National Bike To Work Day

After dragging all week and feeling sick - today I arrived at work energized by the fresh air and exercise from the bike ride in!

How did you observe National Bike To Work Day?

Cow Sighting

Today @burgerlounge tweeted that all their twitter followers could get a free half and half ... so after work I was off to LaJolla. While I was circling for a parking spot I spotted this cow!



Link to the LaJolla Cow Parade
Link to Burger Lounge.
I recommend the Quinoa burger and their amazing Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette salad dressing

My Documentary

I have always been an active observer and there is nothing that makes me laugh more than smart observational humour. As I move through the experiences of life, it is if I am simultaneously watching and narrating my own documentary. I am in constant dialogue about the snapshots of life around me and the emotions of my daily experience. Photography is a vehicle to capture and celebrate the everyday moments of life and to draw others into experiencing “my documentary”.

Endangered Species

When was the last time you saw one of these?!

U.F.O.

Approximately 9:00 pm tonight as seen from Harbour Island --looking back at the city of San Diego!

The Getty Gardens

The Getty is so much more than a museum! I could spend all day enjoying the gardens and the view.

Beverly Hills, Cupcakes, A Porsche and "THE Jacket"

Spent the day at The Getty. On the way home I met up with friends in Beverly Hills for cupcakes at Sprinkles. There was a L-O-N-G line down the street ... almost an hour to get into the bakery. But, WoW, it was worth the wait!



This is the scene in the parking lot - shortly after consuming the cupcakes!

Friday Shoe

Friday is "Converse" day at work. Love my Chuck Taylors!

Aunt Tippie

My little niece arrived at 9:10 pm tonight.

Here is a quick sneak peak. She is already gettin' in the California groove.

Geeking Out

Today I have been geeking out and listening to Grammar Girl Podcasts all day.

Why?!

I have no idea. But it was oddly exhilarating to listen to someone obsess about grammar all day.

Here is my favourite of the day ... Irony

Home Sick For Canadian T.V.

Canadian T.V. In a league of its' own.

For those who give me a raised eye-brow when I mention bowling in Canada has 5 pins and a small ball... watch closely at 4:55!!

Where Was This Picture Taken?

Post your guess in the comments section!

Overcast Day At The Beach

Dude's at the Beach

These guys were watching the surf from their perch on the Grandview steps in Leucadia. The two of them sitting there represents the quintessential Encinitas day. They were super friendly so I stopped and chatted with them for a while - they are regulars pole sitters ... watching the surf for hours on end and contemplating whether it is worth suiting up. I was wearing my Merrel's (when am I not!) and one of them commented on them. Turns out he works at the Merrel Shop in Carlsbad. I told he we would probably meet again!

Auto-Tune The News

Wouldn't the evening news be so much better if it was sung to us?!

Thought For The Day

You can't change yesterday
but you can ruin today worrying about tomorrow.

Watch Cat

Typical weekday morning ... Picky is at her post... looking out.

Caution

Saw this on my run - never did figure out what there was to be cautious about.

Thought For The Day

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Rumspringa

Rumspringa refers to the Amish rite of passage which begins when an Amish child reaches 16 years of age, and continues until they decide whether or not they want to join or leave the Amish church.

"Devil's Playground" is a fascinating and disturbing documentary that follows several teens through their time of rumspringa. We watch as one young boy becomes addicted crystal meth and ends up becoming a dealer.

Amish teenagers search for answers and even as they party. Daily they struggled to decide what they believe and how they want to spend the rest of their lives.

Peace

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day.


Buy a cupcake, plant a tree. Click here

Prairie Doggin'

Flower Fields

I toodled up the freeway and made a visit to the Carlsbad Flower Fields. I have been to see the flowers quite a few times. But, on past trips I pushed my face to the fence or hopped on the hood of my car to try and get a good view. This time I actually paid and went in and walked amidst the flowers.

Today was a gorgeous day. I was not the only one taking advantage of the weather to enjoy the view. To my surprise there was a half an hour wait to get tickets to see the flowers!

Where'd the snow go?

Today Is The Day

Did you wake up Canadian?





