Saturday night I had the bug. I couldn't stop thinking about karaoke. And once I got that idea in my little brain, it was impossible to divert my attention. So, my dear husband and I got online, looking for a local joint to bellow out some tunes. There was only a small collection, and all looked pretty sketchy. But we thought, "What the heck?". We knew that no matter where we decided to go, it would be interesting.
And interesting is exactly what we got.
Walking into the humptel (my new word for a hotel that charges by the hour) bar was a shocker. I don't think I've ever been in more of a dive bar (other than in Baja Mexico. No, I take that back. This place may be on the top of my list). Now, I'm not afraid of dive bars. Sometimes they can be a blast. But this one? Hmmmm. This was the layer of scum that laid beneath the darkest caves of a dive. Dark and dirty and filled with, well, let's just call them "questionable" individuals. Stel and I looked at each other and laughed. Do we take the risk and stay? But, I started this adventure, and I wasn't going to leave until I saw it through to the end.
A girl stood across from us at the bar. She was wearing a very very thin red ripped up tank top. The straps were low on her chest, exposing her really cheap boob job and barely covering her nipples.
I'm sitting there staring at her, wondering how much she paid for those gigantic ta-tas. They were so inflated, it looked like if she turned the wrong way, they'd pop. Seriously. They looked darn painful.
In fact, when I looked around, I realized almost all of the women were dressed similarly. A few skanky girls and lots of guys swarming around them. Stringy bleach blonde hair, tight short shorts, high heels with duct tape holding them together, flashy musical jewelry that chimed and clanked as they moved, and makeup that you could scrape off their cheeks with a matchbook.
All of the sudden, I'm feeling like a granny.
How does that happen? I'm in the skankiest place in the city and I'm feeling like there is something wrong with the way I look. I become self aware of my long sleeve top, my healthy hair and the fact that I had manicured nails. Wow. So weird. Being put together and have taken a shower just didn't seem to make the cut. I tell Stel I feel like someone's grandma....as if I was wearing a house coat and comfortable white loafers. I did an impression of an old lady with her blouse buttoned all the way up to her chin, holding her bag over her chest with both hands....pursing her lips and looking scared. He laughs, called me "church lady" and gives me a kiss.
It is amazing how our environment can change the way we perceive ourselves. I have no intention of looking like a skank. But for a few seconds, skanky looked normal and I felt like a freak.
Don't worry. It didn't last long. I overcame my twisted sense of self and soon became proud of my cute little brown wedge heels, and the fact that my breasts were contained within my clothing.
Oh. And karaoke was just as interesting. But, that's a whole notha blog. We learned from a neighbor the next day that that place was known for a big gang shooting. Ha! The best part? Stel got up and sang "Mr. Blue Sky" (his first karaoke experience in public), which just tickled me to no end.
5:53 PM - Creepy Weird and Evil David
Category: Life
When we were living at our old place we had to put up with a ton of crap. Creepy, weird and evil David lived in the unit below us. I guess you could call it a duplex. The house was lovely, but the living situation sucked. That's because David was an absolute jerk. And you see, David's parents were our landlords and his momma thought David was her perfect little boy. So, we were afraid to complain about him. Little did they know, they had raised themselves one mean little demon.
David is one of those guys that could secretly be a serial killer. He's quiet, stays to himself, but does quite bizarre things. We'd hear him digging in the backyard at 3:00 a.m. on quite a few occasions. One night, I even heard him carrying a large duffle bag down the back steps from his truck to his garden. Thump. Thump. Thump. Whatever was in that bag of his was darn heavy. And then a few days later when I went to do the laundry, I saw drops of blood all over the washing machine. I seriously thought of calling the police. But, I let it go.
I'm telling you. You gotta wonder about this guy. Sometime after we moved in there, the neighbors started talking. We learned a lot of things about David that we wish we'd have known before we moved in. He's the kind of guy that saved electricity by plugging extension cords into our neighbor's outdoor outlets, stealing their power. There is no nice way to say it. The guy is scum.
We had a funny doormat that said, "Leave" on it instead of "welcome". Being newlyweds, it gave us a chuckle when we bought it. But David used it to communicate with us. He'd turn it around so that when we opened our door, this is what we saw....
Of course, we'd turn it around the right way and a few days later he'd turn it back. One day he took down our windchime from the side of our house, tangled it so it wouldn't make noise, and put it back up on its hook.
One day this summer, David decided that he and his boyfriend would live outside for a while. So, they brought out a bed (with a romantic mosquito net), lamps, sofas, tables chairs and even his television set. They'd watch TV, blaring it under our windows until all hours of the night. It was so loud, we couldn't even hear our own television when we had our windows closed. Then, the TV was so freakin' loud, they had to scream at one another to get above the noise. It was unbearable. We couldn't even go out onto our back porch, because they were invading our private space. It was horrible.
