my bike. I've planted hanging salad baskets for the summer and it looks like we'll have lots of pasta and rice in the pantry.

We saw Iron Man yesterday afternoon, I liked it! Though, there were a few scenes in it that made me queasy (left over turkey burger feeling). It's a fun summer film... and now I'm excited to see the new Indiana Jones!

Ummm, that's it.

~ch

OSAA Band Champs

2008-05-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

The kids are at La Sells Stewart Center today for OSAA State Band Championships. Corvallis High School has not been invited to state competitions in 23 years. Congratulations to the kids in Wind Ensemble who are performing today and to their teacher who has worked so hard to get them there!

What I'm thinking about today

2008-05-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Just trying to keep my head screwed on straight here... so many things going on in the last months of school.

My kids are keeping me busy and my patience is being tested daily. Seriously, how hard is it to be ready to go to school on time? Thing 2 has had a rough week in this regard. He doesn't do a whole heck of a lot to get ready and it's not like he's gathering all of his pages of homework he worked on from the night before... so what's up with this?? I've heard that it's natures law that your children start bothering you to the point of exhaustion, humiliation and what-have-you, that you are SO ready when it comes time for them to move out. Nature's working : ) Senior year is next year... can I handle it? I dunno.

On another note, the Marysville Ladies Golf Club has started up again and that makes me so happy! Last year, I was new to golf and didn't know if I'd stick it out. This year, I still suck, but I am so excited about playing! I have such a great time with these people, whom I only see on the golf course... and it doesn't hurt that I'm considered "young" in this group either.

I hope to one day be actually good enough to join a course that I can afford... wait, strike that.... I hope to one day have enough money to join any course I want and it won't matter how well I play... though, I still want to win.

As ever,

~ch

Trader Joes in Corvallis?

2008-04-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Why not? Took the drive down to Springfield this morning (close to an hours drive) to my favorite place to shop for groceries and wine... Trader Joes. I, like many others who live in Corvallis have written to TJs to see if we would ever be lucky enough to be able to shop in our own town. No such luck... It seems that the corporate offices feel that Springfield is a reasonable commute for groceries.

With gas prices up, our town growing, our university thriving... Placing a Trader Joes in Corvallis, Oregon would be a fiscally smart move.

What's the best way to go about getting a TJs here? Letter writing campaign? More blogs? A good barter? Common, work with us... and we'll buy lots of your stuff!!

If you build it, they will come!

~CH

A Picture I Haven't Seen in Years

2008-01-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

Big Elementary Strings concert this weekend. Over 200 students!!

Guess who this little 4th grader is...

She's no longer in elementary school and she no longer plays the viola, but she blows a mean trumpet!

Having Fun @ Boggywoggy's Expense...

2007-12-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

I just saw that on my last post, I had 12 comments (11 from you.)
Here's a crappy post to keep you happy for about 12 seconds. Then I can only assume, I won't write anything for a while and you'll have more to comment on...
So, have a good day and enjoy the 12 seconds.
~ch

Parenting; Working; Surgery.

2007-09-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

All of these things have taken the front seat over my blog upkeep.

Parenting two teens is fairly difficult. Thank God I'm not a single parent, because I would be deep into a depression about now. We just keep loving them and hoping for the best.

Work has been keeping me busy. I love my job. I'm one of the lucky ones. I work with amazing children and parents and sometimes I get so caught up, that I'm unable to write in my blog.

I'm having a wee bit of surgery this Friday. My knee has really started bugging me again. I went to have an MRI and discovered that there were several operable things to be done. I do wish I had had an MRI previously.

Anywho, that's what's up with me.

ch.

Whatever...

2007-09-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not having a good week (weight wise...)
I went and purchased a digital scale. It turns out that my when I weigh myself in stones, I weigh about 10 lbs less than I do on a digital scale. I am so bummed. I'm starting again using only the digital scale. I feel like such a fat ass.
ch

Stuff I've Been Messing Around With Today

2007-08-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm having a great day! I've been dehydrating the pears.... here's a picture of some that are dry. In the dehydrator are Asian pears. I wanted to buy some more trays for the thingy, but the store was out of stock. Little by little.

Here's a picture of some of my plants that I haven't yet killed.

BoggyWoggy and I went to a local nursery today and she helped me pick out some succulents. I have always loved the look of them, but have never had the courage to grow them.

Here's a picture of one of my hanging baskets... Notice, these too are still alive!!

On a side note... I do solemnly swear I am up to no good this evening.

~ch

I Have Pears

2007-08-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

I have pears from our yard. We didn't plant these trees, they were grandfathered in... I don't like pears too much, but I thought I try and do something with them this year.

I searched online for how to can pears, but then I read you need to be really careful, or you can get botulism. I suppose that can happen with any sort of canning, but it was enough to scare me off.

So, I've decided to dry them...

I went to the backyard and sliced up the pears and dunked the slices in apple juice to keep them from browning. Then I just placed the pear slices into the dehydrator... I hope they turn out!

~ch

Here I Go.

2007-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

Today's the "Diet Kick-Off " day. I weighed myself this morning when I woke up... yuck. Then I went downstairs to the computer to find a "Stone to Pounds Converter" and converted.

I'm not quite ready to share the actual weight, but I will share my ups and downs. I know it's probably more motivating if I put the numbers down for all to see, but I'll try this first. I find it rather motivating not wanting to put myself in that position, so we'll see.

Today = 0
Goal = -52

I will weigh myself every Saturday morning with the goal of losing 1 pound per week for 52 weeks (1 year.) My children say that I should try to go for more than 1 pound, but I want to set attainable goals and I think I'd be happy losing 52 pounds : )

~ch

Chewin' the Fat...

2007-08-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

I have talked with my friend, who also happens to be a dietitian, about losing weight. I've been thinking about this for quite a while, but with my bum knee, it makes it difficult to get in the exercise that I want to get in. So... my friend's got me figured out.

She says that I should aim to lose 1 pound per week. I didn't think that sounded like a lot, but when put into the context of a year, that's 52 pounds!

This is how it's going to work. I weigh myself (naked) on Saturday mornings and I check in with my friend (who will also be doing the diet.) If I (or she) has lost at least 1 pound, great! However, if I (or she) has gained, or hasn't lost, $5 goes into the kitty. At the end of the year, the biggest loser gets the kitty, or we'll both take it and go have fun : )

That's the plan man. I'm debating on posting my weight on the blog, but my courage only goes so far. We'll see.

I'd like to have a scale that measures me in pounds. As it is, I can only tell how many stones I weigh.

A motivated,

~ch

Oregon Dressage Society at Lake Oswego

2007-08-19T21:20:00.001-07:00

It was a good weekend for Thing 2. She's never came away with a haul quite like this before... It's not about the awards, but it sure does feel good to know you did well. She had a great time and is understandably exhausted. ~ch

More on the Lake Oswego Dressage Event

2007-08-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

This isn't Thing 2 either.... BUT.... Thing 2 took 2nd place in the first two rides and FIRST in the 3rd ride of the day!
I'm not about the placing. In fact, I would be boasting about her with whatever her score turned out to be. It just happens to be that she's wonderful.
Tomorrow, I'll include actual pictures of the wonderful Thing 2 and her ribbons... and her horse.
Good night everyone,
~ch

Thing 2

2007-08-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

(this isn't Thing 2, but this is what she looks like on a horse)

Today my daughter (AKA Thing 2) is riding in a dressage competition at the Lake Oswego Hunt Club. Today's competition is only a practise for tomorrows recognized event. She requested that her dad and I not come up for both days, but just come to the Sunday show.

