My Work Husband
Scott and I were writing an article together. He would start a sentence and I would finish it, and vice versa. I said, "We make a really good team. We should get married."

And he said, "Yeah, that would be the perfect marriage. You could date other guys. And so could I."

My Hard Disk Runneth Over
Okay, after having this wonderful camera for two weeks, I have discovered there is a downside - what do I do with all the pictures? We had to uninstall the program that came with the Coolpix and install Picture Perfect, which is compatible with both cameras. I can't figure out how to edit my pics in PP. In fact, I couldn't even find the pics on my computer for a few days. Well, I finally found them, and now I have to continue uploading pics to Kodak. Very slow when you have a dial-up modem. No, make that just about impossible. Here's one more thing for my wish list: DSL for life!

Double Aack!
Penmaker is moving to Ontario. No, not Canada, California. But it might as well be Canada.

Aack!
I think I've eaten more chocolate in the last two weeks than the entire last year. Usually we get a lot of crap for Halloween, and it's easy to toss it out (okay, feed to my co-workers). But this year, we got all good chocolate stuff, so Guido and I are eating it all up! Oink.

Sports Central
Well, Fluffy's actual season is over. We ended with 11 wins and one tie. I think we could have won that last game if our coach hadn't left early to coach his other soccer team. Whenever he isn't there, the girls don't have a clue where to go.

We still have the Commissioner's Cup in December, and we'll play in the regionals in January.

Scooter's team played a great game this weekend, probably the best they've ever played. Some of the kids aren't big runners, but this week they were all over the field, going after the ball and not giving up. Scooter had extra incentive; the team we played against is coached by a club coach and Scooter wanted to make a good impression.

On the down side, we finally heard names for the select team, and Scooter's isn't one of them. Too bad. He's as good as many of the players on the select team, and better than a few of them. He learned a lot on last year's team, and I was hoping for the same this year.

Well, if we win this weekend's game, we go to the regionals. And either way, we all play in the Commissioner's Cup.

Basketball season is finally over for both kids. Yippee!

Did I mention both kids' teams took first place in their divisions at the VFW tournament?

One for the "Other" Team?
Scooter and Fluffy were bored and fighting this weekend (as usual), so I made them clean the toilets, and they had so much fun they asked if they could do it again.

Then I made Scooter scrub the kitchen floor where it's filthy from pencil lead and ink. So he's on his knees scrubbing the floor, singing songs from the Phantom of the Opera. I love that boy!

Shutter Bug
I've been wanting to get a new lens for my camera, so I can take even closer up pictures. But I've also wanted to switch to a digital SLR. But the digital cameras are so expensive that I wouldn't be able to afford more than just the lens that it comes with, and there goes my wish to take closer up pictures. So I've been torn about what to do.

Favi got the new Canon Rebel digital, and she can fit her lenses from her film Rebel on the digital one. So I checked it out, and discovered that my Nikon lenses would fit on the new digital SLR! Whoo-hoo! Thank goodness the last camera I bought was an auto-focus; otherwise, the lenses wouldn't work on the new camera.

After debating about a month, and checking every site I could find for rebates and deals, I finally took the plunge and bought a new camera. And on top of the original rebate, there is a new one, so I will get back $200, and I end up with an EPSON printer as part of the deal, too.

I LOVE this camera! No more waiting seven seconds between each shot. I can shoot continuously! I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT!

Earthquakes Shake It Up!
The soccer season isn't over yet, but Fluffy's team is locked in for first place AND they are going to the regional playoffs in January!! Yippee!

Scooter's team took first place in his first year in U10, and I'm sure Fluffy remembers how exciting that year was. He told her the other night, "It's not like the other trophies; this is a TALL one, like this big," and he gestured like it was about three feet tall. Ha ha!

She really wants this trophy. She has a lot of other "first place" trophies from basketball and softball, but as she says, "Everybody gets those just for playing. And the basketball tournament where we really took first place, you know I didn't do anything for that one." That's true, she has no clue what she's doing and she doesn't care, but don't let Guido hear her admit that!

Soccer is a different story. She's scored three goals so far this season. She is so short, but she can run really fast. Yesterday she had to defend a girl who was more than a head taller, but she kept on her and prevented her from getting near the goal.

Fluffy's Friends
Is this creepy or what?

New Fall Season 2005 - Rockin' Rainbow Maidens
The Rainbows are at it again. The usual suspects, plus a few new faces. It's going to be a fun year!

Rainbow Regroup - our first gathering for the new fall season

Trailblazer Bike Ride Along the Beach - Six Rainbows and one Dreamboat

We Need $$ for a Soap Box Derby Car!

Life is Tiring Me Out
Wow, I haven't written anything in about a month and a half. I'll have to backtrack.

Fall Soccer Season is Here
West Torrance United vs. The Current

Water on the Brain
On Monday, Fluffy was complaining that her ear and jaw hurt. Yesterday morning she was still complaining, and her face looked kind of chipmunk-like on the right side and felt kind of swollen. I thought, oh no, maybe it's strep throat from her sleepover friend, or worse, the arthritis is back (the doc said just last month that he doesn't need to see her anymore). Turns out it's "swimmer's ear." Ear drops and no swimming for the next few days and she should be back to normal (?).

