Sorry for not writing for a while! Once I figured out how to go all natural, I ran out of interesting things to tell you about. Life has consisted of normalcy. Normal chores, applying for jobs, normal kitten antics... I did meet with a few people to talk about volunteering opportunities through our church, and have gone out to coffee with a few gals to try to make friends. I had forgotten how obnoxious it is to start over in a new place! Anyway, I didn't want to bore with with the doldrums of all this, so I put it off for two weeks!
On the upside, my prayer life has been fantastic! God has really been doing some cool things lately, and I've been pretty content and at peace, even though it's pretty tempting to go crazy with frustration &/or boredom once in a while. Gotta give him the glory!
Showing posts with label Life and Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life and Living. Show all posts
Monday, September 19, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Bay Area Beaches
We have been living in the San Francisco Area for roughly three months. Every free weekend we've had has been spent going to various beaches. Curt is completely addicted. Keep in mind that most beaches are small and windy, unless otherwise noted. Here are some of the most recommended beaches versus our favorites, and what we like about each one!
Most Recommended
Half Moon Bay
The Good: Very easy to find, lots of cute shops all nautically themed, piers, easy parking.
The Bad: Very touristy. That means lots of people. Also, where was the beach!? Only found piers.
The Ugly: SMELLS. Rotting fish smell is not my favorite.
Baker Beach
The Good: Gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Nice sand, clean beach. Can watch enormous barges coming in with all our junk from China.
The Bad: Parking is awful. Find a spot to park on Google Maps and plan to walk a ways to get to the beach.
The Ugly: This is a clothing optional beach. That means lots of naked old guys. To make this even funnier, they were sunning themselves ONLY on the part of the beach where all the tourists were trying to take pictures of the bridge. Hello, exhibitionists!
Santa Cruz Beach
The Good: Also gorgeous. There is a boardwalk and a mini theme park. It is a good sized beach with lots of walkways around the area and good views. Very touristy, but there is tons to do!
The Bad: SO. MANY. PEOPLE.
The Ugly: They keep this place pretty clean, but with so many people and activities, it tends to be a little trashy. Also, touristy flashy colors painted on everything.
Favorite
Bean Hollow Beach
The Good: TIDEPOOLS! I don't need to tell you anything else, because that's the best thing about a beach. Okay, fine. It was also pretty, had nice sand, blah blah blah. Tidepools!
The Bad: Who cares!? There were tidepools with critters! Oh alright, it was extra windy. But that just made giant crashing waves that contributed to the tide pools! Huzzah!
The Ugly: Moot.
Grey Whale Cove
The Good: This little treasure has a fun hiking trail going into the hills above the beach. Really neat views. The beach itself is tucked away, cut out of a cliff. Nice and remote, and not very windy. Not very many people.
The Bad: There is a nifty stairway walking down to this beach. Unfortunately, at the end of said stairway is a gross pond of... muck. Walk past, THEN enjoy pretty beach.
The Ugly: This is also a clothing optional beach. Stay away from the north end with the ugly naked dudes.
Ocean Beach
The Good: AMAZING parking. Nice sand. HUGE. Usually has a lot of people, but it's so big that it's not a problem. You can usually see a volleyball or frisbee game happening. It is right next to Golden Gate Park, so if you fancy some trees you just have to turn around 180 degrees.
The Bad: This is also a popular tourist stop. It's also very windy.
The Ugly: Nothing of note.
We've been to other beaches, like Pacifica and Pescadaro. We have driven by even more. These are just our favorites!
Most Recommended
Half Moon Bay
The Good: Very easy to find, lots of cute shops all nautically themed, piers, easy parking.
The Bad: Very touristy. That means lots of people. Also, where was the beach!? Only found piers.
The Ugly: SMELLS. Rotting fish smell is not my favorite.
Baker Beach
The Good: Gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Nice sand, clean beach. Can watch enormous barges coming in with all our junk from China.
The Bad: Parking is awful. Find a spot to park on Google Maps and plan to walk a ways to get to the beach.
The Ugly: This is a clothing optional beach. That means lots of naked old guys. To make this even funnier, they were sunning themselves ONLY on the part of the beach where all the tourists were trying to take pictures of the bridge. Hello, exhibitionists!
Santa Cruz Beach
The Good: Also gorgeous. There is a boardwalk and a mini theme park. It is a good sized beach with lots of walkways around the area and good views. Very touristy, but there is tons to do!
The Bad: SO. MANY. PEOPLE.
The Ugly: They keep this place pretty clean, but with so many people and activities, it tends to be a little trashy. Also, touristy flashy colors painted on everything.
Favorite
Bean Hollow Beach
The Good: TIDEPOOLS! I don't need to tell you anything else, because that's the best thing about a beach. Okay, fine. It was also pretty, had nice sand, blah blah blah. Tidepools!
The Bad: Who cares!? There were tidepools with critters! Oh alright, it was extra windy. But that just made giant crashing waves that contributed to the tide pools! Huzzah!
The Ugly: Moot.
Grey Whale Cove
The Good: This little treasure has a fun hiking trail going into the hills above the beach. Really neat views. The beach itself is tucked away, cut out of a cliff. Nice and remote, and not very windy. Not very many people.