So far today, she's called me twice. The first time was right after the first ride where she said "I started out good and only got better!" She was very excited.

The second call was after her second ride and after all of the riders scores were posted. She said she place 2nd (!!) on the first ride and though she didn't feel that she did as well on the second, she placed 2nd again (!!!) She has one more ride to compete in today. I love it when she's happy.

I'm looking forward to going up there tomorrow and watching in person!

~ch

My Summer and Golf

2007-08-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is the first installment to answering Boggywoggy's list of things I'm into.

This summer, I decided to take a Corvallis Parks and Recreation course in golf. I was very excited, because I thought, if I liked it, it would be a good way for me to get in exercise. I don't like to exercise to exercise. I like to have competition and a goal.

I've strayed...

Back to the P&R class. We met for 5 days for almost an hour. We practised hitting with different clubs etc. But on the last day, I was sad because we never got to play a game. I asked our teacher if we could play and he said "no." He also explained that Trysting Tree is really set up for men and that I would find it too stressful. All this did was piss me off. So, I called Marysville Golf Club and talked with one of the owners who invited me to join the Marysville Ladies Club. The idea scared the crud out of me, but I did it anyway. I'm so glad I did it. The ladies are wonderful, I'm getting better with my game, plus I'm getting a wee bit of exercise!

I'm planning on playing at Trysting Tree sometime before school begins. I think I can handle the stress...sheeesh.

I'm a bit sad that the season is coming to an end. I hope to be able to keep working on getting better for next summer.

Just one more thing to add to my list of nerdy things I like.

~ch

Keeping my Mouth Shut.

2007-08-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

I am a parent of two great kids. Thing 1 is my experiment kid. I seem to do everything wrong on him and learn for Thing 2. Anyway, Thing 2 had great advise for me last evening. She said, "mom, no offense, but we've been hearing you and dad talk at us all our lives." "Sometimes, we don't want to hear you." "I think you should watch and listen and see what happens."

I'm trying.

ch

No Word on NW Corvallis Power Outage...

2007-08-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Corvallis Gazette-Times doesn't have an article, nor did I hear anything on the radio... so what's up? Last night around 8pm, our family was eating on the back patio and my daughter looked up and said "hey, is the power out again?" Sure enough... Lights didn't come back on until 1:30am. Maybe I just missed hearing it on the news, or our area is just not news worthy.

So, whadya think? Will Corvallis see it's own baby boom?

~ch

My Patronus and Other Stuff...

2007-08-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

Your Patronus would be an Otter!
Take this quiz!

So, my patronus would be an otter? That's cool, I like otters.

The summer has flown by and I've not accomplished a whole heck of a lot. Though, in the past two days I've managed to scrub the outside banisters, clean bathrooms and get some laundry done. I suspect it's because school is around the corner. I actually woke up worrying about school this morning. Speaking of school... I need to head to one of the outlet malls and pick up some new school clothes.

This summer, though seemingly dull, has had its moments... I'll share....
Thing 1s band Hooray! Hooray! won the DaVinci Days Battle of the Bands and they put on a great show at the final performance. Boggywoggy got on my case because I didn't post one of the videos, so here it is...

If you want to see more of Hooray! Hooray! you can find them on youtube! Search for Hooray! Hooray! Corvallis, or Hooray! Hooray! of Montreal (this one will give you another video.)

Thing 2 has been preparing for a horse show this weekend in Lake Oswego. She rides dressage and is fairly fabulous at it! I don't have a youtube of her yet, but maybe I can figure out how to work the camera so I can! She has been reading like crazy this summer too.

My husband is still on the campaign trail, though he wasn't invited to Iowa, dang! He has built some lovely steps in out back yard. He ripped out the wood (it was slippery in the winter and it turned out it was gross and rotted too) and replaced the steps with big herkin' stones.

As for me... I have been loving my time at home this summer. I've taken up golf and have joined the Marysville Ladies Club. I've never understood the attraction to the game before. I thought it must be the worlds most boring game, but au contrair mon ami... it's addictive and stinking fun : ) I've even won a little bit of money that paid for my new cool golf shoes.
I have been geocaching only a few times with Boggywoggy and not too much on my own.

My arm is starting to hurt, so I think I'll quit for now.

Later,
~ch

da Vinci Days Weekend 2007

2007-07-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Howdy everyone,

I know I'm not following my list yet... but will get to that soon. For now I'd like to share a little about the Art Music and Technology weekend held here in Corvallis, Oregon; da Vinci Days. I (with my very good friend) volunteered in the GeoCaching booth and helped people understand what the "sport" is about. If you're unclear, see my post "Thar Be Buried Treasure in Them Hills! Arrrgh!"

However, my absolute favorite part of the festival was watching the Battle of the Bands! The winner of this years battle was Hooray! Hooray! They competed against many of the same bands in the Linn Benton Teen Idol contest, but as they were judged by musicians at this event, their skills were recognized. Winning this contest meant they got to perform as the last group of the festival. The crowd was large and were appreciative of the music...loads of fun!

I felt bad for the poor guy in charge of sound though, as he was told the band should play no longer than 4:50, but 5 0'clock rolled around and Hooray! Hooray! was having too much fun to stop. The sound was turned off and the crowd cheered the band to play on... sound on, and the audience was singing along to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." The concert ended and the audience and band felt exhilarated!

As soon as the youtube video's are out, I'll post them.

Hooray! Hooray! for wonderful weekends!
~ch

In Response to the Last Comment Left...

2007-07-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while. Truth is, I don't like writing... I'm a bit of a talker.
To add to that, I'm a right-brained talker, so try to keep up.
Anyway, as I haven't posted in a while, one of my 6 or so readers felt compelled to update my blog for me. I appreciate this as it's given me a starting point.

POSTED BY BOGGYWOGGYS CACHE:
Since CH isn't updating with any new posts, let me fill in.

1st of all, I'll describe her addictions:
1. golf
2. stringed things
3. trombones
4. geocaching
5. reading music perfectly
6. beer
7. sex (I don't know for sure, but I think she's crazy in this realm!)
8. friendships
9. her children
10. her husband (refer back to #7)
11. Stouffers Frozen Lasagna
12. spending money
13. eye glasses

END COMMENT

It seems that BoggyWoggy knows me all too well and has written a fairly comprehensive list as to what interests me... though, I do take issue with the order that the list places my interests. For example, eye glasses are much further up the list than Stouffers Frozen Lasagna. Also, I hope my family is above geocaching and golf : )

So, it is now my intent to write on each of these subjects and its significance to me.

If you find this of interest to you, hold on tight cuz I'm gonna write.

Can you believe I just wrote that?

The missing,
~ch

OK Boggywoggy, here's my power color!

2007-06-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

Your Power Color Is Gold

At Your Highest:

You are engrossed in passions that mentally stimulate you.

At Your Lowest:

You seek thrills and neglect what's important in your life.