Spy Cam Footage: Here is a photo taken from our bedroom window one morning. You can see the bed and lamp and the orange extension cord. David is sleeping in the bed.
Stel finally lost it after the 5th night of TV watching and living outside. It was all fairly civil when Stel confronted them. But, let's just say the drama escalated about a week later. The closer we came to moving out, the more crap David started to pull. One day when we were finally making the big move, he took his truck and parked it parallel to the house, and right in front of our front door. His truck also covered our driveway and our walkway. How are we supposed to get out our furniture? Where do we park our truck? Oooooo. When I think about it again, I get sooooo angry. His only purpose in doing this was to be mean. Pure evil, I tell you. Pure evil.
And Stel, being the man that he is, just about ripped David's head off his neck. About 10 construction guys across the street stopped what they were doing and watched the whole thing. They were waiting for the punching to start. I've never wanted to see my husband in a fight more than I did that day. But, we both knew he couldn't touch David. One brush up against him, and Stel would be arrested and packing it back to England. It was so frustrating. David deserved to get his little white and narrow butt kicked. I even considered doing it myself.
Then, the next day, David broke into our house and took something. It was a small item that we really didn't care about. But, we KNEW he was in our house when we weren't there. So, we reported it to the police and got the jerk arrested. Justice was finally served.
Since our new home is only a few doors down from our old house, David still drives by, slowing down and giving our house a creepy once-over.
The other day, I went over to my Mom's house and saw this in her neighbor's front yard...
Yes. That is a barcalounger in a treehouse. David? Is that you?
6:55 PM - Waltzing In the Presence of Apple Fritters
Stel and I are quickly approaching our one year anniversary. It is hard to believe. Do you remember when we met at the airport for the first time? He had flown all the way from England to Los Angeles just to meet me. That was over TWO YEARS ago! Amazing.
And I am more happy today than I was back then. The romance continues, and little moments still surprise me.
This morning, we went to get donuts and coffee at our neighborhood donut shop. I always get an apple fritter and Stel loves the bear claws and old-fashioneds. As we were standing at the counter watching the guy package up our treats, an old 80's song came on and I started shamelessly singing along. Stel beamed that big bright smile, threw his head back and let out that wonderful jolly laugh of his. Then, he took my hand, put his other hand on the low of my back and pulled me in close. We started dancing. The people in the donut shop were ooing and ahhing. I could even hear another worker in the back behind the reflective window, clapping her hands and laughing with joy. Then he kissed me.
This is the kind of love I always hoped for. I know we are still at the beginning of our journey. But, I love where we are today. I love this man with all of my being. He is wonderful and kind and funny and smart. And every morning I wake up feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
I'm so very happy.
Oh yeah. And our donuts this morning were fresh and delicious. But the love....well that just puts me over the moon.
It was great to see all my old friends on here the other day. Thanks for stopping by to say hello, and not being annoyed with me for disappearing for so long.
As you know, we've moved into a new house. What you don't know is that it was a complete sty! The guy who lived here before didn't take care of it and let it go to complete schnit. He never cleaned, and didn't repair anything that broke. And, he was living with rodents! It was absolutely disgusting. The rodent problem was so bad that we found droppings in every single room of the house. How anyone could live like that was beyond me. They had got in through some holes in the kitchen and set up camp. It stank to high heaven, and was terribly unsightly. You could also see rat trails coming in and out of the kitchen windows that he left open. And, he had a dog, which he left the back door open for. So, you can imagine what was to be found in here!
We knew that if we were going to get the house, it was going to be a huge undertaking. So, the first plan of attack was to clean and repair anything that would let a critter enter the house. (Oh, BTW, another story for another day.....but Stel and I saw a bear one night on our street. So exciting!) Everything got sealed, and we literally filled an entire dumpster just from trash that he had left here. Aaaaaargh! So much work!
The first plan of attack was the kitchen. It was in absolute disarray. And, with me being Suzy Homemaker, and food being an essential part of life, we did what we could to make it liveable and sanitary again. The house is 105 years old and was the first house up here in the canyon. It was used as a hunting lodge, so it has lots of character (to say the least). The "Before" photos are all pretty bad, sorry. They are stills captured from video. So things are a little blurry and the color is off. But you should get the idea.
