Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Más Vocabulario

Estoy estudiando por una otra prueba.


en español In English


pacífico peaceful
la contaminación pollution
el busque lluvioso rain forest
el reciclaje recycling
la desigualdad inequality
empatía empathy
el comercio justo fair trade
compasión compassion
aportar to contribute
impactar to impact
preguntarse to wonder
el ciberespacio cyberspace
la página Web webpage
la brecha digital the information/digital gap

Monday, July 30, 2007

Now Playing on TiVo - "This Is Daniel Cook"

My sister has me hooked on "This Is Daniel Cook". My faithful friend 'TiVo' picks it up everyday for me!

The series originally aired on TVO (TV Ontario) but in the States it now airs on Disney Playhouse. Check your local listings.

I love Daniel's enthusiasm, the famous personalities (well famous in Canada!), lots of great of reminders of life in Ontario and some cool and quirky 'Canadianisms'.

Enjoy the trailer below...





Click Here to visit Daniel on the web.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Thought For The Day

"Everything is exactly as it needs to be. We need to accept that, and focus on the lesson within the challenges- not focus on how to get done with the challenge itself." - HollywoodFarmGirl

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Friday Bike Ride - 20070727

Thanks to "summer hours" I was finished work at 1 pm today! I quickly grabbed a carne asada burrito at Roberto's and with my bike in the back - headed to the beach.

A friend had emergency appendix surgery earlier in the week - so the plan for this Friday afternoon is to ride up to Encinitas to visit and drop off a get well card. I am starting my ride at Torrey Pines Beach - that way when I return in a few hours I can go play in the ocean to cool off.

BTW, it has been FREAKIN' HOT here in Southern California this week! I think the heat is making the Friday afternoon drivers cranky and impatient - I had two close calls cyclying through Del Mar. I have been thinking, perhaps, I should stick to riding the coast highway on the weekend when the traffic is more the "mellow surfer dude crowd" then the "cranky commuters and tourist crowd" I just experienced.

I totally had a 'Bay Watch Moment' today!!! As I pulled up to the park in Del Mar a Sherrif's helicopter lifted off right in front of me and buzzed over my head. I half expectd to see Pamela Anderson looking up and waving to the 'copter. Turns out it was just a training exercise for The Junior Lifeguards.

15th Street Beach in Del Mar




Scene of my "Bay Watch"Moment.
Sherrif's Helicopter just took off from this grassy area




Baby Palm Tree. Coast HWY Solana Beach




"Cool" Cactus Garden.
Hot and Tired -- I reach my friend's house. Encinitas, CA




Looking towards home. Time to cool off and play in the ocean!
Crazy Summer Traffic Heading Northbound

Friday, July 27, 2007

¡El viernes y la camiseta de Paz!



Peace Out

Inside The Surge

Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Sean Smith spent two months embedded with US troops. Click here to view excerpts from his documentary of his time spent with the troops in Baghdad and Anbar province. Warning: strong language.



www.treatanysoldier.com

Thursday, July 26, 2007

What is normal?



Well the Pickster and I are having a quiet night at home just hanging out and doing laundry and taking a nap. I was sick last night (sigh) -- I still managed to drag myself to work today and put in a 10 hour day. I just can't bear the thougt of wasting a PTO (Paid Time Off) day on being sick. A day off is for being out and about (oot and aboot) and having fun. Alas, I am missing Spanish class while I rest tonight. Tomorrow is Friday and I am a free bird at 1 pm. If I am feeling better I am going to ride up the coast to Encinitas and back!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Nuevo Vocabulario

Hoy es martes y yo tengo una prueba en mi classe de español.

Debajo son algunos ejemplos del vocabulario que estudio.


en español In English


en analfabetismo illiteracy
apatía apathy
los derechos humanos human rights
la guerra war
el hambre hunger
la injusticia injustice
la pobreza poverty
el prejuicio prejudice
el bienestar wellbeing
la diversidad diversity
la paz peace
la tolerancia tolerance
idealista idealist

Monday, July 23, 2007

Being Perfect

Type A personality? Work-a-holic? Overachiever?