In Love:

You see dating as adventure and approach it with an open attitude.

How You're Attractive:

Your passion for life makes others passionate about you.

Your Eternal Question:

"Am I Having Fun?"

What's Your Power Color?

Natures Garden Snips

2007-05-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here's my rose bush getting dead headed this morning.

Ragtime at the Majestic

2007-05-20T09:41:00.001-07:00

Last night, thing 2 and I went to see the Corvallis Community Theater's (CCT) production of Ragtime. This was a large production and they pulled it off beautifully. The strong opening number pulled me into the show. I was halfway expecting to not enjoy the story, as I knew it was about race relations and had a dark theme. What I mean by that is... when I go out I want to be entertained and keep things rather light-hearted. I still have not seen Schindler's List because of this. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, the story line, the actors and the musicians. Strongest musicians... Tuba, cello and clarinet.

Congratulations to the production team for pulling off a wonderful show!

The Happy CH

My Favorite Band...

2007-05-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite band was eliminated last night. I'm sad for them because they didn't show off their best work...oh well live and learn.

Mystifying judges comments included "I don't know who you are. You play so many different types of music... you need to find an identity." Translated: You're too versatile. In any other music competition, this would be a good thing.

The other judge said he liked the first piece better than the second. I agree with this. Their second tune was not well received by the audience. They had a guest "singer" join them. He basically screamed into the microphone... you couldn't understand anything.

If they had picked a piece that would have featured their guitarist and drummer they would still be in the competition. Their musicianship far outweighs some of those who are still in the competition.

No sour grapes here. They will continue to play great music and like every other music group in the world, the will play some crumby stuff too.

Still a Hooray! Hooray! fan,

Benton County Teen Idol Pre-Review

2007-05-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight brings the next installment of the Linn Benton County Teen Idol contest. It's no secret that I'm a Hooray! Hooray! fan... That band is fun to watch and they have loads of charisma. The pieces they write are filled with meter and dynamic changes that keep the audience engaged in the performance. They also play several different styles... last week they performed a Led Zeppelin piece and then a blues work as well. When I hear bands play the same style over and over, I tend to get bored. I look forward to hearing what they come up with for this evening. It would be wonderful if this band made a CD, I would buy it.

There's 3 other bands who are also playing this evening. One seems as though they are community college students. They asked the audience to stand up. I didn't like that. If their music moves me to dance, then I'll stand. In the meantime, please don't ask for adulation's... I'll give them freely when deserved.

Another band, Idacrast did fairly well. The bass player interested me the most...not because of his hopping around, I just liked the bass line. This is a pretty good band.

The final band last week sang so completely off pitch, I felt bad for them. Interestingly, the judges had nothing to say about that. Perhaps they understand that this is really an OK band that just had an off night.

Regarding the judges... I notice a big improvement in their critiques from 2 years ago, as they are becoming slightly more critical. I would like to hear more specifics from them to the performers. "Pitchy" is not a specific area in which one could look to and improve. The students need to know where and how (specifically) they could improve. I am exceedingly happy that these people volunteer to do this (most likely thankless) job. And true, as a serious musician, I will be more critical than the average fan in the audience...sorry!!

The face of Jesus?

2007-05-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I wouldn't have believed it could happen in my own home, but I've got proof. As thing 2 was preparing her after school snack, she peeled back the foil lid on an unopened cream cheese container... We couldn't believe our eyes.

Uncanny. I think I'll post it on eBay!

Am I Typical?

2007-05-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Mothers day is just around the corner. It's one of those holidays that I don't pay much attention to, and as such, or just in addition to, neither does my family.

That's fine with me... As I age, I find that I really don't care much for holidays. This really hit home this past Christmas. I was not excited about buying presents. I'm not (nor is my family) Christian, so why do we celebrate Christmas? Is it peer pressure, because we as parents feel this is a fun thing for kids? Easter is another one of those holidays that I have no connection to whatsoever... I liked coloring eggs with my kids when they were younger, but that was about it. Easter actually creeps me out a bit... and here is where I might get some not so friendly comments. Easter to me is a time where Christians celebrate a man rising from the dead...seriously, ewweee. I have NO desire to be a witness to any sort of dead rising from the grave. And don't get me started on "eating flesh and drinking blood..."

Valentines... forget it. Love me today, love me tomorrow, that's all I ask. Oh, and maybe dinner out now and then.

Same with Mothers day... If I'm your mom, you can love me on all days. But if you insist on buying my a present, I'd like to have a Wii.

~ch

Last Nights Ballyhoo, Falderah, Shindig...

2007-04-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Corvallis Youth Symphony performed their final concert of the season with guest artist Gavin Bondy. Gavin is a trumpet player and is a member of Pink Martini and is the band leader of The Shanghai Woolies. It was a good concert, but it really shined when he played jazz... I wish there had been more! The kids, as usual did a fantastic job. They work so hard to put these concerts together... I wish I had the opportunity to play with a group like this when I was in High School.

Afterwards, we went to dinner at an overpriced eatery here in Corvallis... Service was slow and as I said, it was over priced for what we had gotten. I'll stick to eating lunch there, but I'm done with dinner for a while. I will name the restaurant if asked, but for now, I'll try and be discrete.

You know, yacking about my day.

2007-04-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the first Saturday where I've had nothing (NOTHING) planned. I got up, made coffee, cleaned the counters, read my email. The day was gorgeous and I started by going into the back yard and deciding what I wanted to tackle. I decided weeding would be my best bet, as we had a load of bark dust delivered yesterday, I knew that my handsome husband would want to get the pile out of the driveway.

This evening I took a few pictures to share...

This is a yellow flower I planted in my blue pot. This is a stack of rocks... I like to stack rocks.

I weeded here. In the background there are gooseberry bushes that I hope the deer won't eat.

This is a ceramic turtle looking into a pot and on the right is a big ass bumble bee that caught my eye.

Here is my four-eyed snail. I got it in Ireland and I love it.

Here's a vining rose...ta da!

I planted baskets too.

Have I bored you enough?

Love,

The Domestic Hippy

Really? No. Really?

2007-04-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever opened the newspaper to find that YOU are hosting an event that you had NO CLUE about? That's what happened today. These are the sort of things make life interesting! Imagine what it must be like being a celebrity and being followed around by the paparazzi and reading the stories about you. Depending on your outlook, you could find this amusing, retarded, or just plain annoying.
I kind of find today's incident amusing now. Earlier this morning, I was annoyed, but quickly got over that. We'll have a retraction in the paper and all will be right with the wold.
ch

I'm not happy today.

2007-04-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day. I've had a bad parenting weekend. There was quite a bit of arguing and a lot of tears (mostly mine.)
I'm at the point where I can only give so much before I'm broken. It seems that whatever I do is either not enough, not right, dumb, not fair, or all of the above. I'm tired and worn out and I need to go to work to get energized.
This weekend...
I've driven T1 to Portland for rugby.
Put gas in his car.
Bought him lunch.
Driven him to Eugene for more rugby.
Changed my schedule around so I could go and watch.
I'm told...
I don't want you at my event(s.)
I just need you to drive.
I only want one parent in the car at a time with me.
Can I have some money?
Why don't we celebrate me?
I don't want to celebrate with you guys. All you want to do is suck cream out of a trough.
Seriously, I'm tired.
ch

Show us your Weeness!