Check out the new rules here

Riding Through The Fog

Thought For The Day

I am not afraid of storms,
for I'm learning how to sail my ship.
-Louisa May Alcott

Into The Fog

Happy Easter

He is Risen.
He is Risen Indeed. Alleluia!

Foggy Day On The Slopes

Shortly after we arrived in the mountains, the fog started rolling in. Wow, did that make snowboarding a challenge. I was nailed twice by folks who didn't see me due to the reduced visibility. The second time was by a fellow boarder going full speed - I can't remember the last time I got knocked on my back and heard all the air escaping as it got knocked out of my lungs.

Today, I was very thankful to be wearing a helmut!!


Going Up, On The Chair Lift



Snowboarding Down


Packing Up To Head Home

Zen Garden - California Style

Thought For The Day

It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live and imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.
- Bhagavad Gita

At The Office

I Wanna Be

by Cambria Detken



Stop trying to conform me
Stop trying to make me change
Don't tell me that you understand how I feel
Don't try to make me like you
Like everybody else

Let me tell you what the truth is
Don't want to be anyone else
I will not change
into who you want me to be

I wanna be my own person
The person God made me to be
I wanna live my own life
The life that was planned for me

I love to be different
I love to be unique
Stand up for what I believe in

Stop trying to change me
I will not change into what you want me to be
I will stay who I am
because that is who I want to be

I wanna be my own person
The person god made me to be
I wanna live my own life
The life that was planned for me

Picky Reads

Curled up on the couch together, enjoying a good book.

Tribute To The Push Pin Wall

The Push Pin Wall suffered a pre-mature and violent death this week.

These pictures are posted in memory.

May it Rest In Peace.


The Community Push Pin Art Wall


Spring Flower Scene + Fish



Tribute To My Homeland
Pins are hand coloured by Jac Jac


Decorated Christmas Tree and Peace For The New Year


Peace Corner Meets Finding Nemo



MB Bids A Final Farewell

Thought For The Day

"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again."

~ Flavia Weedn

Earth Hour

Celebrate Earth Hour tonight at 8:30 pm by turning off all non-essential lights and electrical appliances. The goal is to raise raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

Learn more at www.earthhour.org and pictures as it spreads across the globe are here.

laugh. dance. dream

Thought For The Day

"Intellectuals solve problems; geniuses prevent them."

-Albert Einstein

Water

It's World Water Week. March 22nd - 28th.

Check out the Tap Project here

Mmmm good!

Snacking away on these as I do my taxes.

Mmmm, these are shockingly good!

Prayer of St. Patrick

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.


I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Happy St Paddy's Day

Prayer

It's popular in Christian circles to say prayer works. Yet, no one knows how prayer works or what exactly constitutes an answer to the many requests we make of God on behalf of our families, friends, and loved ones. It's a matter of faith. We pray because we trust that God precedes us in caring about all aspects of life. We pray because we know prayer changes how we think, feel, and act. And sometimes we pray because we don't know what else to do - we've exhausted all human action on behalf of the one we are praying for. We have no choice but to leave the concern in God's hands. Praying for others not only involves petitions for our loved ones, but also prayers for the larger human community - our neighborhoods, churches, nation, national leaders, and the world.

Teresa A. Blythe

laugh. dance. love.

Out of Our Heads

If we could only get out of our heads, out of our heads
And into our hearts
Children of Abraham lay down your fears, swallow your
Tears and look to your heart

- Sheryl Crow

Remember Summer?

A fun reminder of summer arrived in my inbox today.



And the results are in...

The great news is that the Nike+ Human Race raised more than a million dollars for refugee children.

We hope that's a result you're pleased with. The total amount that you and your fellow runners have raised for UNHCR to date is $1,000,733.

Congratulations and a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who ran and raised money to make this event a success for UNHCR's ninemillion.org campaign.

The first $500,000 will fund teachers and sport in Chad.


More details are available here. Thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday by running for a good cause!

Thought For The Day

Think Deeply,
Speak Gently,
Love Much,
Laugh Alot,
Work Hard,
Give Freely,
Trust God,
and Be Kind!