Here is one angle of the nearly finished product:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
The old kitchen was a puke green (It looks purple in the "Before" photo), which we covered with a pretty and airy cream (walls and ceilings) and the trim got done in a creamy bright white. If you look to the back of the photo, you'll see shelves. That's part of our laundry room / pantry. We painted all the backs of shelving in a gray/blue to give it a nice accent. A new dishwasher also went in, as well as the nice lighting fixture the brightens up the room quite nicely!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
The wood cupboards got all new paint (and knobs...which we are still in the process of being installed). And the vintage stove (a 1950's Wedgewood) got a MAJOR cleaning. We also purchased new knobs and some innards to get it into great working condition. I can't tell you how much I love this stove! It is not the greatest to keep clean. But, it cooks like a charm. The stove top has awesome burners that heat pans evenly, and the oven.....Oh the OVEN....is just magnificent. It is cast iron, so the heat is distributed in a way that makes your dishes come out magnificently. Baking in here is a delight. (I keep thinking about you, Nina, and how much you'd love making your cakes in here.)
The hood had layer after layer of paint on it. So, Stel spent quite a few hours stripping it and buffing the steel. Now it looks awesome. We still have a few things to do to it, but it was totally worth the effort!
Here is a shot of the back of the kitchen counters. There used to be some doors that covered the shelves, but we took them off. They weren't very functional. We also painted the backs in the blue/gray and now keep all the canned goods on it. It adds a fun splash of color to the kitchen. And, I can easily glance at our stock to see what we are low on.
One of the first things you see when you enter the kitchen are these windows. The neighbors live pretty close, and you could see right into their bedroom and bathroom from here. We wanted to have privacy, but not have blinds or curtains. So, we added this great window film (you can find it at Home Depot). For about $40, we were able to transform this window and make it a great accent piece. It looks so very pretty in the morning hours!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
All new flooring also got installed. Previously it was a mixture of ripped up linoleum and some hard wood that was worn down so much, it was irrepairable. But now, it is quite lovely and easy to clean!
So that is the tour of our new kitchen! As we continue to decorate the rest of the house, I'll try and give you another tour!
Dear Lord. I've been gone from this site for way too long. My first clue? I log in and my home page is different. I can't find anything I'm looking for. I'm not getting new blog posting updates. And, everything just looks funny. I feel like one of those old ladies who is lost around a computer, or doesn't understand the "internets".
Yes. I've been missing from action for a couple of months. You have no idea how much has happened in our lives over that time. I can't even begin to process or even organize some thoughts for you. So many stories. So much drama. So much detail. So many blogs to be written.
But this Reader's Digest version is the best I can do:
1. We survived the fire. 2. We were being harassed by our neighbor. 3. We found a new house. It is 6 doors down from the old one. 4. The house is 105 years old, has a great view, but needs TONS of work. 5. We spent 6 weeks, over 8 hours per day, 7 days a week, doing hard labor trying to get it ready to move in. 6. A bunch of major things going on that I can't discuss on here. Intense, but it is all working out great in the long run. 7. We moved into the new house. 8. We had our old neighbor arrested for breaking & entering and petty theft. 9. Both Stel and I have been sick. 10. I threw my back out again. It was horrid. Stel took care of me for an entire week when I couldn't get out of bed. 11. Long story, but we had to eat Rama noodles for about a week. 12. Stel has been writing up a storm! 13. I have a massive amount of gardening to do in the new house. It is currently a bunch of land....just dirt.... and an empty canvas. 14. Harper had a bad eye infection. Now he's eaten something in the backyard and he's got the squirts. 15. I've been cooking like nobody's business. Some new yummy recipes. (Sorry. Just realized the transition from 14 to 15 wasn't the most pleasant of choices) 16. We love our neighbors. Our favorites are Roger and Marie, who've we've really been getting to know lately. They majorly came through for us when we needed help moving. 17. We celebrated the 2 year anniversary of the first day we met (on July 27th)! 18. There are a million and one things to do in this house, but we are burnt out! Every day I look at the to do list and just want to cry. 19. I've been missing my friends here on MySpace!
The other day, I came across this video and it made me smile. I've watched it a few times and it makes me so very happy! I just had to share. If you want to see a great version of it, you can also go directly to the page and click on the "Watch in high quality" link. After you watch it, leave me a comment and let me know how you've been. I've got a feeling I've missed out on a lot of news!
10:39 AM - Our Hills Are On Fire! **UPDATES REGULARLY**
Category: Life
April 26 (approx 5pm) There is a fire near our house! We've been watching it the last couple of hours, and it has been slowly approaching us. As you know, we live up on the edge of a canyon filled will lots of wildlife and brush. The fire has come up over the ridge and we can see flames shooting up. It is already up to about 25 acres burned. Scary! So far they say that the fire is under control, and they've been doing lots of drops of fire retardant and water. Here is a quick little video I just took with my camera. This should give you an idea as to how close it is!