2007-04-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have discovered the world of Wee, or should I say "Weeworld?" Weeworld is a unique way to communicate with your friends. Much like Myspace, you invite friends to your page. I've created my own Wee me and was unashamedly entertained by myself. Look at the picture... that's my WeeMee! I'm not usually dressed up like that, but I do wear something very similar to work in the evenings. That last sentence makes me sound a lady of the evening...oooh, mysterious.

I quickly got my husband to make one, then Thing 2. Thing 1 was busy and cannot be bothered with such trifles ; ) Boggywoggy joined in and so did her fishy husband... Vita, where are you?

Anyway, I like the Weeness thing and I forgot... you can Dance Dance Revolution with your WeeMee!

Oh the joy,

Mean People Suck

2007-04-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Give this guy a trumpet, and there's my evening.

If you're in a bad mood, feel free to be mean and grumpy to people who love you know matter what... that's not me.

~ch

Benton County Teen Idol

2007-04-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it's here... another spring and another round of the Benton County Teen Idol. Thing 1 and his band Hooray! Hooray! are playing this year. Two years ago, the amazing Normans played and I was baffled how the judges came up with their winners, but ... 'tis water under the bridge ; )

I wasn't able to make it to the performance at the Venetian Theater in Albany (because I had a different gig and I didn't get out in time) but, from what my husband tells me... the bands are pretty good and it won't be a cakewalk.

I'm looking forward to this Friday at OSU's Milam Hall. At least, I think that's when he's playing next. Being the parent of a teen, I now understand that I won't really know anything until the last possible minute and even then, I need to feel grateful that I was let into the loop at all.

Other bands that are playing are...

The Nobles (Nice kids from CHS)

This Just In (I think from Albany)

Idacrast (I don't know this one, but hear they're pretty good)

The Obvious (Don't know...)

Secluded Corner (More nice kids from CHS)

Go and check out our local talent if you get a chance... Some of it's fairly good. Some of it's fairly awful. Some of the judging is fairly awful too, but they are volunteers and I appreciate their efforts. I do wish they would get judges who know music and can really give a good critique. But, I think my readers know I'm probably too picky in that department...

I'll finish this post with a congratulations to all contestants, as it takes a great deal of strength to stand up in front of their peers and strut their stuff for all to see... and be judged! Good luck to all of them!!

~ch

PS. Hooray! Hooray!

Only 4 Hours of Sleep

2007-04-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

I know there are plenty of people out there who do this all the time. I'm not one of them. I need to sleep. Last night, I stayed up waiting for Thing 1 to come home before curfew (midnight on non-school nights) and when he did, I was caught up online buying sunglasses. Didn't head to bed until after 1. Though, I did buy some great frames that are over $200 at the opticians and I found the same frame on eBay for $59. Yea for me!

At 5am, the wonder dog heard a noise and needed to protect us. Our family does not subscribe to the Gazette Times, but that doesn't stop the noisy car that comes into our neighborhood at an early hour. Sometimes the person has to get out of the car and that means I'm up early.

I'm going to try and go back to bed soon.

~ch

Trying to Keep Up...

2007-04-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

The next month and a half, or so will be fairly hectic for me. I have several concerts in the next month and I can already notice a change in my personality during rehearsals... I no longer have time to hear a story about someones day (during rehearsal), not that I really ever did, but I try to be pleasant. No more nice teacher, I'm that mean Mrs. Hippy....grrrr.

I felt terrible yesterday, as I made a really wonderful kid cry. She played something really well and I asked her to do it again. She thought she didn't do it well enough and that's why she had to give it another go. I actually get along great with the students and I really do love them. I wish some of them were a bit less sensitive though. I'm tainted by my own kids, who I can tease mercilessly and they give it right back.

One of my observations while living abroad was that our school system coddles our children. Is this good? Does coddling our children set them up for disappointment in the real world? If they live in Corvallis, is this the real world, or do we live in a protective bubble?

What are your thoughts?

~ch

Hey, Butt Face!

2007-04-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a terrible case of allergies. I couldn't breath for most of the night and when I woke up, my eyes were stuck together....gross.

After the boys went to rugby and the girl went to her lesson, I went down to Rice's Pharmacy. I like Rice's, as it's one of the only normal pharmacies in town. We used to have a nice one down town, but that went away when Safeway bought out their pharmacy division.

I digress...

I'm standing in line at Rice's. I wait a loooong time, but it's worth it to me to know that I am supporting a local business and not some mass chain store. When it's my turn, I ask the pharmacist what she could suggest as a quick remedy to my breathing problem. She's very helpful and I head off to the aisle to pick up the recommended items. When I return to the counter to make my purchase, I'm asked by another (rather young) person working behind the counter "how are you feeling today?" The sarcastic person inside me says to say... "What? I feel freaking marvelous. That's why I've stood here for the last half hour sucking snot into my brain. Thanks for asking!" Instead, I say... "I'm stuffed and itchy, thanks." After a short amount of time, the same woman says..."You know, you can apply Preparation H to the bags under your eyes to reduce swelling." It is at this time I look up to see a very shocked looking pharmacy staff. I said, "Do I have bags under my eyes too?!" She said, "Oh no! I was just giving you information for future use!" Yea, right.

I went to my car and examined my face thoroughly. It's not every day one gets told to put hemorrhoid cream on their face. I am grateful she gave me something to write about...Woo-hoo for shopping locally!

~ch

It's Spring Break!

2007-03-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

and I'm doing dishes and laundry....ewweeee.

I'll admit it, I'm a tad spoiled. I grew up in beautiful warm, dry Palm Springs. When Spring Break was upon us, we high school kids would load up in a car and head downtown to "cruise" Palm Cyn. Dr. and scam (I'm using my retro 80s term here....) for college guys. We'd usually end up at a party (or two) at one of the many hotels where the kids were taking over the pool area.

One Spring Break, my mom (who had a store right on Palm Cyn. Dr.) let us bring in lawn chairs and a cooler of drinks and sit in the display window. She had a great time with us, as we held up ranking cards "0-10" letting the boys know where they fell on the "hot spectrum."

On another spring break, we took one of my friends dads truck. We rolled out of the driveway and pushed for a block, so he wouldn't hear us start it up...she never got caught. I would never have done that to my mom, she trusted me and I didn't want to blow it.

I'm here in Oregon... there's a light mist in the air and I need to play. I want to break some rules.

This is Not a Dog Blog...

2007-03-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

But, as requested... here's a picture of Arlo.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Ocean swimmer. Sock chewer. Butter eater.

Loves his family.

No Blind Dog for us.

2007-03-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

I just heard that the owners of the mystery St. Patricks day blind doggie have contacted Heartland Humane Society and little "Patrick" will be headed home with his family later today. This is good news for "Patrick" and his family, but I was just kind of getting excited about having another dog in the house to keep Arlo company...

Obviously, I won't be able to post a picture of the little one, but maybe I'll revisit the humane society and who see else might like to have a buddy : )

Hey...3 posts in one week!? What must I be thinking?

What happened last night...

2007-03-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, last night being St. Paddy's day and all, my husband and I hit the town with ideas of a fun-filled night ahead of us.

What really happened...