Aaack!
Got a call last night from the parents of one of the girls at Fluffy's sleepover. She came down with strep throat over the weekend. Now I have to call all the other parents to let them know. How nice.

Happy Birthday Fluffy!
What a fun weekend! On Friday, Guido, Fluffy and Scooter picked up Fluffy’s friends Kristen, Ashley and Caitlin, and met Vickey and Lauren, Janet and Thea, and me at King’s Hawaiian for a pre-birthday dinner (minus Janet, who went off with Dan on a “date”) for Fluffy. Fluffy got her traditional paradise cake with a candle, and we ordered cupcakes for rest of the kids. Then we all went home for a slumber party!

The kids played for a while (it’s cute how Scooter gets along with Thea and Lauren), then spread out their sleeping bags on the living room floor and watched a movie. (This was a perfect opportunity for glow-in-the-dark light sticks.) It was really hot, and I was pooped from all the previous late nights of housecleaning and getting ready for the party. The kids managed to stay up pretty late, even after we turned out all the lights and told them to be quiet, but what else would you expect at a slumber party!

On Saturday morning, Guido, Scooter and I set up the EZ-up (finally, after having it for more than a year, we finally used it!), Vickey’s folding table, and assorted camp chairs in the back “yard” and the kids had breakfast al fresco. This had to be the hottest day of the summer, and I was rushing around the kitchen, trying to scramble eggs, fry bacon, and cook hashed browns, while Guido cut up a watermelon. It was a great feast! I bought cute plastic “goblets” and melamine serving trays at Pier 1 which were perfect for outdoor dining. Scooter was very helpful in serving and cleaning up.

The girls went back into the house while I cleaned up the breakfast things and got the table ready for some crafts. The night before I had a sudden brainstorm for a “make your own Groovy Girl” activity, and drew a bunch of generic bodies on white card stock, and cut out dozens of wrapping paper “clothes” and accessories. After this was set up, Fluffy opened presents and gave each girl her own real Groovy Girl doll, and then we went outside to design our paper Groovy Girls.

While they were busy designing Groovy Girls, I went back into the house to download and print pictures I had taken for the next craft, which was designing your own picture frame. Each girl glued a slumber party picture to her frame and we put magnets on the back so they could put it on their refrigerator at home. We finished just in time for Kristen’s mom to pick her up for her piano lesson.

I had planned on making “tea” sandwiches for lunch, but the girls wanted pizza, so I ordered a couple huge ones from Georgios. Just as the kids finished and went back in the house, Vickey came by for pizza, and then Janet and Dan came by, and we dragged the kids outside for birthday cake.

After Lauren and Thea left with their parents, we dropped off Caitlin and Ashley, and came home to clean up the house. I’m so glad we were able to do the food and crafts outside. There wasn’t much to clean up inside the house, just move furniture, roll up sleeping bags, put away toys, throw away birthday wrapping paper, vacuum, and wash some dishes. And even with eating dinner out on Friday, ordering pizzas and a cake, renting movies, and giving Groovy Girl dolls as favors ($10 each), this party was under $200.

Fluffy had a great first sleepover / birthday party, and she is now sleeping in her new bedroom on brand new girly sheets.

Happy birthday, my little fluffball, my best girlfriend in the whole world!

Fluffy Can Swim!
Mood:  happy
After four years (plus) of lessons at Akai, Fluffy can swim! Guess we'll be spending next summer with the Torrance Aquatic Club. Yippee!!

Scooter's Home
Scooter survived a week at camp. It sounds like it was a camp for misfits from the way he described the boys in his cabin - one with a serious phobia of water to the point where his hands were black from never being washed, another with all kinds of "issues," and a cabin leader who had brain surgery when he was younger. Still, it sounds like he had a good time. His allergies didn't bother him, his skin looks better than ever, and he didn't have any bathroom problems. He told me he was very responsible, eating salad everyday and drinking milk at every meal, whereas some kids had meals consisting entirely of Chee-tohs. He says he didn't have fun, but from the way he's been talking about all the activities, I think did. I told him before that he can hate me for sending him, but I did it because I thought it would be good for him, and it sounds like it really was good for him to get away from us and our hectic life in the 'burbs.

I on the other hand missed him like crazy and had to sleep with his stuffed animals while he was away. I don't think I can send him away to college.

The Js in Holland
Rainbow alumni Joanna & Jexenia are leaving in just a few days for Holland, where their husband/dad is being transferred by the Air Force. Vickey invited us for an impromptu pizza/pool party. Just Joanna, Jexenia & Jasmin, Vickey & Lauren, and Fluffy & me. The girls swam while the moms watched and talked story. It was really nice.

Jexenia was with us for just one year, being a transplant from the disbanded Navajos, and she is one of the nicest girls we've ever had in our tribe. She's a year older than our girls, but two grades ahead (very smart). She and her older sister Jasmin are so sweet and a credit to their parents. We'll miss them and hope they have a wonderful time living in Holland and visiting the neighboring European countries. They'll be there for World Cup Soccer in Germany!

