reduce, reuse, re-what???

I really believe in global warming, although I want to know where the warm is as I sit in sunny So Cal in 48 degree weather... But I want to do my part. I try only to run the dishwasher when it is full, I do only full loads of laundry and hang them to dry (most of them anyway, there is just no drying the socks from a drying rack in my garage). As I live in an apartment and don't have land or a back yard or heck, even a front yard, it is sometimes very difficult to do such energy saving and environmentally conscious things as suggested by the homemaking mavens of TV land. I cant put up solar panels to harness the energy from the sun. I cant make a compost pile. I am not allowed to have pets so the cow that would graze on the overgrown grass and provide the mass amounts of milk my children seem to require each week is not allowed by the city, nor the neighbors I am sure.

So instead I decided to recycle. So I checked into how we could utilize the waste removal company to recycle as if we lived in a private residence. This company informed me that the apartment complex would have to pay an additional fee to have recycle bins placed alongside the regular trash bins. The apartment complex informed me that this was not feasible for them.

Fine, I will do it my self. I dutifully separated the cardboard and plastics that were all deemed recycle-able at my local drop off location. I called and made sure the local recycle yard could indeed take the cardboard and milk cartons that seem to be plentiful around my house. We sorted and stacked and crushed for a month. While that doesnt seem like a long time or could we amass a large amount of items, we sure as heck did. It amazes me how much packaging is used in grocery products. When finally we couldnt move around the pile in the kitchen and garage, we decided it was time for a trip to the center!

We loaded up bag after bag (paper mind you) into the car and drove down. The recycle center is a shed with a hole in the wall that has some kind of suctiony electronic barcode reader in it. The gentlemen who worked there were not helpful, nor could (would) they speak English. So in my broken and virtually non existent Espanol I asked where to begin. He rolled his eyes and pointed at the hole in the wall. Ok, I thought, undaunted, I can do this.. How difficult can it be... I proceeded to shove the recycle-ables through the whole in the wall until the machine spit them back at me and made this horrible screeching noise. The kind worker came over and motioned for me to move. He made the machine stop screeching then he proceed to throw half my items onto the ground. I was kindly informed that they dont accept the milk cartons and cardboard. I told him that their office said that all items could be taken at these drop off locations. He grunted and said "Fine but I wont give you money for them" I was taken aback at his lack of manners but got over that rather quickly. I said kindly that it was fine, I just wanted to do my part to reduce and save the planet. I didnt expect money from it too. He just grunted. After he "assisted" me in the shoving of my items through the hole in the wall, he handed me a little slip of paper that allowed me to redeem my $5.24 at the local grocery store for my acceptable recycling materials. I thanked him profusely and wanted to kick him in his ungrateful assets as without people like me who were trying to do their part, he wouldnt have this job. I got into my car and prepared to drive away. I got down the drive way and happened to glance into my rearview mirror. There to my disgust was the kind man shoving my cardboard and unacceptable items into the grocery stores dumpster.

So what is the point of this rant you ask?? The point is how is the world going to change when the people who are supposed to be representatives of the green organization doing their part dont really give a good damn about the environment or anything other than collecting a paycheck??? Are we all really that apathetic about the future of our civilization?

Thank you I am now stepping down off my soapbox!!!!

The pictures

Yes Auntie, even with the cell phone cameras that didnt really capture the moment we had to wait and get them from someone else.. I was out on the court with her, as you can see below... and the other kid and adults in the audience didnt have the necessary thought processes to extricate the camera from the bra holding pouch and snap a few photos...

Enjoy, I know I did....

The smile that is plastered on Smirk & my faces are the results of us talking to eachother without moving our lips as the announcer read off her hobbies which include "long walks on the beach and collecting bunny figurines" She is insane....

Oh yes it's ladies night and the feelings right!

