Steve and I sat at the computer this morning, trying to think of a summer vacation to take the kids. We were looking at activities in Vegas, when Steve came across a link advertising the Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood concert tour. He looked at it and said, "Aww, that would be a cool concert to see."
So I said, "Really..."
Then I gave him his Father's Day present. A card with two Clapton concert tickets. He didn't jump for joy, but I've actually never seen Steve jump for anything...(pesky legs) but he was truly surprised and happy. Never mind that it was a whole WEEK before Father's Day. But I just couldn't keep it a secret anymore. And the timing was perfect. He was looking at concert ticket prices for the summer. So, the Shawnster did good.
He was suddenly inspired. He said more than once, "Man, I NEVER thought Clapton would be a concert I'd get to go to..." and then he started googling other classic rock concerts. Yep, now he's got his heart set on seeing Santana in September.
A room in Vegas and two show tickets comes to $580.00. I think I'll let him save up for that one. Clapton nearly killed me.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Countdown
Rhonda Dude and Brandy Dude are flying out next Wednesday for their first breath of Shawna Air since, well, 22 years ago.
The local newspaper is interested (because people are tired of tragedy) so we're going to well-document the visit.
I will be putting in my request to the Keeper of the Universe, my departed friend Regan, to help me out with the temperatures so Brandy and Rhonda won't melt as soon as their plane lands. Wish me luck. I figure my canary in a box will be a wax candle, so when it melts I know it's too hot for the girls.
Also, I am counting down till the 26th. I purchased those lovely tickets back in March, for Steve's surprise Father's Day extravaganza. I can't wait. It's a concert and it's an awesome one. Can't post what it is, just in case the Steve Dude happens to log onto my blog.
Another countdown is the one for the Whitesnake/Judas Priest concert in August. I got Shay and I tickets for $25 each. Shit, I can't even get a meal at McDonald's for that much. I checked around for other concerts, and Ratt is playing in July. For $75 apiece! WHAT???? I don't think so. I want to Ratt n Roll all night, and so does Shay, but not for that price.
I heard on the radio that Whitesnake and Judas Priest will be wearing their now vintage leather and spandex on stage. So, in turn, Shay and I will be dressing up like Joe Dirt. I already cut the sleeves off my flannel. It's not a real flannel, though, it's Basic Editions from Wal Mart. It's all I could find.
The local newspaper is interested (because people are tired of tragedy) so we're going to well-document the visit.
I will be putting in my request to the Keeper of the Universe, my departed friend Regan, to help me out with the temperatures so Brandy and Rhonda won't melt as soon as their plane lands. Wish me luck. I figure my canary in a box will be a wax candle, so when it melts I know it's too hot for the girls.
Also, I am counting down till the 26th. I purchased those lovely tickets back in March, for Steve's surprise Father's Day extravaganza. I can't wait. It's a concert and it's an awesome one. Can't post what it is, just in case the Steve Dude happens to log onto my blog.
Another countdown is the one for the Whitesnake/Judas Priest concert in August. I got Shay and I tickets for $25 each. Shit, I can't even get a meal at McDonald's for that much. I checked around for other concerts, and Ratt is playing in July. For $75 apiece! WHAT???? I don't think so. I want to Ratt n Roll all night, and so does Shay, but not for that price.
I heard on the radio that Whitesnake and Judas Priest will be wearing their now vintage leather and spandex on stage. So, in turn, Shay and I will be dressing up like Joe Dirt. I already cut the sleeves off my flannel. It's not a real flannel, though, it's Basic Editions from Wal Mart. It's all I could find.
Take That Matt Lauer!!
I've lost all respect for anyone who calls themselves a t.v. personality with NBC or its affiliates, because they have railroaded so many people who really didn't deserve it.
I saw in person how MSNBC was twisting things on live television during the Republican National Convention, and was quite satisfied when I saw the delegation turn on those creeps during convention business. Those reporters looked like they wanted to run. And then once the reporters realized they'd get booed out of every venue, they changed their tune and started REPORTING, not COMMENTING on the story.
The idea that these reporters (who most have less of an education than I do) are suddenly the voices of the American people is just astounding. WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT THEIR OPINION????!!!! (Now you may call me Lord of the CapsLock)
Reporters should report the news and then shut up.
Love or hate Sarah Palin (I think I love her) you have to applaud the way she stood up for herself and her family when Matt Lauer questioned her today. Because I won't waste my time watching NBC, I saw it on the internet. Sarah laid into Matt Lauer and I was sitting in awe of her cojones. I wanted to stand up and cheer.
And of course, in true fashion, when Matt Lauer saw he was getting spanked on live t.v., he changed his tune. Suddenly he was agreeing with Sarah. I am sure his producer put it on the teleprompter.