Scooter Goes to Camp
After flip-flopping for the last few days, Scooter was shipped off for a week at Camp Round Meadow. I had signed him up even though I didn’t want him to go, because I thought it would be good for him, and both his teacher and the Y director who has known Scooter for four or five years now said it would be good for him. At first, Scooter said he couldn’t wait to get away from us. As we got closer to camp day, he started saying he didn’t want to go.

I spent the past week running around (in between getting stuff for his Marymount classes) getting all his camping stuff. I hunted all over for a wheeled duffel bag, since there was no way he was going to fit a week’s worth of stuff in the bags we have, and a bigger bag would need wheels or Scooter would have a miserable time carrying it plus a sleeping bag. I called the Y summer camp director and he reluctantly said it was okay to have a wheeled bag. So on Wednesday night I bought the cheapest one I could find ($45 plus tax), put his name on it in permanent Sharpie, and on Thursday morning Guido called me at work to say he didn’t want Scooter to go camping because there was a fire near Round Meadow. Augh!

I told Scooter he wasn’t going to Round Meadow after all, because of the fire. He had already told all his teachers he was going to miss a week, because he was going away to camp, so he would have to tell all his teachers on Friday that he would be here for the next week after all.

I still wanted Scooter to go to camp, so I spent Friday morning talking to the Y camp director, the fire tracking people, the visitor’s bureau, and the ranger station. The fire had been put out by Wednesday night, and it had been pretty far from the actual camp. The air was clear and the quality was fine. The roads were open. Rangers routinely patrol the areas daily looking for fires and hazards. And camp was still on. So I persuaded Guido to let Scooter go. What a surprise to Scooter when I picked him up from day camp and told him he needed to pack all his stuff to go camping the next day!

I packed like crazy. I had to make sure I didn’t forget anything, ‘coz it isn’t like one of our family camping trips where I can hop in the car and drive down the road to pick up anything I forgot to pack. I tucked a little surprise beanie penguin and disposable camera in the bag when Scooter wasn’t looking.

We dropped him off at the Ken Miller Rec Center at 8:00 in the morning. Guido wanted to leave right away, but I asked Scooter if he wanted us to stick around until they left on the buses and he said yes, so we waited outside while all the kids got checked in.

It was very touching to see all the kids come marching out an hour later, grouped by cabin assignments. Each group had their own theme, with hats or other accessories, and they filled up five tour buses. They were all so happy, excited, and optimistic, except for Scooter, who obviously didn’t want to be there. He wouldn’t say goodbye or look at us. It was a weird feeling, watching those buses drive off, taking our kids away for a week. It makes me misty to think about it.

Fasten Your Seatbelt, We're Going to Have Some Fun!
For the last couple of years, Guido has been saying we need to replace the minivan one of these days. Yeah, yeah, I don’t put much thought into it because this could go on for years, and anyway, I figure, like the minivan, he’ll pick what he wants no matter what I say. Way back in 1994, when Scooter was four months old and we were run off the road in my little Mazda 323 by a “big” minivan that decided to make a right turn in front of me from the left lane of traffic, I decided I wanted a solid, boxy Volvo station wagon, but we got a Quest minivan instead because it was cheaper and had a bigger engine, unimportant details to me.

My only requirement this time is that it has to be an SUV, and it has to be of a substantial size, but not too big (smaller than a Suburban but big enough to seat seven people). Four-wheel drive would be nice, but not imperative. It should have a good roof rack and I really want a tow bar so I can mount a bike rack. Japanese or American, it doesn’t make a difference. I just don’t want another minivan!

I don’t pay much attention to what Guido does (there, I just admitted it). He had some brochures and stuff, so I knew he was starting to look and compare. He always does calculations ahead of time and figures out what we can afford, what is a good price, what he’s going to offer, etc.

I must say, as we get older, some things do get easier. We know exactly what we need and what we want, and we can actually make the distinction between the two. The bells and whistles are nice, but if it means more money, we can just say no and it’s fairly painless.

After we dropped off the Scooter boy for summer camp (wah!), Guido wanted to check out some car dealers in Long Beach and Carson. And this is where Guido scares me sometimes - we bought a Honda Pilot from the first dealer we went to. We test drove one, and I let Guido pick out the color he wanted, since I had the monopoly on colors of the two cars we’ve bought in our lifetime so far (grey minivan, brown Accord). Naturally, he picked out the ugly green one instead of a pretty champagne, red or blue one.

We all went inside to haggle over the price. Fluffy was bored, so we left Guido and went to try out all the unlocked cars in the showroom. Fluffy didn’t care about the Accord and Civic. She liked the big Ridgeway truck. And she loved the gaudy metallic yellow S2000 sports car. I was pretending to drive it, making vroom vroom noises, and a salesman came by, put the hood down, and said, “There, now you can see where you’re going.” Ha ha!

I showed Fluffy how to use the clutch and shift gears, and she loved it. We "drove" to Washington, New York and Mississippi (I have no idea why). We kept going from one car to another, but she always wanted to go back to the yellow car, and at one point told me, “Fasten your seat belt. We’re going to have some FUN!” Oh boy, she is going to be a lot of fun when she starts driving.