Here is a book that gave me pause to think and helped me lighten my load for the journey ahead.

Being Perfect by Anna Quindlen.

The following is an excerpt.

... eventually being perfect became like carrying a backpack filled with bricks every single day. And oh, how I wanted to lay my burden down.

So, if this sounds in any way familiar to you, if you have been trying to be perfect, too, then perhaps today is the day to put down that backpack before you develop permanent curvature of the spirit. Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion. But at one level it's too hard, and at another, it's too cheap and easy. Because all it really requires of you, mainly, is to read the zeitgeist of whatever and whenever you happen to be and to assume the masks necessary to be the best at whatever the zeitgeist dictates or requires. Those requirements shape-shift, sure, but when you're clever you can read them and come up with the imitation necessary.

But nothing important, or meaningful, or beautiful, or interesting, or great, ever came out of imitations. What is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning to work on becoming yourself.

... listen to that small voice inside you that tells you to make mischief, to have fun, to be contrarian, to go another way. George Elliot wrote, "It is never too late to be what you might have been." It is never too early, either!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Picky Meets Mr. Seagull

Sunday afternoon.

The Pickster and I were hanging out on the front porch
- when Mr. Seagull landed and rudely interrupted our Zen moment.



Since we are on theme of seagulls ...
Click Here for BBC Coverage Of A Shoplifting Seagull.

Moving Tip #23

a.k.a. Dolly, Good. Hernia, Bad.

Today's smile presented itself on the side of a moving truck as I made my way to the community pool!

I stopped to chat with the movers ... we chuckled that they had forgotten to get a dolly when they rented the truck.

A moment of gratitude ... no schlepping of boxes for me today ... I am off to float in the pool!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Saturday Bike Ride

Just returned from my Saturday bike ride. Today's ride was to Torrey Pines State Park/Beach. My goal is to get up early and get my ride in before it gets too hot.

Well today I slept in a little ... and got a late start.

When I left we had a nice marine layer that kept me cool - but the return ride was in the heat of the day.

Below are a few pics I snapped along the way. Click on the picture to enlarge it.


Typical Saturday at Torrey Pines State Beach



Looking South and getting ready to climb the hill back home


Top of the hill ... neat tree and the ocean in the background.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Paz

¡Es el viernes! Me gusta celebrar el viernes por llevar mi camiseta de la Paz.

Peace Out.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

What Kind of World Do You Want?

Printed on the box I see
A.C.M.E.'s Build-a-World-to-be
Take a chance - Grab a piece
Help me to believe it

What Kind of world do you want
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for

History Starts Now


- From "World" by Five For Fighting

View a video or post your own and raise money for charity at www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com

Smoothie Recipe

Tippie's Quick and Easy Smoothie Recipe

1 Acai Rio-Style Berry Blend with guarana smoothie pack
1 Amazon Rainforest fruit Amazon Cherry and excotic fruit smoothy pack
1 banana
1 scoop Soy Dream Vanilla (non-dariy frozen dessert a.k.a. soy ice-cream)

Put in the blender for two minutes, pour and enjoy!


This month is busy with work and then night school two nights a week (Spanish at UCSD). Trying to have some quick healthy snacks I can take on the go. My latest discovery is the above smoothie recipe. I picked up all the ingredients on my Sunday walk when I swung by the local Whole Foods Market.

I guess I am living proof that giving out free samples in the store really works!

Monday, July 16, 2007

Thought for the Day

To be all that is possible, we must attempt the impossible.
To be all that we can be, we must dream of being more.

Author Unknown

Sunday, July 15, 2007

'Hi De Ho' from the Pickster

Sunday night just back from a swim. Picky and I are hanging out and thought we would say 'Hi'.