The Bad: There is a nifty stairway walking down to this beach. Unfortunately, at the end of said stairway is a gross pond of... muck. Walk past, THEN enjoy pretty beach.
The Ugly: This is also a clothing optional beach. Stay away from the north end with the ugly naked dudes.
Ocean Beach
The Good: AMAZING parking. Nice sand. HUGE. Usually has a lot of people, but it's so big that it's not a problem. You can usually see a volleyball or frisbee game happening. It is right next to Golden Gate Park, so if you fancy some trees you just have to turn around 180 degrees.
The Bad: This is also a popular tourist stop. It's also very windy.
The Ugly: Nothing of note.
We've been to other beaches, like Pacifica and Pescadaro. We have driven by even more. These are just our favorites!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
It Pays to Be a Pest!
We have had huge, major, ridiculous problems with AT&T since we moved. The guy who installed our interwebs apparently wrote down that he installed everything. People at AT&T couldn't read his handwriting and wouldn't believe we didn't have all of those services. Major charges and made-up fees later, I had a cow.
I called this gal literally twice a day for two weeks, then started texting her so she could remember what I said, until the problem was (mostly) fixed. There was still an extra $55 charge that shouldn't have been there, but compared to what the bill was originally, it was almost a win. So I growled a grumble and decided to move on with life.
Then AT&T decided they were really, really sorry. It has been AWESOME. Hello, ridiculously high rebates, discounted service, more rebates, coupons in the mail, and a "Thanks for being our customer" letter from the V.P. of the company. I know his secretary probably did a bulk mailing of those, but whatever. They have made up for my weeks of frustration and I am still a happy customer.
Plus, we all know AT&T is way better than Verizon.
Pestering companies has become a recurring theme. I long ago learned it paid off big time to politely bother companies when something didn't go right. They want to know. For example, a manager at Home Depot closed down a section of their store 30 minutes early, wouldn't unlock the gate for me to load up some trees (Seriously? I knew exactly what I want. Big purchase, I need five minutes of your time), and I knew from experience this was a HUGE, MAJOR retail no-no.
So I wrote a very polite letter to Home Depot about it. You know what happened? Half of my trees were free. FREE TREES!
The moral of the story is to be a polite pest. Tell people what you want! Your companies will thank you.
I called this gal literally twice a day for two weeks, then started texting her so she could remember what I said, until the problem was (mostly) fixed. There was still an extra $55 charge that shouldn't have been there, but compared to what the bill was originally, it was almost a win. So I growled a grumble and decided to move on with life.
Then AT&T decided they were really, really sorry. It has been AWESOME. Hello, ridiculously high rebates, discounted service, more rebates, coupons in the mail, and a "Thanks for being our customer" letter from the V.P. of the company. I know his secretary probably did a bulk mailing of those, but whatever. They have made up for my weeks of frustration and I am still a happy customer.
Plus, we all know AT&T is way better than Verizon.
Pestering companies has become a recurring theme. I long ago learned it paid off big time to politely bother companies when something didn't go right. They want to know. For example, a manager at Home Depot closed down a section of their store 30 minutes early, wouldn't unlock the gate for me to load up some trees (Seriously? I knew exactly what I want. Big purchase, I need five minutes of your time), and I knew from experience this was a HUGE, MAJOR retail no-no.
So I wrote a very polite letter to Home Depot about it. You know what happened? Half of my trees were free. FREE TREES!
The moral of the story is to be a polite pest. Tell people what you want! Your companies will thank you.
Friday, August 19, 2011
To Sing or Not to Sing?
Once upon a time there was a little toehead who loved to sing. She would dance around the house singing opera at the top of her lungs, and force those around to listen. The little girl would demand an answer to the question, "Do I sound good?" This little girl's mother believed in frankness and truth, so the mother would always reply, in fairness, with "No." She was probably hoping the little girl would give up if she were honest. One's ears can only stand so much opera, after all. Especially the 10 year old version.
Even those of you lacking an imagination have probably guessed that I was the little girl. Strange music tastes aside, I have never been a good singer. People have always said that voice lessons really helped the music impaired. I never believed it would help me. Seriously, an entire life of being embarrassed to sing in front of people (after I outgrew my opera voyeurism, anyway) is not something a few voice lessons could erase.
I remember singing my heart out in church once as a tween when a friend (who was in her school's choir) turned to me and said, "Wow. You're a really bad singer!" In fairness to her, she did try to coach me a bit before giving me up as a lost cause. Something about singing through my nose. I have since learned to sing softly to myself.
Groupon undid all of this societal suppression of my voice, however, and now you must all live with the consequences. I got 3 voice lessons. My instructor wanted me to open my mouth more and to sing more loudly. I usually leave the lessons singing at the top of my voice in my car on the drive home. In class, however, I was afraid to peep. You know how little girls giggle when they're embarrassed? I did that in class. Whenever I messed up, the embarrassment got worse, and then so did my performance. Vicious cycles.