We went to the movies and the movie we wanted to see wasn't being shown. Instead some Chevy Chase box office loser was being shown instead. We didn't go.

We drove to downtown Corvallis. Did we want dessert or drinks? Eh, didn't matter. We wandered around and talked with people whom we know who were also looking for fun.

We ended up with dessert at New Morning (expensive, bus your own tables, follow our rules)bakery. It was OK, but nothing notably spectacular. After dessert, we went for a drive. I always try to talk my husband into "parking," but it's usually not in the stars...dang. Anyway, we needed to get gas (petrol), so we stopped at the Chevron on 9th st. While there, a little blind schipperke was wandering through the station and was getting dangerously close to 9th st. We walked the neighborhood with him, hoping to find his family, but no luck. We drove him over to Willamette Vet. Hospital where they have a 24hr doctor on duty. They took the little doggie in and said that he would be at Heartland Humane Society by Monday. Today we had a phone call from Heartland and he was already there. It turns out that this little doggie is about 12 years old and probably not high on the list of wanted to adopt dogs. We went to visit him today and put a "do not kill" tag on him. If his family doesn't show up, I think we'll be his new family.... just what we need... a 12 year old blind dog.

Since he came into our lives on St. Patricks day, I've already named him Patrick...but I think we'll call him Paddy.

Partying isn't the same when you're over 40 : ) You go out for beers and end up with a blind schipperke.

Happy St. Patricks Day

2007-03-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Eighteen years ago today my husband and I had our first date.... time has flown by quickly. Two kids and two dogs later, we still like each other.

ch

All dressed up and Nowhere to Go...

2007-01-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

School are on a 2 hour delay this morning.... I wish I knew that before I took my shower and got dressed for school. Oh well, now I'm ahead of the game.

I guess we're having freezing rain. Wow, this page is turning into a weather blog. Boring.

I'm making coffee now and I think I'll go chill somewhere.

Vita... Don't take DD to school too early today.

ch

My weekend is almost over....sniff.

2007-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

This was a busy (and stressful) weekend for me. Friday night dress rehearsal, Saturday concert....Saturday night cold sore. Although, once the concert had finished and things were back in their places, I felt good.

Yesterday, my husband and I travelled to the coast. It was a beautiful snowy drive. I don't think I've ever seen snow on the ground all the way to Newport before and I know I've never been there to see snow on the beach : )

We ate lunch at Mo's in Lincoln City, did some clothes shopping and hit the casino on the way home. We aren't big gamblers... we take our $20, and when that's done, we get our free soda and drive home. I was trying to win a cute little Mercedes, but I guess it wasn't my day.

This morning I'm going through clothes to donate to Goodwill and doing laundry. Thing 2 wants to go to the gym... maybe (MAYBE) we'll do that ; )

For now, I'll go make a cup of coffee and read a bit.

This wasn't really anything interesting to read, sorry.

You know, more stuff...

2007-01-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

School was cancelled today! I still need rehearsal time, but it's stinking beautiful outside : )

The "things" are out with friends now playing in the snow and I'm thinking it's about time I get cleaned up for the day.

I have a meeting to go to this evening and I'm kind of hoping that the roads freeze and the meeting will need to move to another date...please, oh please!!

Have fun whatever you're up to today,

Will it Snow? Yes.

2007-01-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

The kids are in school. Iv'e had one class. The snow is falling.

Now the question is... Will school be released early? I'm watching my email, or I could just wait for a call from my kids for a ride home. This is a picture of our backyard (as of about 5 minutes ago.)

I tried to get a picture of the flakes, but I don't know how well that will show up in the photo.

Blizzard, or not... it's very beautiful outside.

My dog has gone snow stupid.

Will it Snow?

2007-01-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

OK, I love it when it snows. But we've been having this wierd weather that causes the schools to close on days that I have important rehearsals.... WHY? I'd like to have a snow day that I can fully enjoy and not worry about missing a rehearsal : )

Snow is expected tomorrow and the next day. I think it'll be a dusting and we should be fine... but it seems this year that very little in the way of weather is coming in moderation. If there's no school tomorrow, I'm out a days rehearsal. Big concert this weekend, so I expect a blizzard.

But it really comes down to "Yea, snow day!!"

Happy day to you all,
ch

To go to the Gym, or not?

2007-01-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

I broke my foot in October, so my excuse from going to the gym was valid (at least I thought so.) Now my spiffy husband wants to know if I want to go tonight... Well, yes I do, but now it's going to seem like I'm only going to the gym because it's the first of the year.

I know I don't need to prove anything to anyone, but still... I'd like the allusion to be that, of course, I go to the gym...even mid-season.

What I really want to do is stay at home with a hot cuppa tae (yes, tae.)

Work was good today. I did something that I've been wanting to do for a year now and because I finally did it... I feel like a weight has been lifted (not enough weight to excuse me from the gym though.)

I had several phone calls to the house today with messages saying "CH, this is your dad, can we meet for lunch?" That freaked me out a bit, as my dad left when I was 14 and I haven't seen him since. Turns out it was the wrong number... I was relieved, then slightly bummed, as he still hasn't tried to get in contact after all these years. I know he has other children... this information I obtained in a questionable manner by calling his home and stating that I was with the census bureau and I had a few questions... "Are you married?" "Do you have children?" "What are their ages?" that sort of thing. Is that psycho? Anyway, he doesn't let the census bureau know about me, weird.

I guess I'll go to the gym. I could never leave my kids.

Nuts...

2007-01-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

I have to get up early tomorrow.

I was really getting used to staying up late and sleeping in late. Ah well... big week ahead with much fall-de-rah and hull-a-ba-loo to look forward to.

Ch

Beaver Basketball....yawn.

2007-01-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

I just spent the last two hours at Gill watching the Beavers dig themselves into a hole. No fun. I'm not a huge BB fan, but I am an OSU alumni (bachelors and masters) and I like to go and be supportive. But seriously... if you're a team who wants to have a supportive fan base, then show up to the game. In all honesty, it looked as though their coach Jay John had just given up the fight. Beaver basketball is in a sad state. I do hope there's a turn around for next year... this is too expensive to go and watch a team give up.

I'd like to have been there in the old days with the smiley Benny and a team that worked hard.

ch

Keeping up...slightly

2007-01-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

I will have shorter posts, but try and be more frequent.

We had a gig last night and I think it went pretty well. The band hadn't practiced together in a while and I have a theory... when we practice as a group many, many times we get lazy and expect that we know the music. But what happens, is that we just get lazy and over confident.
When we don't meet to rehearse, we work on our pieces and concentrate more at the gig. I dunno... just a theory... could be a dumb one... don't care.

I need to prepare for the week ahead today. The two week break was welcome and needed, but I'm also welcoming and needing to go back to work on Monday : )

Later,
ch

What I did.

2007-01-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

Just got back from 2 days in Bend with the kids and our friends. This is the first time we rented a home with another family to share a mini vacation... loads of fun!
We took the kids to Mt. Bachelor yesterday for a day of skiing and snowboarding, but the weather was nasty cold with white-out conditions. It was not a good day to be a beginner. I didn't ski, as I am still hesitant with my foot.
Some of you know, some of you don't... I broke my foot at the beginning of the school year by falling off of a wheelchair ramp... ironic, eh?
Anyway, I held down a table in the lodge with sandwich fixins' and beverages. I had a nice time solving suduko puzzles, reading and listening to music : )

Now I'm going to go and fall asleep in the bathtub.

zzzz,
ch

Comfortable with my irregularity

2006-12-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

'Ello,

I am not a good blogger... oh well.