OH WHAT A NIGHT!!! Saturday night was senior night for the Lady Dolphins basketball team... This is the one night a year when my poor little benchwarmer gets to play!!! Usually this night takes place at the last home game of the year. But since they are playing their arch rivals during that last game, the coach decided that it would be less stressing to have this on a non league night. Senior night is where all the benchwarmers who are seniors and this will be there last year on the basketball team are honored. This means that these sweet girls get to walk to the center court with their parents and have some nice things said about them, then some lovely pictures taken (yes pictures will follow and be updated when we receive them). It is really nice and there are tears and flowers and then the game...This gets them all pumped up and excited to play especially since some of them haven't seen court time since last season. So Smirk actually applied a little eye make up and made her hair look all pretty and was escorted out to center court by her Mummy and Daddy. She was sooo excited. As the announcer said all of her interests and hobbies and the pictures were done, she was ambushed by her friends in the crowd who adorned her with flower lei's and hugs.

Then the game started. Smirk didn't start but she did play... She scored an almost three pointer (her foot slipped behind the line at the last minute so it was only a two) but SHE MADE IT IN!! That was all I cared about. One of the girls on the opposing team was a little rough, she was a bulldog and was just a bit on the abusive side. At one point in play she hit Smirk so hard it took a second and Smirk got this strange look on her face, that said "HEY, SHE JUST PUNCHED ME" and then it was on... Smirk is an aggressive little player and does not take anything from anyone. She ran down the court stole the ball, passed it and assisted with another basket. Then she brought the ball in from sidelines, called the play the coach had instructed, passed the ball, the swoosh ran up the middle of the court and basically caught up with the ball and helped save her own pass from being stolen. The coach remarked after the game how he had never seen her move that fast before. To which my little smartass replied, maybe if you would put me in more, you would see it...

All in all we were extremely proud of our little senior and cant wait for the pictures to share. Next up, graduation, we hope!!

Politics....

As a dutiful mommy, I have tried to teach my children lessons that they will need in life, not only history, math (ha) and English, but actual life lessons. For instance...As a child, it was 1. don't pick your nose 2. don't kick sand in the school yard 3. be nice to animals and old people 4. respect your teachers. As they get older the lessons change a little, don't smoke (it is disgusting), don't eat snacks from a common snack bowl (see item 1 up above as not all mommies teach their children this lesson), don't drink alcohol as it is illegal, and above all if you do something stupid do not allow photographic evidence as this may come back to haunt you when you are running for president.

Since they were old enough to understand the political process (although are any of us really old enough to understand this process?) we have been voting together... On election night or now the night I receive my absentee ballot, we spread out all the amassed paper that has been sent to the house by the candidates, smear campaigns and all and look at their stance on issues and then try to pick a candidate.. We have in the past wanted to just write in Mickey Mouse or Goofy since we didn't really care for any of the candidates... Especially since one year we were watching the returns on TV and I hadn't been to the polls yet but we were informed that California was all ready accounted for and Bush had won... This year will be slightly different as Smirk is now eligible to vote... She is very opinionated (although I have no idea of where she gets this trait). She does not like Obama, but not because of his race, she does not like the fact that he is trying to get the black vote although he was pretty much raised white... He is not ghetto but tries to identify with them... She doesn't like Hillary not because of her gender, but because Smirk wants to be the first woman president... She doesnt understand if Guliani is really running... She isnt sure about Huckabee, but doesnt think he can win just on his name alone... The other candidates she is leaving to me.. She wants me to help her with those just like we have done in the past.. Only problem... I am ready to vote for Mickey again.....

Oh whatever shall we do.... Now I know why we were taught never to talk politics in polite company.... UGH!!!

Help me understand...