Tonight the Santa Ana winds are supposed to kick up, which can be pretty fierce. Let's hope things stay safe. Just in case, we've already discussed what we are taking with us, should we have to evacuate. It is amazing how quickly you don't care about all your "stuff", and are mostly concerned over your loved ones welfare.....photos....and computers. I was looking at all the wonderful wedding presents we received. Wow. We would have to leave it all. There is so little room in our car after Stel, Harper and myself get in. Then, its the items mentioned above, and probably some clothes.
***UPDATE*** About 6:35pm PST, we had the Red Flag Warning people come by to let us know that we may be evacuated. Here is another quick video. The flames are much closer and it is officially crossed the borders into our city.
***UPDATE*** About 7:45 PST, the planes have stopped dropping retardant since it is dark. Ash is falling. It is really smokey. We're packed, waiting, in case things get out of hand. The police just came by, announcing on loud speakers that there is a voluntary evacuation. Stel just spent some time watering down the roof.
***UPDATE**** It is 10:27 pm PST and we are exhausted. So much drama going on here! The whole neighborhood already knows we won't be getting sleep tonight. The fire continues to progress. Right now, it is spreading West and down towards us. But, it is in another valley above us. We are watching for when it comes over the next ridge. It has been a hot day, and so we are struggling.....do we leave the windows open for some evening air, and suck in the smoke? No one is currently fighting the fire, which is a little unsettling. They can't start again until daybreak. But, will it be on top of us by then? We just saw a section explode on our side of the ridge and it has taken off like "wildfire". It is crazy. What about all the poor animals? Everyone is predicting lots of wildlife roaming the streets soon, looking for shelter.
Here is a photo from about 2 hours ago:
We'll try and keep you posted throughout the night.
***UPDATE****
Sunday morning, 6:49 AM
At about 11:00 PM last night, we were told to evacuate. We hear that the fire is currently out of control and inching closer to our home. Will give you an update when we know anything. We are exhausted.
***UPDATE***
It is now 12:11 pm on Sunday. We are safe and sound at my mother's house. Here is a Link to a video and story on the L.A. Times. Evacuations are still under effect, and we can't go back to the house to salvage anything. No homes have been burned so far (Praise God!) and it looks like they are finally getting a handle on the fire that has entered our section of the world. We were one of the first 100 homes that were forced to evacuate.
***UPDATE*** Sunday, April 28 7:15 AM - Hi everyone. Thanks again for all of you love and prayers. We we were hoping to get back into the house today. But, they've lost ground on fighting this monster and our homes are once again back in danger. It is going to be even hotter today, with lower humidity temps, so things are getting tougher. At this point, we know our home is still okay, so that is good. We are a few towns away, staying at my mother's (there is a big yard for Harper to play in). We are thankful for those of you who also offered up your home to us. What is so sad, is that our little oasis is going to be black as coal when we return. =(
Was finally able to upload some new photos. Here is one of Stel (in not so good of moods) after we've realized it was time to leave. We got the evacuation order only minutes later....
***UPDATE***
Monday, April 28, 7:00 P.M.
Hi Everyone! Thanks for all your kind words. We had a chance to see the house today. They let us walk up the mountain on foot. Our house is in great shape, except for the fact that the french doors blew open from the winds, and the ENTIRE HOUSE smells like smoke. But, we can't really complain, can we?
Our electricity was turned off for safety reasons. So, the $180 I spent on groceries is pretty much spoiled. We were at my mom's for two nights and were so stressed over what's been going on, and tired of sleeping on twin beds, that we moved to a hotel for tonight only. My mom has been great and is taking care of Harper for us while we take a well deserved R&R!
But get this! After we checked into the hotel, I left Stel there and drove back to my mom's to get some of our luggage, etc. I packed what I could, gave Harper some love, and then hopped in the car to meet Stel. I'm on the 10 Fwy dying to get to the room, take a shower and flop on the bed. But before I knew it, I was in trouble. Near the 10 and the 605 Fwy, my car decided to stop. Nooooooo! It completely broke down and I couldn't move. It was definitely electrical, because I couldn't even turn on the air......or roll down the windows.....in 100 degree weather. I was freakin' suffocating. And, I couldn't open the door because cars were zooming by. 30 minutes later, and after losing about 20 lbs in water weight, AAA showed up and towed us to our mechanic. The alternator and the battery are kaputz.
So, I finally got back to the hotel. And here I sit, exhausted and just wanting to be home. But for now, I'm with the one I love, in a peaceful room, drinking a glass of wine and on a really comfy bed.