Community Serve Day

Last Sunday (Feb 8th) a local church moved their regular worship services out of the church and into the local community. Rather than singing and sermons - the day was full of painting, sanding, scrubbing, hauling and playing with kids. I went along for the ride and had a blast! For more pictures click here

Preparing Apartment Complex For A Fresh Coat of Paint



Neighbourhood Girl Looks On


Painting and Repairs at the Community Resource Center


Community Celebration in a Local Park

Quote of the Day

Sometimes it feels like the most important thing
about you is the name of your cat.

Veronique Vienne
The Art of Growing Up

Slumdog

After a week home sick ... today I went for a walk over to the local theatre.

Friends and co-workers keep recommending I go and see "Slumdog Millionaire" - so today I did.



One of the fascinating things about the movie is that several of the young actors are residents of the slums of Mumbai. In recent weeks controversy has swirled about the use and payment of the young stars. I found this interview with the directory interesting.

Breathing Easy

The last week I have been unbelievably congested and downright sick. Getting showered and dressed was more than I could manage. Yeah, for working in my PJs at my home office.

Today, I am finally starting to breathe easy. Here I am all showered and dressed and celebrating with Picky!

laugh. dance. love.

Happy Valentines Day

Cupcakes from Sprinkles

Thought For The Day

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Picky Sleeps

We're Going To Be In The Hudson

Last week, the tapes of the conversation between Captain "Sully" Sullenberger and the air traffic controller that took place just before the plane in the Hudson river were released. Rachel Maddow played them during the "holy mackeral" portion of her show. I echo her sentiments. This man says "We're going to be in the Hudson" more calmly then I would say "I'll be at the mall this afternoon".

Holy Mackerel!!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Creativity

I have often wondered why most companies have a creative department with a limited number of people, usually a very small percentage of the people which are on the payroll.

Every department in a company is a creative department as long as the department has people in it. All people are creative. Creativity has its root in the creator which is within each of us. As you permit the higher side of your nature to express itself in a greater way for good in your life, you are being creative.

There are an enormous number of people who deprive themselves of many of the joys life offers because they believe they are not creative.

"Musicians are creative, writers, artists and designers are creative but I'm not."

You should realize there are creative auto-mechanics, carpenters, secretaries and warehouse people. There are lawyers, accountants and dentists who are creative.
Creativity has absolutely nothing to do with what you do but it has everything to do with how you do it. William James said, "Creativity is the ability to think in unhabitual ways."
Pay particular attention today to the various people you come in contact with. Observe closely how these people apply themselves to their jobs.

Some will be an absolute symphony in every move they make. It will be obvious they have given creative thought to their work while others move in a very mechanical way. If they are asked to do anything which may be out of the norm you may very well hear the reply, "I'm sorry, that is not my job." There are definite self-imposed limitations to their activity.

They have never learned that they are a truly dynamic being with limitless creative potential in every fiber of their being. Nor have they learned that this creative potential is awaiting recognition from them.

You have the opportunity to express your creativity staring you in the face every minute. If you haven't begun to express it, do so today.

Bob Proctor
creativity enabler

Rainy Day

It has been raining for *three* days. That is three days in a row!!

The Pickster and I are laying low - trying to stay warm, dry, and kick the latest cold.

The Big Long Talk

The introvert in me has spent alot of time on that highway looking for an exit...

Quote Of The Day

Some people don't like small talk, they like BIG talk,
*BIG* L-O-N-G Talk.

You look for a break in the BIG LONG talk,
but there are no breaks.

Usually you look for some small little area to squeeze in ...
an o.k. ...
or an alrighty...
and then you start to move away...
and they pull you back.

"Okey Dokey" or "alrighty then" are conversation enders.

For those of you that are wondering,
those are the punctuation of bye-bye.
That is what I am trying to say.

The whole experience is like being on a highway,
with no exits,
and having to pee.

That's the feeling you have inside of you.

When people are talking and talking and talking...
It's like looking for an exit sign
and there is no way to get out.

- Ellen Degeneres

Hugs or Kisses

Hugs or Kisses?! You decide. This month Nivea has teamed up with TEDs to support the Make It Right campaign.

Jac Jac's Shoes

Only a crazy Californian would arrive at the slopes in beach shoes. Socks were a nice touch -eh?!

No fun allowed?!?

This is my favourite sign at Mountain High.



Translation - Playing in The Snow Is Not Permitted.

Ah, but isn't that the whole point of the trip...