All this latest controversy came from some sexual-related joke Letterman told about Palin's younger daughter. He backtracked afterward and said he wasn't joking about the younger daughter. And Lauer was trying to defend him. What Palin argued was true: It's becoming way too easy in this country for people to say AWFUL things about women and their families, just because those women are in the public eye. Not criticism, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the "shit talk" where it's okay to insinuate incest, or abuse, or sexual molestation with a young girl. WRONG. I'm no angel but I think it's time these older white men (the source of the shit talk) need to be held accountable for what comes out of their mouths.
TAKE THAT, MATT LAUER!!!!!
I saw in person how MSNBC was twisting things on live television during the Republican National Convention, and was quite satisfied when I saw the delegation turn on those creeps during convention business. Those reporters looked like they wanted to run. And then once the reporters realized they'd get booed out of every venue, they changed their tune and started REPORTING, not COMMENTING on the story.
The idea that these reporters (who most have less of an education than I do) are suddenly the voices of the American people is just astounding. WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT THEIR OPINION????!!!! (Now you may call me Lord of the CapsLock)
Reporters should report the news and then shut up.
Love or hate Sarah Palin (I think I love her) you have to applaud the way she stood up for herself and her family when Matt Lauer questioned her today. Because I won't waste my time watching NBC, I saw it on the internet. Sarah laid into Matt Lauer and I was sitting in awe of her cojones. I wanted to stand up and cheer.
And of course, in true fashion, when Matt Lauer saw he was getting spanked on live t.v., he changed his tune. Suddenly he was agreeing with Sarah. I am sure his producer put it on the teleprompter.
All this latest controversy came from some sexual-related joke Letterman told about Palin's younger daughter. He backtracked afterward and said he wasn't joking about the younger daughter. And Lauer was trying to defend him. What Palin argued was true: It's becoming way too easy in this country for people to say AWFUL things about women and their families, just because those women are in the public eye. Not criticism, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the "shit talk" where it's okay to insinuate incest, or abuse, or sexual molestation with a young girl. WRONG. I'm no angel but I think it's time these older white men (the source of the shit talk) need to be held accountable for what comes out of their mouths.
TAKE THAT, MATT LAUER!!!!!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Post Baja, Feelin Kinda Tired
I only have a few photos of our weekend excursion; on our first night there my trusty dusty camera was stolen right out of my pocket. I took some stuff with my phone, and here's the good ones:
Everyone asks if I'm scared to go to Mexico with all the crime. Not at all! They surround us with quite capable security
Every race, we have the military around us for crowd control, and it is quite necessary. The locals sometimes get a little too excited about the big trucks. But Saturday was especially tight on security because the Governor of Norte Baja was coming for the start of the race. With the drug cartel violence getting worse, the organizers of the race and the Governor's people thought it necessary to really clamp down on the crowds.
Just before the start of the race I was told that a local police officer was kidnapped by a Cartel and his body was found out in the desert. Nice.
This is off road racer Brian Collins giving an interview right before he kindly signed an autograph for me. Shay's got such a cool collection:
I promise to have more photos very soon, Jim and Sunny are emailing me the ones I took with their camera.
Everyone asks if I'm scared to go to Mexico with all the crime. Not at all! They surround us with quite capable security
Every race, we have the military around us for crowd control, and it is quite necessary. The locals sometimes get a little too excited about the big trucks. But Saturday was especially tight on security because the Governor of Norte Baja was coming for the start of the race. With the drug cartel violence getting worse, the organizers of the race and the Governor's people thought it necessary to really clamp down on the crowds.
Just before the start of the race I was told that a local police officer was kidnapped by a Cartel and his body was found out in the desert. Nice.
This is off road racer Brian Collins giving an interview right before he kindly signed an autograph for me. Shay's got such a cool collection:
I promise to have more photos very soon, Jim and Sunny are emailing me the ones I took with their camera.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Mom And Shay's Day
Today was the awards assembly for Shay's school, and I was really glad I got to be there. He was given his Perfect Attendance for the whole year, which included a certificate, a bunch of freebies like free bowling for the summer (every darn day!) a free lunch at a couple of places, and his name was entered in a drawing for Sea World passes. He didn't win the passes, but it was thrilling all the same. There were only 14 kids at his school who got Perfect Attendance. Yay, Shay!
And then there were the surprise prizes. He was awarded for Citizenship and Sportsmanship. Whaaatttt??? Neither of us were expecting those.
To celebrate, we went to the K-Mart and got Shay a new Razor scooter. And then Payless (Why pay more?) for a new pair of skater shoes. Then Chili's for some lunch. We were going to do some more stuff but he decided he wanted to go to a friends's to try out the new scooter.