This year is quickly coming to an end and I'd have to say that all in all it's been good to the hippy. My kids are thriving, my husband is interesting (I mean really interesting...not like weird interesting, but the OK kind of interesting) my dog is starting to like me and I love my job.

We have visitors now and I like having visitors, because you get to stay up late sitting around the kitchen table talking about all sorts of stuff. Sometimes, we even break out the scrabble board. Scrabble is cool.

I will try to be more regular with my writing, but I'm not promising anything.

Bye for now,
ch

I am a poor pitiful blogger

2006-11-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

It's true. Poor. Pitiful. Blogger???

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

On a side note, last night I asked thing 2 if she wanted to join me on a trip to Kmart to buy some pie pans. She said "Yes! and I want a turtleneck."

The request for a turtle neck seemed strange at the time, but I figured OK. When we got to Kmart, T2 said can I have some pants too? I asked her why she thought we were going clothes shopping...

She said, because you're here to buy pie pants.

What are pie pants?

Pants that are large enough to feel comfortable in when you're eating pie.

Pie pans. Pie pans.... geez.

We set a new record!

2006-10-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

Check it out...

Just stuff.

2006-10-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

I feel as if I am running 100 mph Monday through Friday.

I don't have enough time to devote to the family in the evenings.

I feel my attention to work and my inattention to my children are starting to bite back.

How does one choose what to be upset with and what to ignore? I remind myself to pick my battles, but the ones I find are of most importance don't seem to be the same for everyone else.

My mood is rather dark today... but I'll get over it.

ch

Loud Music and Loads of Kids...

2006-09-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hi ya,

Thing 1s friends are over playing...loudly! I'm glad they are here, I really like to hear them play, even if my house is vibrating.

Thing 2 had an eventful horse event this past weekend in Washington. She came in 3rd place in her division and I couldn't be more pleased with her. It's not that she placed so highly, but she has tremendous sportsmanship, which makes watching her so much fun. Her coach is another story all-together and we are contemplating a switch.
Do any of my readers have suggestions on an eventing trainer in the Corvallis area?

ch

Do you find the music annoying?

2006-09-14T09:20:00.001-07:00

Well do you? I was messing around yesterday and found that I could add music to my blog... OK. Cool. But I don't get to choose the tunes...

What do you think?

Should it stay, or should it go? (nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah plink plink plink)

ch

My morning so far...

2006-09-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

This morning has gone smoothly.... My MIL left early this morning to fly away home. The Things have gone off to school... and I have a little bit of work I need to get done today. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Thing 2 will be in a show where she will do her usual wonderful stuff (dresage, cross-country and hunter-jumper), but this weekend we get to see something new... steeple chasing! She says they get to go pretty fast, so I'm excited.

ch

Continuing

2006-09-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

To not keep up and not planning to worry too much about it.

My BIL is married. I have a new SIL... she is very wonderful.
My MIL is visiting and is fortunately low maintenance.
School has started and I'm back to obsessing. For at least the next month I will be seriously obsessing and then I'll mellow out...It's my way.

Later,
ch

Not Keeping Up...

2006-09-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Big week...

Brother in law getting married.

Family visiting.

First week of school.

HS football this evening.

Not keeping up with the blog!

ch

The Price of Education

2006-09-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Today, Thing 2 tells me that she would like to attend school (university) in the UK. We are all for this... her grades are excellent, she volunteers, she has held down a job for the past 2 1/2 years, so why shouldn't she be able to live her dream?

Thing 2 would like to be a veterinary surgeon, specializing in large animals. The best schools for this (according to Thing 2) are in the UK. At first she wanted to go to OSU, but I'm glad to see she's thinking about branching out...

So, after I drop her off at work today, I go home and check out what she was talking about. There are 6 schools of Vet Med in the UK and she is interested in Oxford (I think for the name) and the Royal Dick school in Edinburgh, Scotland. The qualifications she will meet with no problem, it's the expense where I'm a wee bit concerned. The cost for a North American kid to go to school will be 18,000 pounds a year (roughly $34,000.) I really hope she qualifies for scholarships, grants, etc.

It's still a few years before this really gets scary. Some of you may think, oh, she'll change her mind at least a dozen times before she makes her final decision. But she's not the average kid... dang and hooray!

I notice that any student coming from North America will need to have at least 2 years of science studies at an American university, so maybe we'll get to have her at OSU too!

~ch

So Sleepy today...

2006-09-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Couldn't get to sleep last night. It was warmer than usual and my poison oak is still a concern.

Around 5AM, sirens started blaring. I don't know how to tell the difference between a police siren and a fire truck, but I think there were about six of them, whatever they were.

I checked in the paper this morning to see if there had been a fire, but there was no mention.

I had lived in another country for a while and we had gotten quite used to hearing sirens and house alarms through the night. When we came back to Corvallis we noted that one of the most pleasant things about coming home was the feeling of calmness. So last night threw me a bit.

So today, I have that feeling of being out all night, without having had the fun of being out all night... dang.

~ch

Beavers Win the Game, but Lack in Graciousness

2006-08-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

I'm going to whine a bit here, but it's my blog and I don't care.
Late this afternoon, people were gathering to greet the OSU football team. It was hot and the band had been practicing for the last two hours (without any water.) As the busses filled with the football team approached, fans were cheering and the band played. As everyone was showing their excitement for the upcoming game, the players did not show one iota of appreciation for those fans. Instead, there were no waves, no smiles, no eye contact.
I guess they were focusing on the game ahead. But seriously, these kids ought to have learned some manners and at the very least waved to the fans who awaited their arrival.

~ch (always a Beaver fan through and through.)

A Conversation in the Car With Thing 2.

2006-08-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Thing 2: Mom, did you know that you sleep half your life away? I mean, that's kind of sad that you miss half of your life, but sleeping's awesome.

CH: What would you rather do... Live for 40 years and never sleep, or live 80 years with sleep?

T2: 80 years with sleep, cuz I like to sleep. What if we lived 40 years with all sleep?

CH: Think of how sore you'd be.

T2: You wouldn't know you were sore, because you would be asleep.

CH: Well, think about it... how could we even exist if all there was was sleep?

T2: Oh yea. I guess the boys would have to be awake.

CH: ewwwweee!

I Do Not Like to Cook.

2006-08-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

It's 4:30 and that means people in my family are going to want to eat dinner (again...) and I do not like to cook.

I wish one of my kids had the desire and ability to take on this chore. I would clean up, that's no problem... in fact, I kind of enjoy that part.

I don't enjoy cooking and then doing the cleaning up afterward. This dislike of spending too much time in my kitchen could put me on the bad mother list, but I'm willing to take that chance.

I like being in my kitchen... It's a lovely kitchen and that's why I don't mind cleaning it, because it looks nice when it's done. I'm this way about my car, only worse.