My poor, exasperated instructor finally made me sing in front of a mirror to see how I wasn't opening my mouth. I hate my mouth. Why would I want to show it off to someone? Coffee on the way to lessons was a bad idea. Nonetheless, I persevered through the embarrassment and the bad breath. I swung wildly back and forth between being too petrified to sing and not caring one whit what people thought. The results are humorously (and unsurprisingly) mixed.
Mostly, I think people are happy or at least amused when they see someone bucking societal norms and living fancy free. It's the reason you grin when you catch someone singing in the car, or absentmindedly dancing to some music they're listening to. It's why you are cheered up a bit when you catch some unadulterated, unbridled bit of joy bursting forth. A child's squeal of delight, a gasp, an arms-flung hug. Those moments are powerful, inspiring, and brought on by things that are worthwhile in life - music, art, expression, family, your cat. Erm, maybe not that last one. That might just be me.
The people who weren't so happy were the ones who had to listen to me fumble through for any length of time, repeatedly, day after day. Oh well, I'll get better or they'll learn to "tune" me out. Punny!
In class I was too busy worrying about singing correctly and was being so hard on myself I forgot why you sing - because it's fun!
The point is, go sign up for some lessons you're terrified of. You might just bring someone a bit of joy one day, or at the very least become less worried by what other people think and find some moments of joy for yourself.
Even those of you lacking an imagination have probably guessed that I was the little girl. Strange music tastes aside, I have never been a good singer. People have always said that voice lessons really helped the music impaired. I never believed it would help me. Seriously, an entire life of being embarrassed to sing in front of people (after I outgrew my opera voyeurism, anyway) is not something a few voice lessons could erase.
I remember singing my heart out in church once as a tween when a friend (who was in her school's choir) turned to me and said, "Wow. You're a really bad singer!" In fairness to her, she did try to coach me a bit before giving me up as a lost cause. Something about singing through my nose. I have since learned to sing softly to myself.
Groupon undid all of this societal suppression of my voice, however, and now you must all live with the consequences. I got 3 voice lessons. My instructor wanted me to open my mouth more and to sing more loudly. I usually leave the lessons singing at the top of my voice in my car on the drive home. In class, however, I was afraid to peep. You know how little girls giggle when they're embarrassed? I did that in class. Whenever I messed up, the embarrassment got worse, and then so did my performance. Vicious cycles.
My poor, exasperated instructor finally made me sing in front of a mirror to see how I wasn't opening my mouth. I hate my mouth. Why would I want to show it off to someone? Coffee on the way to lessons was a bad idea. Nonetheless, I persevered through the embarrassment and the bad breath. I swung wildly back and forth between being too petrified to sing and not caring one whit what people thought. The results are humorously (and unsurprisingly) mixed.
Mostly, I think people are happy or at least amused when they see someone bucking societal norms and living fancy free. It's the reason you grin when you catch someone singing in the car, or absentmindedly dancing to some music they're listening to. It's why you are cheered up a bit when you catch some unadulterated, unbridled bit of joy bursting forth. A child's squeal of delight, a gasp, an arms-flung hug. Those moments are powerful, inspiring, and brought on by things that are worthwhile in life - music, art, expression, family, your cat. Erm, maybe not that last one. That might just be me.
The people who weren't so happy were the ones who had to listen to me fumble through for any length of time, repeatedly, day after day. Oh well, I'll get better or they'll learn to "tune" me out. Punny!
In class I was too busy worrying about singing correctly and was being so hard on myself I forgot why you sing - because it's fun!
The point is, go sign up for some lessons you're terrified of. You might just bring someone a bit of joy one day, or at the very least become less worried by what other people think and find some moments of joy for yourself.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Going Granola?
We all have those friends who do things that are just plain strange. With the advent of social networking, the strangeness can become pervasive. Seriously, every time I open my browser one of said friends has recently been posting about all the stuff she ISN'T using... diapers, shampoo, conditioner, chemical cleaners, and so forth. She gets a lot of interesting comments from other strange folks who are doing the same thing. Now, I've tried to use all natural products here and there, with limited (okay, no) success.
Recently, some health concerns have me ready to try, try again. With that being said, I'm not brave enough to buy all the strange ingredients to make my own, well, everything. So I started off by buying Shaklee housecleaners and laundry stuff. I love their vitamins, so Shaklee's homecare line should be good too, right? I mean, how different can they be? Actually, this little chemical-free endeavor went really, really well! I was inspired, and continued on my quest to eradicate unpronounceable ingredients from my house.
At the end of this "going granola" experiment I plan to post a page with all of my favorite recipes and what works the best!
Update: Said page is done! Click Here.
Recently, some health concerns have me ready to try, try again. With that being said, I'm not brave enough to buy all the strange ingredients to make my own, well, everything. So I started off by buying Shaklee housecleaners and laundry stuff. I love their vitamins, so Shaklee's homecare line should be good too, right? I mean, how different can they be? Actually, this little chemical-free endeavor went really, really well! I was inspired, and continued on my quest to eradicate unpronounceable ingredients from my house.
At the end of this "going granola" experiment I plan to post a page with all of my favorite recipes and what works the best!
Update: Said page is done! Click Here.
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