Here's a demo of the new scooter down at the skate park:
It apparently works ok.
But I had fun with the alien looking clouds, after all that hoopla. We had some strange winds whip up, and the result was some cloud formations that reminded me of my time on Alderon.
Pretty cool, eh?
Tomorrow morning I head out to Ensenada, Mexico, for the Baja races. I wish I could update the blog from there, but it is usually a miracle to find any kind of decent cell phone signal, let alone a wireless connection.
Wish me luck!!
And then there were the surprise prizes. He was awarded for Citizenship and Sportsmanship. Whaaatttt??? Neither of us were expecting those.
To celebrate, we went to the K-Mart and got Shay a new Razor scooter. And then Payless (Why pay more?) for a new pair of skater shoes. Then Chili's for some lunch. We were going to do some more stuff but he decided he wanted to go to a friends's to try out the new scooter.
Here's a demo of the new scooter down at the skate park:
It apparently works ok.
But I had fun with the alien looking clouds, after all that hoopla. We had some strange winds whip up, and the result was some cloud formations that reminded me of my time on Alderon.
Pretty cool, eh?
Tomorrow morning I head out to Ensenada, Mexico, for the Baja races. I wish I could update the blog from there, but it is usually a miracle to find any kind of decent cell phone signal, let alone a wireless connection.
Wish me luck!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
I Just Gotta RIDE Man...
I had to stop running and hiking and walking a few weeks ago, because the little foot problem of mine flared up--as well as a new and improved case of tendonitis.
But I was hooked on the cardio workout. I started scouting for a good deal on a nice exercise bike, because I figured it would be the sensible choice for a gal who lives on the surface of the sun (yay, Arizona summers....) who wants to exercise without hurting her tootsies or having a heat stroke.
No luck with the exercise bikes. They're expensive, and I'm not willing to spend a big hunk of money on something that I may or may not like very much.
I decided to look around for a regular bike, to see if maybe that would be the answer. Bikes, it turns out, aren't that cheap, either. I was looking for something around $50, and everything was $100 and more. Thrift store!! Aha!!
I went to the Thrift Store and found a bunch of very nice bikes that needed a LOT of fixing. Broken gears, flat tires, broken chains, and on and on and on....
As I was leaving the Thrift Store I ran into one of Shay's friend's moms. I told her what I was looking for and she said, "Well, I have an old 1960's Beach Cruiser that I picked up for $20, you can have it!"
Whoa.
Shay and I painted the frame powder blue, and I polished all the chrome. I have a little rack that fits behind the seat, and I have it off right now while it's being polished.
Unfortunately the wheels are covered in rust, so I've emailed pictures to a friend of mine who is a self-proclaimed bike nut and he's going to tell me what to do about that.
So far, I've invested about $29 into the bike, which includes the new handle grips and the original-style peddles that I've ordered online. When I'm in between bike improvements, I'm peddling around at the airport getting my exercise. It's awesome!! I ride at the airport because the hills on the streets out there are way less steep than the ones at home, and there is no traffic to worry about. I just put the Bee Gees on my Ipod and start peddling.
I love my Beach Cruiser!!
But I was hooked on the cardio workout. I started scouting for a good deal on a nice exercise bike, because I figured it would be the sensible choice for a gal who lives on the surface of the sun (yay, Arizona summers....) who wants to exercise without hurting her tootsies or having a heat stroke.
No luck with the exercise bikes. They're expensive, and I'm not willing to spend a big hunk of money on something that I may or may not like very much.
I decided to look around for a regular bike, to see if maybe that would be the answer. Bikes, it turns out, aren't that cheap, either. I was looking for something around $50, and everything was $100 and more. Thrift store!! Aha!!
I went to the Thrift Store and found a bunch of very nice bikes that needed a LOT of fixing. Broken gears, flat tires, broken chains, and on and on and on....
As I was leaving the Thrift Store I ran into one of Shay's friend's moms. I told her what I was looking for and she said, "Well, I have an old 1960's Beach Cruiser that I picked up for $20, you can have it!"
Whoa.
Shay and I painted the frame powder blue, and I polished all the chrome. I have a little rack that fits behind the seat, and I have it off right now while it's being polished.
Unfortunately the wheels are covered in rust, so I've emailed pictures to a friend of mine who is a self-proclaimed bike nut and he's going to tell me what to do about that.
So far, I've invested about $29 into the bike, which includes the new handle grips and the original-style peddles that I've ordered online. When I'm in between bike improvements, I'm peddling around at the airport getting my exercise. It's awesome!! I ride at the airport because the hills on the streets out there are way less steep than the ones at home, and there is no traffic to worry about. I just put the Bee Gees on my Ipod and start peddling.
I love my Beach Cruiser!!
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