Side note: My car is mine and no one should make it unnecessarily dirty. If this does however occur, whomever dirtified said vehicle should be prepared to suffer my wrath. I also understand this could be considered a mental disorder, because my children are kind enough to fill me in on this fact.

Back to my rant...
I REALLY don't like cooking dinner.

~ch

Amazing Juggling Finale

2006-08-26T20:23:00.000-07:00


Chris Bliss performing an amazing juggling routine. As a musician, I appreciate this sooo much! One of my favorite bits is at about 1 minute 13 seconds into it and he follows the violin line. There are other good parts too, but I'm nerdy like that. ~ch

I Wish My List Were Longer

2006-08-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

I had great plans for this summer... some I have accomplished, some I have not. Two things on the list that have gone untouched that are starting to bug me a bit are:

1. My books I have read list contain two books. TWO? What a loser.

2. I haven't painted the living room. It's bare and boring and shows no personality whatsoever. Maybe it's not that bad, but I aspire for it to be different.

My time has been filled up with other stuff that I've had loads of fun doing. For me, the end of summer is bittersweet. I love the freedom of time and warm weather. I love teaching. So, in the end, all is good.

~ch

Thursday Things...

2006-08-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Register Thing 2 for school.

Buy new sticks for Thing 1.

Haul drums.

Take Thing 2 to work and pick up 2 hours later.

I'd like to go to Eugene this afternoon to look at glasses (optical, not drinking)... The poor quality of choices in Corvallis leaves me no choice.

I also have work to do of my own... dang, I don't have time to work... "Things" are keeping me busy.

~ch

My Deer Husband

2006-08-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

So this is how it went... I woke up this morning and wandered over to the computer (as I do every morning, to read the paper) and I hear this screaming. It sounds like it's coming from a child running through the woods. I look out of the window and there's a deer standing out back, on the other side of the fence. She doesn't want to leave and she's obviously upset. I walk downstairs to see my husband (wonderfully heroic husband (and handsome too)) heading to the back yard. Now we see what's happening... A baby deer was caught in-between our fence post and the neighbors fence. DH goes over to the baby and soothes it until it stops screaming and lifts it up (with his huge man arms) and give it back to the mama deer. A happy ending.

~ch

So Very Itchy...

2006-08-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

I've got poison oak... I itch. I have scrapes all over my legs (blackberries)...not attractive. Yet, when I pick thing 2 up from work today, she's going to ask..."wanna go caching?" Heck yeah!

I'm glad I don't have an expensive hobby (addiction), but my skin is totally paying for it.

~ch

What, I'm Looking Forward to School? Oh Yeah!

2006-08-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

So far this summer...

I've made stronger friendships.
Learned how to Geocache.
Thing 1 has his first girlfriend (who is wonderful.)
Brother-in-law has announced he will be married (she is also wonderful.)
Thing 2 took 4th place at a horse trial in Washington state.
Our family went to Europe (Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.)
I've gotten to play in concerts with Mr. Hippy.
I've played lots of music with friends.
Spent a weekend in Pacific Grove visiting my parents.
Spent several days in Deschutes County.

As I look at this list, I am I am OK with school beginning.

I watched POV last night and was inspired by teacher Rafe Esquith. I have ideas for the new year and I hope I am a better teacher this year than last.

That's all,
~ch

The Day After...

2006-08-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday couldn't have been more perfect on the river. Having gone on a Monday, the river was pretty much ours for the float. There was one guy on a noisy jet ski, who flew by us, circled round, stopped and stared at us and then took off again...whatever... the river was ours.

We paddled down to the Buena Vista Ferry and it was lovely. The trip was only 11 miles (having launched at Takena), but my arms were sore last night.

I took a picture on my phone, but for some reason, I am unable to bring it up on this post...dang.

I'm glad my arms feel better today. Tomorrow I get to play music with two groups of friends and I need my arms!

Kayaking today...

2006-08-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm off for a day of kayaking. I have got to get into better shape... I keep meeting wonderful people who invite me to join in on the fun : )
Back in the day, while dating Mr. Hippy I actually was a kayak guide. 17 years later, we'll see how I hold up.

~ch

To Ms. Amber

2006-08-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

OK Ms. Amber... This is for you : )

Caching, or Geocaching is a "sport" where by use of coordinates, one searches for treasure. You can go onto Geocaching.com and get a pretty good idea. You can also check here.

Most people use a global positioning system (GPS), but some prefer to look at a map and use all the information available to them to find the booty.

It goes somewhat like this. I go to the geocaching site and look up where caches are located. I plug in the coordinates and hit the trail. Sometimes I'm lucky and find the cache, sometimes not... that's the fun. Also, I get to spend loads of time with my kids, friends and sometimes my husband. Though, since he doesn't have his own gps, he is rather bored when we go out.

Some people don't give the coordinates, but give you a mind bending puzzle to figure out the location. This is where the really smart people and me separate! Someday maybe, I'll be able to figure out how to collate acrostic : )

One of the strange things I have found is that this game is rather addicting. And as I sit here in beautiful Oregon with the sun setting, I'm thinking..."do I have time to get just one more in?" Sick, right?

You should go and give it a try. I own a Garmin etrex. It's one of the least expensive gps units around (>$100) and all the joy of hiking and using my brain!

Thanks for asking!

~ch

Look Out...

2006-08-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Thing 1 is behind the wheel! Thing 1 and his carnivorous mother went to the DMV for the third time in as many weeks...ugh.

With thing 1s extra time around the house the last couple of weeks, he has had some time to study and take the on-line practice tests... what d'ya know... studying works.

He is now the proud owner of a "permit to drive" with his parents. It's no understatement to say that he was thrilled with himself and wanted to drive home.

We went the long way. The way with the least traffic. The way that if he went off the road, we would be in a grass field way. The good way.

He drove masterfully. I let him drive my friend and I out caching and to pick up thing 2 from the barn and I am alive to tell the tale.

Oh yea, he also got away with making the coolest face on his permit. When I tried to do that for my license, they made me do a "do over." I'm happy he got to make his face and keep it.

As for caching yesterday... oh yes, I got the green jeep : )

See you on the road,
~ch

Up Late...Again.

2006-08-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

I was just about asleep, then the phone rang. It's 11:00, that must mean something bad right? No, it means that I have children whose friends don't look at the clock before dialing... With my heart racing (phone is located next to my bed) I tried to get back to that sleepy state. Instead, I lay there listening to my pulse and thinking of my latest obsession...geocaching.

Naturally, as one does when one cannot sleep, one plans... this one would like to find a green travel bug jeep. So, I get up and do a search... I now know where there is one and it's less than seven miles from my home. I'm fighting the urge to go right now and will wait until the morning. But then I think...how many others are out there wanting that jeep? Maybe I should go now.

This "sport" is a lot of fun, especially when I go with my Things and my friend BW. So, I can't go right now, I'll wait. But if BW is reading this... and you want to go... you know what to do, I can be ready in 5 minutes : )

I need to go to sleep so I can get up extra early...

~ch

How Strong is your Finger?

2006-08-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

70 year old monk can stand on one finger.... would you like to see him do it?
~ch

The Sounds of Silence

2006-08-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

There are people who enjoy their time alone. Some just want quiet. I am neither one of those. Tonight, I am on my own (with the exception of my big scary dog!!) I had all sorts of ideas of what I could do... You know, all those fun things you can think of doing, but then you can't because you have obligations at home. So, here I sit... In front of my computer googling old friends and teachers (and even a few mystery family members) when I should be out on the town whoopin' it up. This is a waste of good "whoopin" time.