So we were attempting to watch some television the other night and since the writers strike in Hollyweird, there is a minute chance that a new episode of one of our favorites will be on, so we surf. We come across a show about Miss America and changing the face of the Miss America contest. While I usually despise "reality" shows (other than Top Chef) we decided to take a chance. This might actually be humorous. I was outraged!!! First they have all of the current contestants for the Miss America pageant staying in a giant house. They plan on putting them through contests to identify their weaknesses and try to change them for the better. The current challenge was at a dinner with a special guest... The ladies were stumped.. who would be their special guest??? the guest was CONTROVERSY! Wow, they got to sit at tables randomly and talk about subjects that might be put to them in the question portion of the pageant. Great, I thought, finally changing the game and getting some real answers out of the bubble heads that usually speak at this pageant! (I am reminded of the movie Miss Congeniality!!) So they discuss... The topic of premarital sex comes up at one table. Most of them say it is a sin and it should never happen and more blah blah blah hot air.... Finally the judge at the table steps in and says that since she has been listening then everyone at this table must be a virgin. And then proceeds to ask if that is true... You could hear the crickets chirping and the wind blowing through the extensions in their hair. A few spoke up and said yes, absolutely, but one gave this long winded answer about nothing! (our next senator from Alaska)... So then we go to judging, I am hopeful!! I think great, maybe the judges will comment on how these women are idiots but are supposed to be the role models for young women in society and represent our country internationally... BUT NO!!! What do they discuss??? The amount of makeup and hair spray used by each contestant to come to the dinner... So the discussions that were just had meant nothing... NOPE, they just kept going back to the make up and the sparkles. I had to turn it off.. I would rather watch reruns of Laverne & Shirley or Mork & Mindy.. I am done, no more reality TV.. I just cant take it... It just proves to me how much stupidity there is in our country!!! I give up on trying to make people believe that you should be judged on what you think and what is inside your heart, no from now on I will only judge by looks, but in reverse.. The uglier some one is the more they will have my respect... Pretty people will be damned... Stupid people will be rounded up and sent to an island in the Bermuda triangle... Or I can do what every one else does...just sit back and do nothing...

Basketball update!

As many of you know, Smirk is on the varsity basketball team. The exciting news is they have now qualified to play in the state championship tournament!!! For the first time in 15 years, the girls basketball program has qualified for anything! This means they have won 12 games. So far the record is 12 & 2! Our first home game is tonight! Hopefully they will be 13 & 2!! I will have her picture very soon!!!

New Year... New ????...

Happy New Year! This new years I realized something very strange. New Years is just another day.... Nothing exciting... Nothing like when I was young dreaming of being older and able to go out to amazing parties all dressed up, dancing the night away with friends, kissing someone at midnight. I polled my friends...None of them remember any nights like that either. Maybe it was during my youth when the only thing I kissed at midnight was the top of a baby's head or toddlers as I tucked them into their covers. But now it is Smirk's turn to dream. She is at the crazy age where you are an adult, but not really as you cant really do anything adult. Sure you can stay out past midnight, but where do you go? A party...well that was a bust, a club?? No you cant as your friends are all younger than you and they cant get in... So you end up at a friends house doing nothing but watching movies, pausing to watch the ball drop. Then falling asleep...

New years day was much more amusing...for me anyway. As I did not have a hangover or was lacking in sleep in any way. I decided to take a turn around the harbor. It was very relaxing as I sat in the weak California sun watching the strange things maneouver down the channel. A few kayakers were out as well as a woman standing gondelier style on a surf board type vessel as she paddled down the channel. It looked a little odd, but fun. Then came the barrage of little dogs barking at the squirrels who live on this rather bleak looking edifice poking its way out of the blue Pacific. For those who dont live by the sea, the marina where I live was created by people dumping tons of boulders and rocks into the ocean at the appropriate point to create a wave break where the boats can pass safely behind into the marina area. This way the marina isnt pounded by heavy surf. But it doesnt look very pretty...Just jutting rocks and oil slicks... No palm trees or sand hiding the boulders...It is a very nice place to walk though...

After the barrage of little dogs yipping, I decided to walk down to the little shops in the marina. I really thought it would be empty but I was wrong! There were tons of people heading to the ferry that heads to Catalina. I thought how fun would that be...Going to Catalina for the day...If only I were dressed more appropriately...Sweat pants and ugg boots would not do for a day trip to an island...No, I should be dressed ala Doris Day in the Glass Bottom Boat... I could stow away on the ferry and spend the day galavanting on the in the surf... But since I wasnt sure of what they do to stowaways now days, I figured jail was not the best way to spend my day off... Maybe this next year will be better and I can afford the trip and the clothes and spend the first day of the New Year on an island... Happy New Year All!!