It looks like the fire is under better control. So, we are HOPING we can go home tomorrow. But the lastest is that it will be up to 7 days before they get the fire contained. Please continue to pray!
***UPDATE*** Tuesday, April 29, 2008 10:40 am
Just wanted to let you know that they lifted the evacuation for our area last night. We are still here in our hotel room taking it easy and waiting for the car to be ready. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. We soooo look forward to going home!
This morning, I posted on CNN's iReport.com, because they did a feature on the rising cost of food. After reading a couple of the stories, I decided to do a quick one of my own.....on my vegetable garden!
The next thing I know, I've got over 400 hits in the first hour. And, I receive an email from a producer at CNN asking me to call him. I did a telephone interview with him about my experiences. And, he said they may possibly use some of it on the network. It has been "approved for release".
My story and photo of my garden is currently on the FRONT PAGE of CNN.com and iReport.com. But those placements change rapidly! So, I don't know if you'll have a chance to see it. Here is a partial screen shot of the front page of iReport. Take a look on the right called "Newsiest Now". My picture is the one of the garden.
and a screen shot of the actual story....
But, if you want to read the original post and the comments, you'll need to click here to read Growing a Vegetable Garden.
9:50 AM - Japanese People Are Crazy
Category: Life
Okay. I know. That is a terrible title. But just you wait until you see this video. Then, you'll think my title is somewhat tame compared to what it COULD say.
One of my dear MySpace friends, *DivineMrsM* (You should read her blog. It's hysterical.) did a blog on a new web search tool called StumbleUpon. And darn it if I'm not totally hooked. It's a plug in for Firefox that gives you random websites, videos, etc. that are based on a profile of your particular interests. I'm telling you, the thing is absolutely addicting. And, you get exposed to things you probably wouldn't find on your own. One of our favorite things to do lately is to go into the video section and choose the "bizarre" topic. We press "stumble" and it always brings up a crazy jaw dropping clip .
Yesterday we watched this video of a Japanese game show. I have no idea what they are saying. And, we can't for the life of us figure out WHY they are doing what they are doing. Though I think it is most likely one of the absolute dumbest things I've ever encountered, I couldn't stop watching. It is like watching a really bad train wreck over and over again.....always getting the same result. Yet, this one makes me giggle when I think about it.
Okay. Now do you understand my title? Does anyone speak Japanese? I'd love to know the premise of this thing.
7:53 AM - Oh Shawn Cassidy, How I Loved Thee
Category: Life
My biggest all-time favorite childhood crush was on Shaun Cassidy.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw The Hardy Boys on T.V. My heart skipped a beat, and I was immediately in love. He was David Cassidy’s half-brother, and the son of Shirley Jones. And wow. He was so dreamy.
Parker Stevenson wasn’t too bad either. But Shaun. Oh Shaun. He captured my heart in a way no man ever had.
I had a big poster of him on my bedroom wall.
And at night, when the door was closed, I used to kiss him on the lips. I imagined making out with him with my arms around my pillow. You should have heard the sweet things he would whisper in my ear. It sent chills down my spine.
He wasn’t just a great actor. He could sing too! And I would play his album, Da Doo Run Run, over and over again, while daydreaming about he and I walking on the beach and holding hands. It was so romantic.
And when he sang, he moved. He moved his hips and did little gyrations. I’d watch him, breathing heavily, heart pounding wildly. And then the butterflies would hit me hard.
Shaun was my world.
I eventually got so wrapped up in him, that I had convinced myself that should we ever meet, he would most definitely propose. I KNEW he would love me as much as I loved him. There was no doubt about it.
In fact, in my mind, he was already my boyfriend and he probably was longing for me just as much. My neighbor, Rogette, loved him too. But I felt sorry for her. How would she deal with the pain once she heard we were getting married?
He was a few years older than me. I was 13, and he was 19. But that was okay. I knew he’d wait.
But then one day, tragedy struck.
My mother was angry at what she called an "infatuation". How dare she? She didn’t know what I felt inside. I knew it was love. Then, she went on.... She told me that I would probably never meet him and that he would never want to marry me. I was just dreaming.
I was crushed. How could she say such a thing? I loved Shaun. And I knew he would love me.....when we would finally meet. I cried, and cried and cried. I hated her for saying such terrible things. How could she not see the truth?
Well, I waited and waited. And we never met. (sigh) My mother was right.
Shaun has been married 3 times now, and he’ll be 50 this year.
Oh Shaun. Really. You had your chance, but its too late. I finally married the perfect man. And I’ve put my pining over you behind me.