I just got off the phone with out-of-town DH. He has taken thing 1 with him on his trip. I'm happy that the two of them are getting to spend this time together... But I'm missing some serious percussion around here! Thing 1 is an excellent musician and practices hours a day. I've had people tell me that they would never let their child play the drums because of all the noise...NOISE? When its good, it's not noise. Thing 1 may be under house arrest, but that is one thing I wouldn't deny him.

I just finished listening to Poulenc's Double Piano Concerto...Very cool. O.K. That's something I probably wouldn't get away with doing in the evening if both things were home. Hey, I guess I whooped. In an extremely nerdy way, but there was whoopin' none the less.

~ch

Fun at the Fair!

2006-08-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

I just got back from a fun filled two days at the Deschutes County Fair ! I was there supporting my favorite presidential candidate Michael Smith. While there, I met many people who were interested in hearing about "this guy."

The fair grounds were very nice. Our booth sat directly in front of a small pond with a waterfall, so we all had a nice view as well. Many people were receptive and wanted to hear more. One lady picked up a card and asked me if Mr. Smith was a believer... hmmm... believer in what? In the end, she threw her card at the table and walked off. Oh well, you can't please everyone ; )

I spent the evening having girl time with thing 2. We ate pizza and watched a movie and visited with a friend. Thing 1 and his dad were out having guy time and that's good, because they probably wouldn't have liked our movie... Eulogy.

Tomorrow night, it's Fiddler on the Roof.

Wow, it's almost midnight....

g'night,
~ch

Clever Son

2006-07-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Tried doing some caching this afternoon with Thing 1, but was unsuccessful... Thing 1 will be around the house (or where ever I go) for the next month or so ; ) That means he gets to do whatever I feel like and be happy he's out of the house.

Anyway, with all this "free-time" ahead of him, he's decided to take the family video camera and make a movie. I've only seen bits so far... but, going on what I have seen, I can say it's hysterical. Except for the part today where he was filming his mom climbing around on rocks on the bald hill trail and narrating his billy goat documentary...

Cut.
~ch

Thing 2 at the Horse Trials

2006-07-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

I spent this past weekend watching Thing 2 do her thing... Eventing. Thing 2 loves to ride horses. It's not only a beautiful thing to watch, but she has learned to be a hard worker, build her strength, and continued to be a good student. Other than the fact that it costs an arm and a leg to keep her in this wonderful sport, I wish she could do more shows during the summer.

I tried to upload a picture of thing 1, but it kept timing out.

Here is another picture of someone I don't know doing what it is that thing 1 likes to do!

High, fast and through the woods...Tally-ho!

~ch

Assumptions

2006-07-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Recently I read an opinion in the Corvallis GT that remarked about the wonderful time had by all at our recently held Da Vinci Days. However, the writer stuck in a dig at Republicans with "The playful, high-spirited displays of inventive minds made this always popular tribute to good-old Leonardo a decidedly unhappy place for Republicans."

I was bothered by the comment, but the opinions page is just that... Opinions. Mr. de Vogel certainly has a right to express his opinions, however "partiest" (OK. Partiest is not a word, but I think you get the idea) it is. It was my assumption that Democrats, Liberals, Liberal Democrats, independents, etc. Are proud to be accepting of all people no matter race, religion, or sexual preference. I did not understand that this acceptance was not allotted to those who are a member of the Republican party.

Anyway, today Mr. de Vogel clears things up with another letter to the editor in today's paper.

For the record...
I do not go to rodeos. I do not go to circuses. I do not like to go to zoos, but the one time I went to the Portland zoo, it seemed alright. I don't mind aquariums for some reason.

The way I choose to live my life and my party affiliation don't always mesh. Actually, I would say they collide...

The comments made to the GT were from those of someone experiencing tunnel vision. I hope in time, his vision of others will widen.

Geez, I'm on a rant... sorry.

~ch

I'm Working this Week

2006-07-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

After having the last month off, going back to work (for only a week) is difficult... I know...Whine, whine, whine.
I went into Staples last night and saw the "back to school" racks already on display and was saddened that the summer frolicking will come to end very soon.
Sometimes, I wonder if a year-round schooling would be more beneficial to the students as well as teachers. There are more breaks, but much shorter and it would keep everyone in school mode. Whereas how it is... I'm checked out and I'm fairly certain I'm not the only one.

Yawn, stretch,

~ch

Great Night

2006-07-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

Like the title says... we had great night tonight! ~400 people came through the gallery and a few items even sold : )

I didn't serve the wine though... dang. Mom has many good friends here in PG and one had already signed up for the job. The band was fabulous. The tuba player got up and danced during his solo... I liked him even more after that.

I saw people I haven't seen in 16+ years and I'm pining for California.
I love being on the coast and I love music and art. Pretty much... I'm thrilled to be here. Not to say I'm not thrilled with Oregon, because I am... There's just something special about coming home.

Well, as I said... I didn't serve the wine. I mingled. Oh, and I was witty too. I said some amazing stuff, but I can't remember exactly what I said right now... but as I recall, I was fairly wonderful.
After moms (and all other galleries) were closed, I was able to wander a bit and ended up walking in my socks over to another gallery up the street and making new friends.

Darling Husband...
If you are reading this... Do you remember going into a gallery where there was a wooden fish on a stick (or maybe it was a chicken) and you liked it? Moms gallery is in the same building, but in the room directly behind it. Her stuff is way (waaaay) better.

OK, it's after midnight. I'm going to spell check and call it an evening.

Good night everyone,
~ch

I'm Off!

2006-07-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

I'm off on my adventure in a short few hours. I will be visiting my parents in California and enjoying what there is on the beautiful California coast.
I mentioned before, but I'll say it again... Mom has just opened up her own art studio and has been quite successful thus far. Friday night's the big party with art, food and live music (supplied by dad and buddies.) I like to serve the wine. Mingling is taken care of... people come to me and they are happy I gave them some wine : )
I'll take some pictures and maybe even have a post or two while I'm down there.

Bye!

~ch

I'm Not the Favorite Parent

2006-07-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today has been a day. They say that children only let their true feelings come out when they feel safe and comfortable. Apparently, mine feel just great around the house and are feeling especially safe around ME.

I try to listen with an open mind. I try not to take the hurtful things said to heart. I try not to over-react, because I want to know what they have to say... geez, this is hard at times. Thankfully, these times are rare enough that this just reminds me that they are normal teenagers doin' their thing.

I will be visiting my own mom this weekend and will try and remember to be a good "kid." I'm really looking forward to the trip, because I'm headed out on my own, which means...

1. I get to drive the car.
2. I can stop anytime I want to go to the bathroom.
3. I get to choose the bathroom.
4. No fast food.
5. I choose the music.

Hooray for alone time!

My mom has just opened up her own art studio and this Friday evening will be her first show featuring herself and other Pacific Grove area artists in her own studio. I wish I had a link to provide, but no such luck...

Anyway, I hope to put some pictures on the blog so you all can share in the fun!

spater,
ch